Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 58521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 293(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 293(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
All the men’s eyes focused on me with a mixture of confusion and disbelief.
“What do you mean it’s not Cindy?” Montgomery asked. “If the belle doesn’t complete the Trials, then the Initiation is a fail. You wouldn’t pass, just like Sully. The rules have always been that both you and the belle must complete the Trials together or you both fail.”
I shrugged as I shook my head. “I know the rules, and frankly I’m surprised. My father said this is no fault of mine or even Cindy’s, so the Elders had to come up with a solution.” I took a deep breath as the realization that I was about to have to go forward with a complete stranger as a substitute hit me. “So they found a new belle to continue on, I guess.”
“But what happened to Cindy?” Rafe asked.
Montgomery rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful and not happy. “After that night, I checked every single hospital for miles for a Cindy, a Cynthia, or even a Jane Doe. Absolutely nothing. It didn’t help that I didn’t know her last name.”
“I also checked with a contact with dispatch, and no calls were made for help from the Oleander that night,” Emmett added.
“It’s weird, right, that a belle got hurt or in some kind of accident, and they won’t tell us any details?” Rafe said. He then looked at Emmett. “So no ambulance was called? Nothing that night?”
Emmett shook his head. “Nothing. Has anyone asked Mrs. H about it? Maybe she’ll fill us in.”
“I approached Mrs. H a couple of times,” Montgomery said. “She simply snapped for me to mind my own business. I’ve actually never seen her act this way. I haven’t seen her this angry since we were kids, and we broke that priceless vase that once belonged to some king in the medieval days.”
The men all chuckled and shook their heads at the memory.
“She’s said nothing to me,” I added. “I haven’t seen her at all since the incident.”
Montgomery walked over to the snifter cabinet and poured himself a drink and then began pouring one that I assumed was for me. It’s a little early to be drinking in the day, but considering I was going into a Trial completely blind, I took the tumbler when he handed it to me and took a long gulp.
“I guess I should be grateful they aren’t failing me,” I said. “It would have sucked to have gone this far and then walk away without the membership.”
Rafe walked over to where we were standing and poured himself a glass of bourbon as well. “I don’t know. I often think Sully was the smart one out of all of us. He saw through all this secret society bullshit and didn’t want any part of it.”
“Yeah, but Sully was prepared to walk away from the family business,” Montgomery said. “The rest of us weren’t.”
Hearing Sully’s name—Jasmine’s brother—stabbed at my gut. I felt as if the scarlet letter of shame was painted all over my face. I had fucked one of my best friend’s little sisters, and I knew there wasn’t a single man in this room who would understand why or condone the act. I broke a major rule in the bro code, and there was no coming back from it.
Needing to get off the topic of Sully—before guilt ate me alive—I said, “Whether I like it or not, I need to become a member. I need the connections if I’m going to continue my run in politics. I can’t get far without the Order, and I know it.” My father’s help—if he would even help me—could only go so far.
The sound of canes interrupted our conversation, and we all knew the Trial was about to begin.
Rafe patted me on the back as we all headed to the ballroom. “Good luck, man. I hope whatever belle they chose for you works out.”
It seemed odd that I didn’t get to have any say in the choosing of the belle. There was no pearl ceremony, no decision on my part. I was simply at the mercy of a bunch of old bastards to decide who I’d be fucking for the next couple of weeks. But again, like I said to my friends, I should count my blessings that my Initiation didn’t just end when Cindy had to quit mid-Trial.
Even though it was early in the morning, the ballroom was dark due to the heavy curtains being pulled closed. Sunlight does not exist in darkness, and so other than me knowing it was broad daylight outside, the feeling of this Trial was like any other. Members filled the room around me, including my friends. The Elders in silver cloaks all stood in a line beside a glass tank with a silhouette of a naked woman inside of it. It took me several moments for my eyes to adjust to the dimness in the room, but as I approached the Elders and the tank, I tried to focus on the woman inside.