The Secret Society

Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

EPOV

The next week was full of paranoia.

Did Caius know? Did anyone know? f**k, was this really such a good idea?

To make matters worse, Thursday evening Ella was chosen to pick the keys last and Jessica picked my car keys second. The stupid b***h tried to nibble me from head to toe. I accidentally threw her off me. No fucker had the right to do that other than Ella.

While Evan was picked first by Vicky, I laughed to myself when she picked him.

Good luck, motherfucker, was the kindest thought I had.

By the time I got out of the room, Ella had gone, which mortified me because I did not have the chance to tell her I had booked Lucy and me a holiday.

I needed to guarantee Lucy and Evan would not meet up. I couldn't run that risk with only a few weeks to go before Caius was taken care of.

She would think we had gone away as a happy couple.

She would think I had deserted her.

She would not understand why I had not told her.

I only hoped she would understand.

I love her.

On the final day of our holiday, Lucy and I got into the discussion we had both been dreading for the last few months.

"I think we need to take a break," I blurted out, because f**k, I could not stop thinking about Ella and if she even tried to deny she was not craving Evan, I would pull her f*****g blonde hair out and feed her to the sharks.

You've got to love the Caribbean – shark-infested waters.

"What about the wedding?" Lucy asked.

I f*****g choked.

Yes, choked.

We had the bar staff running around me like f*****g flies. Was this woman seriously thinking we should get married?

After everyone had calmed down and I assured them I was not dying of a heart attack, they all went back to their business while Lucy and I stared at each other, preparing to sort ours out.

"It is going to be the highlight of the season."

"The f*****g highlight of what?" I blurted out.

"People are depending on us."

She acted as though she truly believed that.

"And do we not matter, Lucy? Do we not deserve a happy life?"

"We will be happy together, Henry, as soon as we have a child, leave the Society, we can resume our happy normal life, like we did before all of this stupid Society rubbish," she called while putting her face in her hands.

I was in no mood to comfort her.

Fucking highlight.

What rubbish.

"Lucy, do you love me?"

"Of course I do, Henry."

"And do you love Evan?"

"Henry, please, why are you asking this?"

"I think the answer is very f*****g relevant. That is why, Lucy."

"Maybe," she whispered.

Fucking whispered, as if that made her statement any better.

"Do you love him? It's not a hard question, Lucy."

"I feel something for him, I will shamefully admit, but nothing like I feel for you."

Okay, now I knew she was lying.

"So you meeting Evan outside the Society was just merely coincidental?"

Lucy's face fell to the f*****g floor and I would have had great pleasure in picking it up and throwing it across the beach.

Lying b***h.

"What are you talking about?"

Like I said, she was a lying b***h.

"Do not play me for a fool, Lucy. I know why you were hurt that day, I know why you disappeared for hours at a time and I know fine well you have fallen for the overgrown, smelly weasel of a dog."

"That's a little harsh, Henry."

"Is that your f*****g reply? Are you for real? No, really Lucy, are you for f*****g real?"

I think adrenaline was pumping through my veins because I felt like a cat that was about to pounce at any given moment.

"YES, OK!" Lucy screamed, causing everyone at the outdoor bar to turn and glare at us.

"Back to the room... Now," I ordered her.

Five minutes later Lucy walked slowly behind me into our room looking guilty.

"It's okay Lucy, truly it is," I tried to reassure her.

"We have been over for quite some time," I tried to calm her. "But lying to my face after all these years is just painful."

"And can I ask you about Ella?"

FUCK.

"Of course, I will keep nothing from you."

It was time to be honest.

"Do you find her attractive?"

"Yes."

"More than any other woman in the Society?"

"Yes."

"Do you love her?"

"Yes."

And that right there was where Lucy turned a complexion so white it made a vampire look tanned.

"Have you met her, Henry? Have you f*****g met her outside the Society?"

Lucy screamed while running over and beating her fists off my chest.

One rule for one and one for another, so it seems.

"No."

"How do you know you love her then?" Lucy asked while crying hysterically.

"I just do."

"You owe me more of an explanation, Henry."

And of course I didn't deserve more, I suppose!

"I just knew when I saw her, the first time I touched her, the first time I kissed her, I knew. I just knew she was the one for me."

"HOW DARE YOU!" Lucy screamed in my face.

I grabbed her by the tops of her arms and pinned her against the wall before she did actually knock my chest to pieces.

"NO, LUCY, how dare you? You meet him outside the Society, risking your own life. Do you realise the pain you would have caused everyone had you been killed? Do you even care?"

"Of course I care," she mumbled.

"About yourself! Do you not realise I wanted nothing more than to meet up with Ella? I am sorry if the truth hurts, truly I am, but I would not risk everything over those urges."

Had I mentioned I knew where Ella lived and passed her house frequently in hopes I caught just a glimpse of her?

I made it my new route home.

Okay, it took an extra half an hour to get home, but worth every f*****g second each time I caught sight of her perfect face.

"Bastard," she called and spat in my face.

It was a good job I was raised as a gentleman because I wanted nothing more than to throw her out the f*****g door and never see her again.

"WE ARE OVER!" I yelled. "Well and f*****g truly over."

"You cannot!" she yelled.

"Why the hell not?" I yelled again.

"The Society, we have to go as couples," she added sarcastically while trying to stop her wailing.

The f*****g penny dropped!

Contracted as a couple.

We had to go as a couple.

We f*****g had to go as a couple.

We were OUT.

Fucking OUT of the club once and for all.

My face must have changed in some obscene way because Lucy looked freaked out by me.

"That's it Lucy, that is f*****g it," I was almost bouncing.

"What?" she asked, shock written on her face.

"If we are not a couple, we are not contracted to the Society."

Lucy stood there motionless for what felt like hours. I could see she had a million things going through her head, then eventually she started off with a small smile growing larger by the second.

"So if you and I are separated permanently, we are no longer contracted to go there every week? We are actually free if we are single?"

I just nodded with a f*****g huge smile on my face.

"We should pack," Lucy called, jumping from my grasp and running towards the wardrobes.

"Couldn't f*****g agree more Lucy, I'll call the airport, you pack the cases."

The pair of us moved at lightning speed.

Ella.

Oh God.

Ella could actually be mine.

We could make love as and when WE wanted to, we were allowed to be together, allowed to be a couple, no more watching our backs, no more wondering who was keeping tabs on us.

Life at this very moment had never felt better.

Ten hours later and it was touchdown in the good old U.S. of A.

Jetlag had taken its toll, so as soon as we walked into the house we fell into bed, both of us had passed the point of being able to keep our eyes open, but both so desperately wanting to see our other halves.

Sleep won over and we were out for the count in minutes.

"What time is it?" I called over.

There was no reply.

I felt the side of the bed and Lucy was gone.

Where the f**k had she gone?

NO.

NO.

Please the f**k god, no.

We needed to go see Caius first. I ran for my trousers frantically calling Lucy's mobile to tell her not to go see Evan. If Caius saw them together before we had explained, she would be killed, Evan would be killed, f**k!

No answer.

I called non-stop on no less than twenty occasions, still no answer.

I called her office, her mother, her sister, every fucker in the phone book if the truth be known and no one had seen her.

Where the f**k did Ella work?

I needed to contact her.

I wracked my brain trying to remember...

Barclay and Co.

Thank God it shot into my brain.

I called Amanda for her to obtain the number, five minutes later she called back with it.

My secretary was very efficient.

I dialled the number tapping my foot with impatience.

"Ella Swan please," I asked before the secretary could get a word in edgeways.

"Can I ask who is calling please?" she asked.

NO.

"Mr Delacy," I shot out, tapping a little harder and a little faster.

"Just a moment sir."

I hated being put on hold.

"Hello."

Ella's voice rang through the air with such perfection I couldn't speak for a brief moment.

"Ella, it's Henry."

"Henry...you shouldn't have called, what if they find out?"

My love sounded worried while I was just full of the joys of spring.

"Ella I cannot find Lucy, I think she may be with Evan, can you contact him and make her come home immediately? It really is important...It is important for us."

"Us?" she queried.

"Ella I know how to get all four of us out of the Society, it makes so much sense now, but I need to see Caius before seeing you."

"I've worked it out Henry, I know how to get out too."

Damn it, I wanted to be the hero in this story.

"What have you worked out?" I asked.

"I was waiting for you to come back, Claire explained to me and Evan what had happened and I knew you would not have left without saying goodbye on purpose."

She knew me so well.

"We need to break up as couples, Caius told me."

WTF.

No, really WTF.

"Caius?" I somehow managed to gasp out.

"Ella love, I really need to speak to Lucy, get her home, Jesus I hope it's not too late."

I felt my forehead begin to sweat from worry.

Dear God, please do not let them die.

"I will call him now, your number is on caller ID, I will call you back in a minute."

We both hung up and I was standing by the phone a good twenty minutes before it rang.

I am sure it was smirking at me the entire twenty minutes.

Vicious little bastard the phone was.

"Ella."

"Henry."

"Did you get hold of them?"

My foot began tapping again.

"f**k Henry," Ella called out, crying hysterically.

"Ella, what? What the f**k is it?"

I was having palpitations here.

"Hen..."

And then the phone line went dead.

MAJOR.

MAJOR f**k!