Lucky's (Mis)Fortune (MXMXMXM)

Lucky's (Mis)Fortune: CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I open my eyes and I instantly want to close them again. My head is throbbing and my throat is so dry it hurts. I lay still for a long time, my eyes closed again as I tried to recount the events from last night after walking away from the crowd with Aiden.

Nothing.

I couldn't remember anything except asking Aiden if I could go home and then I was blank.

That couldn't be good.

In a panicked state, I open my eyes and finally sit up. Relief instantly hits me, realizing that I recognized this place, the same bed I had slept in my first night at this house. I look around and see clothes on the floor. I glance down at my body to see a different, more comfortable set of clothes from the ones I had been wearing the day before. My stomach churns with anxiety, unsure of what this could mean or who could have changed me.

My eyes catch a body on the other side of the room, lying on the couch there. Actually, it was two bodies, one wrapped around the other. To be more precise, it was Eliott who had his arms wrapped around Aiden, completely enveloping him in his arms.

My eyes dart away and to the door which was creaking open. Mr. Sawyer came in, shirtless and with bed hair. There was a glass of water in one of his hands and a Tylenol bottle in the other.

His eyes showed surprise when he saw me awake but they quickly turned nonchalant as he walked over to me. "Thought you could use this," he said quietly, handing me the glass of water while he could it upon himself to take two pills out of the bottle and plop them into my mouth. Literally. He placed the pills inside my mouth and then urged me to drink the water.

"Thank you," I breath out, hoping that the medicine would soon do its effect.

He sits down on a chair that was besides the bed and rubs his eyes, clearly still tired.

"What happened?" I whispered, wrapping my arms around my knees.

It felt kind of scary to not know what had happened to me, to think that something could have gone so insanely wrong that all three of my bosses had stayed in the same room that I had. To what? Look after me..? Of course, that was a speculation but that was what was making sense in my head.

Mr. Sawyer doesn't say anything for a few seconds. He looks at me and responds in a light-hearted nature. "Someone messed with the wrong people, with us, and they chose you as their target because you were a new face."

I think for a second. "Jessica," I say, "The drink she gave me, I remember."

"You passed out and had a fever. Aiden felt guilty so we decided to take care of you. I hope you don't mind that we took the liberty of changing you out of your other clothes. We just wanted you to sleep comfortably."

I look at him and then down at my body, a blush quickly creeping onto my cheeks. "Sure, uh, it's fine."

Khael has a slight smile when I look at him, only making me blush more. "Don't worry, it was dark, we didn't see anything."

I nod but don't say anything else.

"Did I... like, throw up or something?" I cringe after a while. I was curious if I had embarrassed myself. It was okay if I passed out and that was it but I would be horrified by the idea of throwing up and having someone else clean it up.

He laughs. "Twice. But don't worry, it was in a bucket so no mess was made."

I groan, putting my hands on my face, hoping to hide myself.

"Don't be embarrassed, it wasn't your fault."

I look up at him and relax upon seeing how genuine he was.

"Are you feeling better?" Mr. Sawyer asks, his voice soft and tender.

I nod slightly, still embarrassed but grateful for their care. "A little. Thank you for everything. I can't believe this happened."

"It wasn't your fault," he reiterates. "You were targeted. We promised that we would protect you upon signing the contract. This shouldn't have happened." He shakes his head, looking disappointed. I wonder if it's directed at himself or me.

"I, uh, should get going to my room," I say after a while of silence, realizing that I had made myself overly comfortable. I'm still an employee here.

"No, you don't have to," he says.

I smile. "But I really should. I appreciate your care last night, but I should go get ready for the day and do what I'm supposed to be doing, which is work. I have a class later today, so I should get my chores done now," I explain.

I begin to get off the bed when I hear some shuffling from the other side of the room. Aiden stirs on the couch, his eyes fluttering open. He looks around for a second, sees me awake, and untangles himself from Eliott, who remains asleep. Aiden quickly makes his way over to me, his face a mix of relief and guilt. "Hey, how are you feeling?" he questions, holding my hands together.

"I'm okay," I say, offering a small smile, "Thanks to you guys."

"I'm so sorry," he shakes his head, his voice barely above a whisper. "I should've known better."

"It's not your fault," I reply, trying to sound more confident than I feel. "You couldn't have known."

"I did, though. I knew it wasn't a safe place and I still left you to fend for yourself. So yes, it was my fault, but I promise that I'll take better care of you—"

"You don't have to do that," I quickly intervene.

It felt like the relationship we shared took a huge jump compared to last night's dinner and I didn't like it. These men thought they had to take care of me, protect me, but no, I took care of myself. I had no one but myself and they wouldn't change that. I'll be gone from their lives soon enough and they'll be gone from mine.

I stand up. "I'll head to my room and get ready for work."

I jump, startled when someone grabs my wrist, stopping me from taking another step. "You should at least have breakfast," Eliott's groggy voice says behind me.

"We won't take a no," Aiden intervenes.

I sigh before hesitantly nodding in response, letting Aiden drag me down the stairs and to the kitchen. On the table, there were plates of eggs, bacon, toast, sausages, a jar of orange juice, and a steaming pot of coffee—a scene seen in movies. I was sat down beside Mr. Lewis just like before and ushered to grab some breakfast.

I took my time piling egg and bacon onto my plate before taking my first bite. I was reminded that I hadn't eaten much last night, so my stomach thanked me for the food.

No one spoke for a long time, not even Mr. Lewis, who most likely didn't know about anything that had happened but must've felt the wary atmosphere.

"So," Eliott says, breaking a piece of toast, "we need to figure out what to do about Jessica."

I pause, putting down my utensil, the memory of the drink she gave me flashing in my mind and making me feel queasy. "What do you mean?"

"We can't just let this slide," Aiden says, his tone serious. "She targeted you, and we need to make sure that she and the other scorpions know they can't mess with us."

I look around, wondering what everyone is thinking. How do they usually deal with this stuff, I wonder. Is this a normal happening around this circle that they're in? I glance at Mr. Lewis for a response, but he looks just as serious as the others, as if this is crucial business.

"We'll handle it," Mr. Sawyer says coldly, playing with the knife he had been using to cut his food. His eyes turn to me, softening in the slightest. "This will never happen again, mark my words."

For whatever reason, I believe him.