The Academy (Part 2 of the Syndicate Series)

Chapter 14- Notes From Home

Belle:

"Babe, do you think-" Blaise started, but cut himself off as he rounded the corner into my bathroom and looked up from his paper. "Shit, I'm sorry!"

I couldn't help but laugh, "It's fine, Blaise. You've seen me in less over the years."

"I know, I just didn't realize that you didn't hear me at your door-"

"Thank you for your concern," I giggled as I grabbed my robe from the hook and threw my arms into the sleeves. I knew that boy shorts and a crop top were covering more than most swimsuits I had worn around him, but I appreciated that he was more worried about the consent than the content. "I was just trying on that awful dress for the party."

He took a couple of steps closer to the mess of satin that was hanging over the edge of my bathtub, then perched next to it, "It doesn't look too bad. Maybe a little hard to walk in..."

"I was more thinking about how awful it is that I'm expected to care about anything other than my sister right now."

"Haven't gotten a communication either, I take it?"

I shook my head and stared at him, and we both just stayed that way for a moment. "Blaise, the only way that we could send a message was if someone else snuck it in unknowingly. She doesn't have her phone, and she has less options than we did. Rosine may not have any way to get back to us."

"And even if she can't contact us, we're about to have to deal with the party, which is a whole other issue. Honestly I think our best bet is to just haul you off in the middle of the event."

"I think my father would notice if his bargaining chip just disappeared in the middle of the event."

"Would he?" Blaise stood and started pacing across the tile of the bathroom. I hopped up onto the edge of the counter and watched him as he ran his hands through his hair. "Normally I would agree, but this is his biggest opportunity to make a deal. I think he'll be more focused on fielding offers and making deals with the other syndicates."

"So I just... Use it all as a distraction to sneak out? I can't outrun that man, and you couldn't leave without giving everything away."

"You know there are men here who care more about you. They can help you out, keep you hidden until Claude and I can unseat your father."

"And if that never happens?"

He finally stopped his pacing, but crossed his arms out of anxiety. The dark look that came over his face told me everything that I needed to know- if they couldn't unseat him, they would get rid of him completely. My uncle would have to kill his own brother, and my boyfriend would have to kill my father. It was a mess, but otherwise I was going to be sold off like an animal.

"Well... let's hope it doesn't come to that," I muttered, pulling the robe tighter around myself.

"I'll start making real plans with them today for the night of the party. We'll decide who's going to actually get you out, how, and where. I doubt you should be too involved, otherwise your father may get too suspicious of what you're doing around his men. If things get more precarious, I could reach out to Elias. I want that to be a last resort, though, because going outside of the French brings a whole other mess of issues."

"I need to help, Blaise. I need something to do, and I know I can't be seen skulking around without alerting my father, but I'm going to go insane if my whole job is to just sit here alone waiting while my sister deals with who knows what."

"I know," He suddenly gave me a small smile. "That's one of the things I've always loved about you. You're not needlessly reckless, but you don't just let things wash over you. You're a planner. Calculated."