Page 48 of Never Tell Secrets

“Keira…” I really didn’t want these two to be fighting all night.

“It’s alright, Lo.” Alfie turned to Keira. “I would expect nothing less. For what it’s worth, I wanted to thank you for trying to protect her and for taking care of her after we…separated.” He struggled with the word and I could see the pain it caused him. “I owe you an apology.”

“You didn’t do shit to me,” she snapped.

“I drove a wedge between you and Lo and I did it on purpose.” His blatant acknowledgement of what he’d done caught both of us off guard. This new Alfie kept on surprising me. “I apologise.”

“Accepted. But I don’t trust or like you.”

“I’ll just have to work on that.” He held her gaze, unwavering, as she scowled at him.

“Well, seeing as you’re here and Lola has decided to pursue this bullshit charade with you, I’ll play nice for tonight,” she huffed and I mouthed a ‘thank you’ at her. “So what, are we going to the opera or something?” She gestured at our formal attire.

“No. We aren’t going to the opera.” Alfie’s eyes found mine, sending a delicious shiver down my spine. “Come.”

Outside, two cars waited for us. Keira and Maia got into one and Alfie and I got into another with Elliot as our driver. I grinned at him as he held my door for me. Inside, with Elliot separated by a glass divide, my nerves kicked in.

“So, are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I asked, trying to keep the anxiety out of my voice.

“No,” he answered, a teasing smile on his lips. He looked so handsome I could hardly stand to look at him.

“Will I like it?”

“I have no idea.”

I blew out a breath, fidgeting with my hair, the folds of my dress. Finally, my hand went to my mum’s necklace, my thumb rubbing over the glass.

“You’re nervous.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Yes,” I admitted.

“Lo, look at me.” His low voice coaxed me to turn my gaze away from the passing night to his grey gaze. “If you don’t like it, we’ll leave. Easy.” Surprisingly, my nerves steadied. In that card, he’d asked me to trust him. I guess I was going to have to try.

We drove for over an hour, the houses growing sparser and sparser before finally, we pulled onto a deserted path. Large gates loomed and I leaned forward in my seat to make out the huge gold letters stencilled across them. We pulled up to the gates and my eyes grew wider and wider as I finally took them in.

No…this wasn’t happening.

I looked at Alfie to see a grin spreading across his face.

In shock, I turned back to the gates that were beginning to open for us.

The gates with the lettersNTCsigned across them.

Seventeen

This wasn’t happening.

There was no way this was happening.

But it was.

I was at the Never Tell Clubhouse.

The car sped us along a winding driveway, through expansive grounds. My jaw dropped even further as two giant gem stone peacocks came into view, introducing us to the extravagant, gothic-style mansion ahead. I turned as we drove past them, watching their obsidian eyes glinting in the moonlight.

Before the mansion was a fountain–four statues of women kneeling with water coming out of their mouths and, in the middle, four men, lounging about and another standing in the middle of them. The face of the last was all too familiar. Just when I thought his ego couldn’t get any bigger.

The house was an incredible yet eerie structure. Beautiful yet imperious, a place that invited you in yet didn’t promise you would be the same when you came out.