Page 30 of Retribution

I nod. ‘I’m not allowed to open the window in case I die, or something.’

The maid snorts and puts down my tray. From her pocket, she takes out a bunch of keys and unhooks a tiny one.

‘All the maids have one of these so we can clean the outer panes,’ she murmurs, handing it to me.

‘You won’t get in trouble?’

She shrugs. ‘I’ll just say I lost it in the house somewhere. No big deal.’

‘Thanks,’ I say.

She winks. ‘The bitch said lights out at nine. She’ll come check. She’s been here two days, making our lives hell with her orders. Seriously, it’s like she thinks she’s the new Mrs. Novelle, or something.’

‘Ugh, she isn’t going to be, is she?’

Samantha shakes her head. ‘Nope, but she thinks she’s something special, that’s for sure.’

The maid goes to the door and opens it, giving me a nod and leaving the room. The door is locked behind her again.

I open the window first, basking in the cool air for a moment before I go to the trash and find a bag ofcrispspotato chipsand some fruit. I take one of the apples and bite into it. The rest I put on a shelf in the closet behind a spare pillow. It’s not the best spot, but my options are limited and it’s the best I can do.

I eat my apple quickly and drop the core out the window into the bushes below. Then, I try to find something to wear to bed. No way am I sleeping naked when that woman, who’s literally threatened to watch me shave, can come into my room at will.

But I can’t bring myself to put on one of the gray uniforms. They’re scratchy and, after wearing normal clothes for the past three months, I just can’t stand the way they feel against even my hands. So, I decide to go to bed in my tank top and my underwear, refusing to think about what tomorrow will bring.

I close the window, hiding the key under my mattress before I turn out the lights and lay in the dark, waiting for her to check that I’m following her dumb rules. A few minutes later, I hear the door unlock.

She comes into the room, and I can feel her watching me. I pretend I’m already asleep.

‘Yes, she seems to be following your rules. Tried to give me some BS about going to class tomorrow, like I’m going to believe?—’

I wonder who else is here, but then I hear another, more masculine voice that’s muffled and realize she’s speaking on the phone.

‘She actually goes to school? Like arealschool?’ she scoffs. ‘Wow. Okay, fine. I’ll make sure she goes to the campus, but you’re not paying me to shadow her all day.’

So, she’s speaking to Joe, giving him a little update on me. My fists clench under the covers.

‘Okay.Yes, sir.’

She says the last part weirdly, like a low purr.

I watch her through my mostly closed eyes as she taps the phone, puts it in her nurse’s uniform pocket and lets out a slow breath.

‘Spoiled little retard,’ she mutters, I assume about me.

Then she leaves, locking the door behind her.

I get my phone out and quickly message the guys about my conversations with the evil nurse and about the phone call. I feel a little better when Blake messages back immediately, clearly outraged. I think he might even kill her, and I can’t help my small smile. Yes, I know that’s a really fucked up thing to be happy about, but this woman is a prize asshole. And clearly very deep in the Banderville pockets. She’ll do whatever Joe tells her to do and, if I’m honest, past the bravado, that terrifies me. I was wrong. I underestimated Nurse Asshole. She isn’t Sue. She’s Stoke himself.

I turn off the phone and put it under my pillow. Then, I lay down. Not because she told me to, but because I’m sleepy anyway.

Tomorrow is another day, I tell myself. And John and I made a deal. I’m going to campus. It sounded like she won’t be coming with me, so maybe I’ll be free for a little while. Maybe I’ll be able to see my guys and we can figure out what I’m going to do.

We’ll figure it out like they said. We have to.

SHADE

Daisy has stopped replying. I hope that means she’s going to sleep. I sit and stare at my phone for a long time, reading and rereading what she’s said about my father’s house so far.