The Unfortunates(89)

He whirled on his heel and strolled casually from the room—as if he owned it. It wasn’t surprising. Vince had spent his whole life walking around the manor like he owned it. Kade let him be. It didn’t bother him as long as Vince stayed out of his room and away from his things. It was hard being raised by Fortunates who weren’t his parents. Most of the time, the heads of the household lived in Freeport City and only come out to the suburbs when there’s a party or to visit with their children. The city was what kept this world alive. Or so the Fortunates on the outside were told. Those who weren’t directly involved with the city were on a ‘need to know basis.’ No one spoke about it and the schools didn’t teach it. Kade had always wondered what was so secretive about the city. Why couldn’t outsiders go in? Why could you only drive cars inside the city? What were they hiding? The questions circulating around his head had plagued him since he was a little boy. In a way, he was just like Nine, filled with curiosity, only he was smart enough not to voice it.

With Vince gone, Kade could breathe easier. It put him on edge to see his brother this morning. He couldn’t help but wonder if he knew of their plans to kill Michael tonight. It was impossible for him to know, of course, but seeing Vince so early and so smug set him on high alert. He ran his hand over his face, clearing away leftover sleep. It was slightly chilly this morning—much colder than it had been the past few mornings. As he shut his eyes, he was unable to avoid the onslaught of images in his head. Her perfect breasts… so perky and firm. Instantly, he felt his balls tighten and he opened his eyes. He was not about to reflect on the images of last night. He’d never thought about the sex the morning after—hell, he’d never thought about the sex the second he drained himself—and he wasn’t about to start now. No. It’s a normal, physical response to stress, Kade thought. When you’re stressed, you fuck. When you fuck, you’re not stressed. That was how it worked. For some odd reason, though, the belief didn’t strengthen in his stomach… because his body didn’t believe it. He could feel it in the way his blood rushed whenever he thought of her, of last night. He was stressed, sure, but he knew deep down he was looking for an excuse to call her back in here.

Kade sat back in his chair with a heavy exhale. He couldn’t stomach seeing Nine, not after he’d sent her away. She glared at him. Her jaw was taut and her fists clenched… not that he blamed her. He shook his head. She is an Unfortunate. A slave. A separate class entirely. He needed to remember that or he was going to fuck everything up. Nine or no Nine, Kade needed to stick to his plan. He needed to make it into the city.



∞



Kade spent the morning lounging around his room, fighting the urge to summon Nine and explain himself. He decided she was better off holding some kind of bitter hatred towards him. Who knows, maybe it’d even come in handy and keep her alive. After lunch, he went to a small meeting in the Miller Manor to discuss produce. They were having trouble with a few of their trucks. Apparently, their haul of apples this season was tremendous and they needed bigger vehicles. Being a lover of apples as well as berries, Kade offered one of his unused hauling trucks. It was much too big and expensive to use on apples, but Kade figured it wouldn’t hurt to piss off his father one last time before he killed him. He almost smiled.

When he got back from the meeting, it was late—seven maybe. Kade had stayed at the Millers’ as long as he could. He wanted something, anything he could use as an excuse so he didn’t have to come back to his own house. The whole time at the Millers’, Elizabeth ignored him. He found it amusing as he sat across the room from her and watched as she tried (and failed) to stop her eyes from flicking to him. She was still pissed about what happened at the Black House after he killed the Unfortunate. It’d be a very, very long time before she spoke to him again. The last time Elizabeth ignored Kade, it lasted four months.

Kade was kind of happy she wasn’t talking to him. The less stress the better and that was the only thing Elizabeth dealt in.

He pulled off his jacket and tossed it onto his bed. He was sore all over from his shoulder blades down to his calves. He didn’t often sit down for long periods of time, but when he did his body really felt it. And it sucked. As he loosened his deep navy tie, Portia passed by his door.

“Portia!” Her name flew out of his mouth before his brain had a chance to register it.

“Yes, Master Kade?” She stood in front of his door with her hands held firmly behind her back. How hard is it for Nine to do that? It’s not rocket science. Keep your mouth shut, hold your hands behind your back, and address me properly.