𝐂𝐎𝐙𝐄𝐍

2

Freddie's son comes back and spends the next day with me, with a suprise. A gift basket wrapped in purple translucent ribbon, made of wire and dark brown branch filled with candy, toiletries, and salty snacks. A big card juts out of it, reading 'From the Simons Family' in bold, loopy letters that I could never imagine Freddie Simons' hand creating.

"This isn't a trick is it?" I ask cautiously, as his son closes the door behind himself and parks it right in the chair next to my bed.

"If I it were, would I tell you?" he asks, giving the handle of the basket a gentle tap. "Our two families must work together to handle your sister, whether she be killed or interrogated. Where did she come from? What has she been trained for? Did Mr. Cerbey know of her all this time? And what is she planning?"

"She seems like the type you can't milk info out of," I state, refreshed and knowledgeable of everything that had happened before my coma after yesterday.

"I'm sure you'll want to kill her. To secure your throne," he adds, not looking at me at all.

"I need to recover first...before I make any plans."

"The lack of wealth discourages you, Ms. Cerbey," he observes.

"Don't call me that. You're not my servant. You're not my maid," I scowl.

"I'm simply on formal terms with you," he gestures towards me, "No need to grow comfortable with a woman who very well may die soon."

I shrink. "What do you mean? Did something go wrong? Was there a surgery?"

"Some things did go on while you were in your coma, but I assure you that this hospital won't be the cause of your death," he says, "Now that you're awake, I'm sure that Cordyte will make a move again, and my father is still undecided on whether he should send some of his own men here to protect you."

"Then send for mine," I say quickly, "They all serve the next Cerbey in line, right? Well, then that's me."

"But eventually they won't be paid, and will question where that payment is, Ms. Cerbey," he points out.

"I'm come to that bridge when I get there," I state stubbornly.

The man only stares squarely at me. "Cordyte will make a move, you already have her as an enemy and many more people, I'm sure. Your best bet would be not to make anymore of those."

"I can't help that," I say, "I only wanted to win this empire for my life. To have a better one. Everyone I love is gone or has deceived me. And now I'm fighting for a life I don't even want. And dam- What is your name?"

"Colley," he answers.

"Like the dog or something?" flies out of my mouth.

"No," if I could see the red on his cheeks it would be stark and bright-colored.

"Well, Colley," I say pointedly, "You don't understand the bind that I'm in. I'd love...I'd love more than anything to give this all away and go back to normal. People complain about normal and boring so much, until they don't have it...then it's like...I'm tryin' my best to make it through things and I'm still not amountin' to what I need to. I don't know...like, I'm fed up, Colley. I want out. I want out of this stupid game, I want my damn sister to leave me alone, I want out."

"It wouldn't work that way," he says quietly, stuffing hands into the pockets of a caramel-colored suit, his pants just the right amount of tight along his front.

I watch his face expectantly, waiting for him to tell me why as he stares at the window. He walks over to it, drawing the curtains and running his hands over his head until his hands snag on a ponytail holder and his hair falls over his face. I'm still all drugged and muggy-feeling, but my inside stir. My body knows it hasn't seen any action in months. My body knows what it wants.

But NJ, I remind myself. NJ is gone, and I have to find him. Just because Colley is right here in front of me, standing at the edge of my bed, his gaze intense on my bedspread as he feels through his head and redos his ponytail of locs, doesn't mean I should wish to be arched against him at the end of that bed too.

"I know what you're thinking," he says.

Oh god, my insides turn to slosh next, hot embarassment shimmering and boiling through my body like I ingested a bad stew.

"'Wouldn't Cordyte just leave me alone because I give up the throne to her'- No. she would eliminate you so that no potential threats to the Cerbey empire would exist coming from the family line," he explains, not noticing my sigh of relief. He sits on the end of the bed, looking at me now. "But you would do the same, wouldn't you Ms. Cerbey?"

"There's a lot of things I would do," I say boldly, feeling the strain within me. You're walking on a fine line, Courtlynn, a dangerous one at that. You have NJ, you don't have Colley, you just woke up bitch-

He leans across the bed, staring at me closer. There's still too much distance between our faces, too much tension between us two, unless I'm imagining it.

He sits back, his expression passive.

Yeah, I was imagining it. Bigger things to worry about anyways. Unless-

"You're loopy. I won't take advantage of you, Ms. Cerbey," he says with a tone of finality. "But if you insist that you and Mr. Pruitt don't have any sort of an...arrangement, then perhaps," and he lets his words die away in the air, fixing his collar and standing up. "I just came by to deliver the basket. I will send word whether my dad will be providing you with any security."

And just like that, Colley's gone from the room.

I am loopy. I touch my face, the gauze still there.

Why is the gauze here? I touch my ears, or try to, but they're covered up too. Why are my ears covered? A surgery? One that went wrong or right? And what would I do if Mr. Simons didn't send any security, or better yet, why didn't Cordyte attack me while I was weak and helpless in my coma?

"What do you really want?" I whisper, my gaze drifting over to the new addition to my hospital room, with all its frilly ribbons.