Chapter 6

Mordechai

I’d been warned that she liked to get up at dawn. It might have been my absolute hatred of the idea that had me desperate to believe otherwise, but I got up early anyway. I rose before the sun did, finding the girl still asleep in her bed and cuddled up with her dog. The dog faced the door, ready to tear apart any intruder that might have decided to come in. He didn’t budge when I got up, gathered some clothes, and went into the bathroom.

I tried not to be completely put off by the size of the bathroom. I didn’t really have the time. After a quick perimeter check, I needed to shower as fast as I could manage so I could get back to babysitting duty. Surely, she could avoid getting murdered for ten minutes. If not, then I could probably jump out the window and make a break for it before anyone saw.

After stripping myself of the shirt and boxers I’d slept in, I stepped into the shower. Water sprayed me from four different showerheads, which I didn’t know if I should love or hate. I took the abuse, letting hot water burn me without even trying to save myself. I couldn’t figure out the nozzle anyway. I had to deal with the fact that I would smell like the little princess for the foreseeable future, as I used her shampoo and soap. She probably wouldn’t notice.

I clocked my shower at less than three minutes when I stepped foot on the plush gray mat outside of the torture chamber. Even with a shower bigger than two of my beds pushed together, it still had plenty of room for a massive tub, a literal couch, and a whole vanity set up with a bunch of little packages of makeup stuff. She had paintings hanging too, which seemed like a bit much for a bathroom already coated in marble.

I dried my hair with a towel and left it a damp mess of curls I tried not to look at. I left the door cracked, watching Ellie as I dressed in my suit. She still hadn’t so much as moved, but the sun wasn’t up yet. If I got lucky, I’d have another hour or so before she woke up.

Sitting on my bed, I wrote in my travel sketch book. I hadn’t packed much in my bag, so I would have to stop by my apartment, should the little monster be so kind as to let me. She didn’t look like a little monster when asleep. She had her legs thrown over the dog, one arm hanging off the edge of the bed, and all of her pillows on the floor.

Walking out, I checked around again. Two guards were on duty in the hallway, but I knew both of them from the intros Locke had given me two days before. I’d still had blood on my face when he’d had me meet them. They didn’t react to it and I hadn’t expected them to.

I had nothing I wanted to draw and every word that ever popped into my head was like mush. When I tried to make something pretty out of all the things in my head, it came out blunt and unappealing. How frustrating to feel like I had something on the tip of my tongue, and to be completely unable to fully realize it on paper. And because I couldn’t, my learned skills went wasted. I copied down words I saw on the spines of Ellie’s books, picking out the ones I liked best and trying to make calligraphy work with a ballpoint pen.

The sun began to rise the second Ellie opened her eyes, like it had waited for her or something. She didn’t so much as look at me after she pet her dog, opened the door to let him out and then skipped her way into the bathroom.

I stayed sitting on my bed and working on my calligraphy while Ellie showered. She took a lot longer than I had. Long enough that her breakfast arrived. I answered the door and met with a man that had a large tray in his hands. One look at me and his smile faded.

“Oh,” he said. “Sorry, I didn’t realize Eleanor had… company.”

I didn’t say anything, taking the tray and closing the door behind me. I brought the food to her bed, wondering if I really needed to do a check first. Though, it smelled good and she couldn’t eat this on her own. The guy delivering food might not have known I would be in Ellie’s room, but the cook must have, as she’d included a spare plate and glass. One smell of Ellie’s drink and I could tell it was spiked. I didn’t test that.

She walked out of the bathroom, finger combing her wet hair. The length made it look like a pain in the ass, as most of her outfit also seemed to be. She had on a dress at six in the morning. It seemed unnecessarily frilly for this hour, but what did I know about being an heiress?

“I absolutely love how you just don’t say a single word,” Ellie said, having sat on her bed and pulled the tray onto her lap. “Not weird at all.”

“What would you like me to say, Miss Locke?”

She turned to me, the picture of unamused. “You can start with never calling me that again. Jesus, even the cleaners don’t call me that.”

“Oh, so I’m above the cleaners? Do you rank the people that work for you?”

Her cheeks turned pink as her back went rigid. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I think you did.”

She ignored me but her face still had a healthy blush. “Back to the original statement.”

“What about it?” I asked, assembling my food into a sandwich. “Should we talk about our situation? Would that make it less awkward?”

“I think talking in general would make it less awkward.”

“I’m not here to be your friend. I’m here to keep you safe. Why do you want to talk to me?”

“You’re here.”

“Ah, well I have nothing interesting to say, I promise you.”

Thankfully, she dropped it there. I finished my breakfast before she did, so I got left waiting of her just so I could find out that she leaves all her dishes on the tray outside of her room.

“I want to go shopping,” she told me, more as a courtesy than anything else, seeing as she said it on the way out of the room. I followed her outside to meet her driver. I rolled my eyes at that one.

The driver opened the door for her, smiling as he did it. Ellie got inside, thanking him at least. I got into the backseat with her, glad that we she didn’t travel in a more conspicuous car. Though the privacy screen seemed like a bit much when that got piled onto the tinted windows.

I couldn’t say our activities surprised me. I expected that most of my job would be to stand around and watch her shop or spend time with her friends or any other means of enjoying money someone else had earned. I didn’t expect how often Ellie would look over at me as she picked out clothes. I couldn’t tell if she made sure I hadn’t left, or reminded herself of me. Maybe reminding herself of the situation she stumbled into.

“I don’t really want much of anything,” she told the woman assisting her. “Mostly I’m pissy.”

“Grace again?” the woman asked.

“Nope.” She gestured to me.

“Boyfriend trouble?” the employee whispered.

Ellie snorted. “He’s my new bodyguard. Daddy is getting paranoid. He wouldn’t listen to me, so I thought I could spend a little money. But he won’t even notice, will he?”

The woman smiled kindly, then patted her on the shoulder and offered to go find a bigger size for the dress Ellie had been holding to her body. The dark blue garment went to her knees and looked very low cut in the front. I couldn’t imagine the occasion it would be worn for. I found it amusing, the predictability of her spending money as revenge. What would she do next? Date someone her father hated?

I spent the next four hours of my life standing at a wall and watching Ellie come out of the dressing room in different outfits. How she didn’t go inside, I had no idea. I stood there, praying for my life to end. The fact that she had me stuck in one corner of a store for hours with nothing to do but watch her maddened me. Though my whole life had turned into nothing but watching her.

“How’s this one?” Ellie asked, stepping out in something that hugged her middle and pushed her breasts to the front of my vision.

I blinked. “Same as the last one.”

“It’s different. This one is white.”

“Same.”

She rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and cocked her hip out all in the same second. Almost impressive. “You can take a walk if you want. There are security cameras in here and I’ve never had an issue.”

The temptation tasted delicious on my tongue. “You know I can’t do that.”

“You should. I know you don’t want to be around me.”

“What would give you that idea? Is it the contempt?”

I thought she smirked at me for a split second. “You got a real set of balls on you to talk to me like that. I’m sure you know a lot more about what my father is capable of than I am. Shouldn’t you be afraid?”

“I’d have to give a shit about my life to be afraid I might die, Miss Locke.”

Darkness flickered in her eyes the moment before her phone beeped. She jumped, reaching for it. She cursed and put the phone back in her pocket, telling the woman assisting her that she would take everything piled onto the chair. I thanked god.

“We’re going to lunch,” she told me when we got into the car. “If you can be nice, I’ll let you get something to eat.”

“I think making sure you don’t die is nice.”

Ellie shrugged. “See, I think since we’re forced to spend time together, we should try to get along.”

“I think it would be best if we didn’t bother. Go about your business and I’ll just be there in the background. Don’t pretend like you want to get to know me. I know what I am.”

“You assume I would only be trying to get to know you, so I don’t look like an asshole?”

“Yeah.”

“And I wouldn’t want to know you because you’re just hired help?”

“Yup.”

“If I’m just an asshole who would look down on you for your job, then why would I bother trying to get to know you? Your logic is off, buddy. Don’t project onto me.”

I couldn’t say there wouldn’t be any point in getting to know each other since she’d be dead soon, so I just went ahead and ignored her. That clearly annoyed her, and she went on to stare at her phone for the rest of the drive. I didn’t need her to like me. I needed to get close enough to the family where I could hear something useful. Or, wait it out until Jonathan decided he wanted me to take her in.

I resigned myself once again to the fact that my life would probably consist of watching this girl shop and eat for maybe months. I would have to come up with a way to find the will to live when it no doubt started to dwindle. Even looking over at her, I couldn’t see a thing. Eyes on a phone and a foot impatiently tapping on the floor while she waited for someone to bring her for a meal someone else would pay for.

Naturally, we showed up to a place so fancy that it made my skin crawl. I’d had my fair share of expensive meals, but never because I’d chosen it. I’d have to search a menu in a language I didn’t know, most likely, feeling like a dumbass. God forbid I asked Ellie.

Someone led us to the second floor and some seats outside. Ellie slipped the woman a little cash, getting us placed in a corner that remained otherwise unoccupied. Umbrellas were planted at the center of every table, shading us from the harsh sun of midday. As we passed, Ellie touched her fingers to every single table, tapping three times. She also only stepped on the blue tile of the floor.

I held her chair out for her. She thanked me and took her seat. At least she didn’t have a little smirk at the way I just turned into one of her employees like that, so willing to serve.

I took a seat next, and the host handed me a menu.

“Get whatever you want,” Ellie said. “Daddy is paying.”

“Is Daddy paying?”

She beamed at me; the picture of starlight. “You bet your ass he is. Again, I know he won’t notice, but it makes me feel better. I would love nothing more than to piss him off as much as he pissed me off. Oh, I know what would do it.”

“Hmm?” I asked dismissively, staring at a menu I couldn’t get my stupid brain to understand.

“If I fucked you on his desk he would probably be upset.”

My ears pricked up and I turned to the girl. She watched me, lifting her eyebrows. “Huh?”

“Oh, so you were listening?” she asked. “Good. Just testing you.” She opened her menu, casually glancing at everything. They didn’t have prices listed, but she didn’t look worried.

It was my sacred duty to take advantage of the old man’s wallet, even if his spoiled daughter wanted that. I plotted out my meal, wishing I could order a drink as well. I couldn’t justify booze, but I did think about it.

I should have noticed how Ellie picked a table with three seats. I hadn’t paid it any mind until I heard the waiter pull out the other chair. Looking up, I saw a face I truly didn’t expect.

“Jordan!” Ellie exclaimed standing up to shake hands with the woman. “Did you have any issues getting here?”

I stared at Jordan Copole as she shook hands with Ellie, smiling at her so warmly that I nearly believed the two were friends. If they had been, then I would have seen her face among the many pictures Ellie had up in her room. I would have heard about it otherwise as well, since Jonathan had a lot of intel. He would have warned me.

“Everything was great,” the woman said. She then held her hand out to me. “I didn’t know your boyfriend was coming, Elle.”

I shook her hand. “Not the boyfriend,” I said.

“He’s my driver,” Ellie said, putting her hand on my arm. “Morty. I thought I would treat him to lunch.”

We all sat down, and my mind raced as I attempted to put pieces together. Ellie could have been friends with Jordan, I supposed. Though Jordan had more than a decade on the girl, had a toddler, and a lifestyle that didn’t at all match with Ellie’s. Again, she had no pictures of her, and Ellie had made a comment about all her friends leaving for college. If all of that didn’t make this fishy, the Copoles, while being small game, rivaled the Lockes. I couldn’t see her father letting Ellie have this relationship.

“The fish is all so good here,” Jordan said. “My husband loves it.”

“I’m a red meat kind of girl,” Ellie said. “Morty, what are you getting?”

I kept my face neutral as to not give anything away to either of them. Ellie had lied by calling me her driver. Of course, that meant she didn’t want her to know my real identity. It could have been to fuck with me. Maybe I read into it too much, trying to be clever when I had no right to. What could this girl have possibly been up to? She’d made it clear that she just wanted to spend Daddy’s money and irritate me for the sin of taking a job.

“I was surprised to get your call,” Jordan said. “I thought you were joking when you first said we should get lunch.”

“Of course not,” Ellie laughed. “I think us girls of the heavy hitters should stick together. Plus, I know since you had Matty you must be dying to get out. How old is he now? Two?”

“Just turned two,” Jordan confirmed. “You wanna see pictures?”

“I would love to,” Ellie said. “But first.” She snapped her fingers in the air, summoning the waiter back over to us. “A bottle of champagne, please. Whatever’s the most expensive.” She smiled at Jordan, wrinkling her nose. “My treat.”