Wild Girl: A High School Bully Romance (Slateview High Book 2) Page 8
After several long minutes, I rose to my feet and began to pace restlessly. I peered down the corridor we’d entered from and saw a large arched doorway leading to another room—I had thought it looked like a library when we’d passed by earlier. Shooting one last glance at Nathaniel’s office door, I crept down the hallway and into the library. It was large and bright, with shelves lining the walls, filled with leather-bound books. One wall was taken up by an enormous bay window.
“Oh, wow…”
I walked in, glancing around. There had been a more lavish library room in my family’s mansion, but I still found myself stunned by what I was seeing. It was just so different from my expectations. Where were the shady hideaways? The men walking around with weapons drawn, smoking cigarettes and cursing? Every preconception I’d had about Nathaniel was whisked away as I browsed the shelves and eyed some titles that I had read before.
Just as I reached out to brush my fingers over the spines of the books, a soft, feminine voice spoke behind me.
“Enjoying yourself?”
Ten
I jumped at the sudden voice, whirling on my heel as my hand flew to my chest.
At the door stood a woman, tall and elegant in the way she carried herself. Her thick, dark hair was French-braided back, the length of the braid falling over trim shoulders. The plum-colored dress she wore fit the curves of her body perfectly. She had a regal bearing and was probably close to my mother’s age, but I wouldn’t have guessed that at first glance. I could see the age in her eyes but not anywhere else.
She walked in, stepping smoothly. She moved like a cat, with all the grace of a predator, and yet for some reason, I didn’t feel scared of her. Something about her was captivating.
She stopped in front of me and smiled, tilting her head to one side. “I hope I didn’t scare you?”
I cleared my throat, shaking my head.
“Sorry. Um. No. I was just… looking around.”
I didn’t know who this woman was, but my instincts told me she was important. The only people I had seen walking around were men who very clearly didn’t live here. She looked like she fit into this place like a well-made glove fit to a hand.
Immediately, my curious poking around felt like an intrusion. She clearly felt comfortable here. Her presence filled the room entirely.
Still, she smiled, her head cocked to the side as though she were amused.
“You don’t have to be frightened. I saw you come in with the boys. You’re a friend of theirs?”
I flushed. “Yes. We’re all… friends. I go to school with them. We were all out together when they got called in.”
“And they brought you with them?” Her eyebrows rose slightly, and her gaze became a bit more assessing. “You must be someone special.”
“Oh, not really.”
The woman chuckled and walked past me, sitting down on the plush window seat in the bay window. She patted the space beside her, and I followed, only hesitating for a moment before taking a seat next to her.
“I’ve known those boys for a few years now,” she said, a note of affection in her voice. “They never bring girls around here. I’m Josephine, by the way. Nathaniel’s wife.”
I couldn’t stop myself from gawking a little.
“You’re… Nathaniel’s wife?”
She smirked. “I know. He’s lucky, isn’t he?” Then her smile faded as she focused on me again. “And you? Your name?”
“I’m Cordelia Van Rensselaer,” I answered.
“Cordelia. What a beautiful name, for a beautiful girl.” Her face turned a little serious. “Such a surprising thing, though. I assume you’re aware of what the boys do?”
It was a simple enough question, but I hesitated. I wasn’t sure if I should answer honestly, but decided that I’d fare better speaking the truth than by lying.
“I do,” I said. “But I don’t talk about it or say anything to anyone. I know why they do things like this, and I know who they are as people. It doesn’t make me care for them any less.”
Josephine’s brow rose, the seriousness in her face softening after a moment.
“Oh, believe me, I understand. If that’s the case, then they’re truly lucky to have you.”
I flushed.
That was the first time anyone had ever said those words to me, and I was surprised how much they affected me. My relationship with the Lost Boys had come to mean more to me than almost anything. I knew they were right for me, even if the rest of the world saw three boys who had once bullied me and hated me, even if no one else understood how I could care about all three of them equally. How I could want them to share me.
But this woman seemed to.
I didn’t know her at all, but her approval actually made warmth spread through my chest.
It struck me how ironic it was—Josephine was the embodiment of what my mother could have been. An elegant woman with money to her name, power and wealth at her fingertips. Yet she spoke with an understanding that my mother had never had—not now, and not before Dad’s arrest. I would never have been able to have this conversation with my own mom.
“Well… I think I’m pretty lucky to have them,” I said, my voice low and almost shy as I spoke the truth that had been sitting in my heart for weeks.
She nodded, smiling gently. “Few people truly understand what it’s like to be at the sides of men like my husband or your boys. I would ask why you’re here right now, but I imagine I already know. Have there been times when they didn’t bring you somewhere, and you were beyond worried sick?”
“More times than I want to admit to.” I let out a shuddery breath, biting my lip.
God, she really does know.
I had no idea how she’d so quickly pieced together that I was with all three of the boys. But she seemed to have absorbed and accepted that information without a moment’s pause. And sympathy on her face as she took in my expression made me feel like she had once been exactly where I was.
“I wish I could tell you it gets easier,” she said softly. She glanced out the window to the cloudy sky beyond, her gaze going a little unfocused as she got lost in her thoughts. “It truly doesn’t though. It just becomes… different.”
“Different, how?” I leaned forward a little, desperate for some glimpse into the future, for some hint of what loving people who lived in this world truly entailed.
“You get used to the fear, a little.” She glanced back at me, dark blue eyes clear and open. “But you don’t stop being afraid. Or at least, I didn’t.”
“Oh. Great.”
I couldn’t keep the disappointment out of my voice, and Josephine chuckled.
“You learn not to live in that place though. You’ll have to.” She patted my knee gently. “Instead of spending every day fearing what I might lose, I spend every day appreciating what I have. Because that’s all I have. Today. The future isn’t guaranteed for anyone, Cordelia. There is no amount of money or power that can protect a person from heartbreak or death. We just live closer to that truth than most people.”
Her words struck a chord with me. I knew how true they were. I had seen my father and mother’s carefully constructed life come tumbling down, and I had spent the past several months trying to crawl out from the rubble of that wreck.
“That—that makes a lot of sense.” I gave her a tentative smile. “Thanks. I hope it’s okay that they brought me here. I didn’t mean to impose or interrupt your day or anything.”
“Nonsense. I’m glad I was able to meet you. I’m sure you know that your boys have been stepping up to take on more responsibility. They’re important to my husband—he doesn’t place his trust easily, and when he does, he invests in people.”
The warm feeling in my chest died as my lungs seemed to freeze solid.
Fuck.
I’d gotten so comfortable speaking to Josephine that I’d forgotten how dangerous the world she lived in was, and how dangerous her husband was. How dangerous he could be to the three boys I w
as falling in love with if he discovered the truth.
Thankfully, Josephine misinterpreted my sudden silence as general worry for the boys, and not worry that her husband in particular might wreak vengeance on them. She squeezed my knee, taking in a deep breath as she straightened her spine.
“I’ll tell you what. How about you give me a call if you ever need it?” she offered. “You and those boys clearly care about each other, which means you’ll likely be a regular fixture around here.”
My eyes widened a little as her words threw me for another loop. I hadn’t expected such an offer. She smiled and stood, going to a large desk in one corner of the room. She pulled out a small piece of paper and a fountain pen, scrawling across it easily before she handed the paper over to me. It was thick, like cardstock, and her handwriting was in elegant swirls with her name and number printed on it.
I pocketed the paper, trying to get my equilibrium back. I’d bounced back and forth between fear and ease so many times since the Lost Boys and I had arrived here that I was liable to get whiplash.
“Thank you.” My fingers brushed over the edge of the paper I’d just stuck in my pocket. “I—”
“Ah. There you are.”
Nathaniel stood in the doorframe of the library, the boys just behind him. He went to Josephine, moving with the same effortless grace she had, before putting his arm around her to pull her to him. He pressed a soft kiss to her temple.
The gesture was gentle. Loving.
It was so intimate for just a temple kiss that it almost felt inappropriate to watch.
“I was just talking with Cordelia about our boys.” Josephine smiled wryly, wrapping her arms around her husband in return. “And what a nuisance they are sometimes.”
She chuckled, sinking deeper into Nathaniel’s embrace, her body melting against his as if she gained strength from being near him. I understood that feeling all too well.
“Oh? Shocking that my own wife would think I’m a nuisance.” He chuckled warmly, a teasing glint in his eye. Then he gave her another kiss and looked to me. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to meet properly. But maybe next time the boys swing around, they’ll bring you.”
His voice was pleasant, and there was nothing in his tone that suggested anger, but I could hear the echo of power in his voice. I got the distinct impression that it was less of an invitation and more of a statement that it would happen.
Regardless, I gave him a polite smile.
“Of course. It was nice meeting you. And you, Josephine,” I added, looking to her. “Thank you for talking. It… helped.”
“I’m glad. I hope I’ll see you again soon, Cordelia.”
Her smile beamed at me, and no matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find the lie in it anywhere.
Eleven
The boys couldn’t tell me too many details of what they’d met with Nathaniel for, and as they drove me back home, I found that I didn’t want to tell them every detail of my conversation with Josephine either.
It felt like something that belonged to just the two of us.
They each kissed me goodbye before they drove off to carry out whatever task Nathaniel had given them, and I tried to do what Josephine had said and appreciate what I had rather than worrying about what I might lose.
It made my kiss with each of them hotter and deeper than the usual quick goodbye, and all four of us were breathing hard by the time I reluctantly stepped out of the car.
Hmm. Maybe there’s something to this idea.
Privately resolving to kiss them like that every damn chance I got, I watched as Bish backed out of the drive and they pulled away.
I spent the evening doing homework, and after they returned from their job, I happily spent the night in the Lost Boys arms. Mom was gone again, so I didn’t even feel guilty about having them stay over.
Appreciate what you have, Cora.
It was the last thought I had before I drifted into an exhausted, sated sleep.
For the next several days, over the weekend and even as I headed to school on Monday, I carried Josephine’s number around with me.
It was strangely comforting, knowing that I had it with me, though I couldn’t fully pinpoint why. We didn’t know each other well, but I could tell that she… understood me. Or at least, she understood the part of me that cared for the Lost Boys, that was learning my way around this new life. She understood what it was like to not know what the next day was going to bring, if something was going to happen to them when they went out on a job.
Of course, she didn’t know that part of my fear had to do with her husband, and that was something I would never, ever tell her.
Still, I was tempted to call her. She had made the offer so openly and willingly.
If she was Nathaniel’s wife, maybe she would know about Abraham Shaw. Maybe she would have information Flint either never had or never planned to share with me. But did I dare ask her?
The fact that she was Nathaniel’s wife made the very prospect dangerous to consider.
“You always look so pensive. Got a lot on your mind, Van Rensselaer?”
I jumped, almost dropping the books I’d just grabbed from my locker.
Fuck, that scared me.
Trying to calm my rapid pulse, I looked up, grimacing as I saw Eli standing by my locker. The final bell had rung a few minutes ago, and I was getting my things so I could head out to the parking lot and go home. Eli hadn’t approached me since the last time he and the boys had a run-in. I’d hoped that he would keep to the trend, that he’d be smart enough not to start shit at school, but clearly, that was asking for too much.
“What do you want, Eli?” I asked, closing my locker and looking up to him.
“Just wanted to talk to you.” He held his hands up in a mock gesture of peace.
“Well, I’m not available to be talked to,” I said shortly. “I belong to the Lost Boys, remember?”
“You like referring to yourself as property?” He cocked an eyebrow. “As some little trinket they picked up in the gutter? Come on. You’re worth more than that.”
Anger flared.
Fuck this guy.
He might intimidate other people at Slateview, but he didn’t intimidate me. He wasn’t going to intimidate me. And if I had to put up a little bit of an extra front to get that across to this borderline neanderthal, then I would.
“I’m not a piece of property.” I took a step toward him, my lips curling back in something almost like a snarl. “But I do belong to them. Just like they belong to me. And I’m worth more than you’ll ever know, you asshole.”
He smirked down at me, his expression haughty. Like he was somehow above me. I hated the look on his face and the smugness that he seemed to wear like an extra layer of clothes.
“You’re pretty stuck up, considering your dad’s in jail and you’re all set to live the rest of your life like a piece of trailer trash,” he drawled. “Bit full of yourself, don’t you think?”
My face flushed, my hands curling into fists. “What the hell is your problem?”
He stepped a little closer to me, bringing us within a couple feet of each other.
“Maybe you’re all full of yourself because you still think your name matters,” he mused, reaching out to tuck a piece of my hair behind my ear.
I swatted his hand away from me. “Fuck off.”
He grinned, seeming delighted to have gotten a rise out of me. “Oh-ho! Little Princess swears. Or—what’s it they’re calling you? Coralee? Little Coralee swears. Now, now. What would your father think? Or is he teaching you all the prison lingo, since he’s so well-acquainted with it by now?”
I didn’t mean to do it, but the fury that cracked through me worked faster than the smarter side of my brain did. My hand cocked back and then snapped forward, my fist meeting his face with a force I hadn’t known I possessed. It stung—no, it hurt like a bitch—but the pain radiating up my forearm was worth it to see the red mark blossom below Eli’s right eye.
“Don’t you ever—and I mean never—talk about my father like that, ever again,” I snapped. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you can go fuck yourself.”
Eli chuckled, brushing his fingers against the place I had punched him. Then, moving just as quickly as I had, he grabbed my shoulders and pressed me up against the locker, pinning me against the cool metal as his body boxed me in. He leaned in over me, his gaze unwavering as he stared me down.
“I think the real problem is that everywhere you go, you think you’re protected,” he said, the cool evenness in his voice taking on an edge that made me stiffen. “Your daddy’s money protected you, and when that fell through, you found a couple of stray boys willing to take you under their wing and protect you. What’s it like, being a whore for all the men in your life?”
Anger bloomed inside me like a fire igniting, and I shoved at his chest, forcing my hands against him.
But he didn’t budge.
He had to weigh twice as much as I did, and getting one lucky punch in was entirely different than having the strength to shove him off me.
“Not so tough now, are you?”
The words were low, his voice almost crooning, and it set off a cold fear inside me. I shoved harder against him, but he bore down with his weight, pinning me against the lockers.
He leaned into me, and panic flared in my chest. I didn’t know what he was going to do.
Hit me? Kiss me? Something worse?
But I never found out.
People had gathered around to watch our altercation, but I knew better than to assume that anyone at Slateview would help me, especially not if it meant going up against Eli. No one here bullied me anymore, but that didn’t mean they’d be willing to stick their necks out for me.
It didn’t matter if the general population of Slateview didn’t care about me though. There were people who did.
And one of those people was Kace Sutton.
He shoved Eli off of me, following the action with a powerful right hook that cracked across the boy’s face, making blood spray from his nose in a wide arc.