Auctioned Mates Revenge
Chapter 47

Chloe pulled out a piece of paper and a small, thin pencil I thought was an eyebrow pencil before she started to write as quickly as she could manage. I noticed she didn't have much paper to use, but the pencil seemed to be a pen disguised as an eyebrow pencil. Why hadn't she written this message out before? I winced. Maybe she was always searched. That seemed like something Justin would do to a woman he was keeping under such a tight watch.

The fact that she couldn't even use the bathroom at the same time as other women was disturbing.

I slowed the speed of the flow from the bottle to give her more time, but there wasn't much left in the bottle. Finally, she was done writing as the last of the liquid left the bottle. I returned the bottle to her and she slipped it behind the inner lining of her clutch before giving me the paper. She dropped the pen back into her clutch and shuffled around a bit before I flushed the toilet. She closed her clutch and turned to exit the stall. I heard the water running at the sink, a pause, some crumpling sounds, then her heels were clicking towards the exit.

"A woman can take a potty break, can't she? I'd hate to ruin this dress..."

Her voice faded away as I eased my feet down to the ground and let out a breath of relief. Apparently, we had been wrong about Chloe's willingness to speak to anyone, or maybe she just saw in me a chance to pass a message to Matt. A few minutes passed before I heard heels coming towards my stall. I locked the door before anyone reached the door, but the other stalls were open, so there was no rush to pretend like I was leaving soon.

I let out a small sigh. The terror of being found out by a stranger eased with the bizarre nature of Chloe's notes passing scheme. I couldn't imagine what it was like to have to plot for bathroom breaks and have that be your only bit of freedom. I wondered what she had to say. The lines didn't look like they would smudge, so I folded it carefully and tucked it into my purse, flushed the toilet again, and exited the stall, trying to pretend that nothing happened.

I washed my hands and tried to gather my wits before gliding out of the bathroom. I had made it just a few steps away from the bathroom when I saw Andrew and Jay walking towards me. They were speaking with Justin as they walked. Their expressions were friendly, but their eyes seemed tense. They didn't seem to be saying much as they made quick strides towards me.

Panicked, I looked around for somewhere to hide and darted into the little temporary storeroom just at the end of the hall leading towards the men's bathroom. It was barely big enough for me to squeeze in, but I closed the door as they came to a stop just in front of the door.

"What is the point of having ties to Warhammer, if you don't know anything about what Matt Wallber is up to here in Midnight?" Justin asked, "Give me something."

"It's not our fault you were too slow to get Club Heaven." Jay growled, "Alpha Ben made it clear that if Sinner's Haven tanks, it'll pull most of Midnight's economy down the drain with it. You're not making much money anyway. Felix has already tanked. What is the hold-up?"

"I can't just let it fail easily; he'll get suspicious if I move too quickly."

"Don't be stupid," Andrew laughed. "With Matt parading that hot blonde around, Mordecai's going to be up to his ears in his hurt ego, plotting against Matt. All you have to do is get the investors in the mall to start pulling out."

Justin groaned, "And how am I supposed to do that?"

"Get f*****g creative," Jay hissed. "Or end up dead and we'll find someone else to crash Midnight."

My eyes widened. Their footsteps faded away before a loud bang came against the door and the wood creaked a bit.

"That f*****g brat," Justin grumbled. "He'll f*****g regret this."

He growled and turned away from the door and slowly, I began to breathe easily. Surely, I was going to finally get a moment's peace. I waited for a few moments before walking out as calmly as I could, scanning the area until I saw Sean again. He was standing within sight of the bathrooms nursing a tumbler of whiskey. He looked relieved as she exited the bathroom area and began to drift towards the gambling area through the crowd.

I was considering finding Matt and signaling an end to the evening when Sean's gaze turned hard and anxious.

What could possibly happen to me now?

"I was hoping to catch Matt's pretty little tag-along alone." I turned as the hair on the back of my neck began to rise and smiled up at Mordecai's dark face. There was something in his eyes that reminded me of a predator scenting prey or a wild animal smelling blood and wanting more of it.

His eyes drifted over my body and my stomach turned into a tangle of knots.

He hummed, "Matt certainly knows how to make a statement. The dress is stunning on you."

I smiled, "Alpha Mordecai, an honor you would recognize me. I've only hard bits and pieces about you."

Mordecai chuckled, "I'm sure little Matt has more important things to discuss with you than his father's old friends. You two make quite the picture... Though I suppose Cindy is a bit more his type."

I chuckled nervously, "I suppose."

"Curvy, pretty, blonde: hard not to want her," he looked at her, "Though your pale skin and those lips of yours are certainly selling points."

My stomach churned and I felt a bit nauseous. I gave him a tight smile, "Well, I have to use the gifts I've been given."

"What are your plans after Matt replaces you?" My heart clenched at the thought, "Though I think Cindy has a bit more... loyalty to Midnight, I assure you there were no hard feelings about the way you left." I looked up at him, careful not to meet his gaze again.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure. I'm... flattered that you remembered me from so long ago."

He chuckled, "I looked into you a bit, Cherry. Little Matt's like a nephew to me, and Ben's a strange but protective man of his eldest. Still, a woman with no background is easier to make disappear than one with family." I felt a cold sweat starting as I held my nausea in and the smile on my face. There was something wrong with him. I didn't believe it was just because he was drinking. There was something deeply wrong with him. Almost as if he enjoyed making me uncomfortable.

Well, I'll be damned before I let him continue to get off on my discomfort when he had such a hand in my current situation.

"He did mention that you were very close," I said, pretending solemnity. "I... hope I'm not overstepping my bounds, by saying this..."

I glanced at him and shifted a bit, feigning discomfort as his eyes narrowed, "And what would you have to say to me that would be out of bounds?"

"Well... I don't want to cause trouble. I just heard something I shouldn't have on the way from the bathroom. H-Honestly, you should hear this from him, so I was planning to find him and tell him, but..."

I cleared my throat and leaned closer, "I'm not sure where exactly Justin stands..."

His eyes narrowed, "What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure who he was talking to, I only recognized his voice. Someone told him to start getting investors in the mall to start pulling out?" I shook my head, "He said something about you getting suspicious if he moved too fast, and they were going to find someone else to crash Midnight if he didn't get creative."

I looked away, rubbing my arm in discomfort and darting my eyes around nervously, "I didn't want to say anything because I wasn't sure exactly what it all meant, but it didn't sound good, and Matt said that he's known you since he was a kid, so..."

His eyes flashed as he looked down at me, leaning over me, looming as he seemed to barely be keeping his fury back.

"H-have you seen Matt?" I asked looking around, "I promised to stay in sight, but I think I've been gone a bit too long."

Mordecai turned and gestured ahead of him, "He's still by the blackjack table, why don't you... stay with me for a bit. Matt has a Lady Luck. I could use one."

"I-If that's what you want."

He grinned, cold and pleased, "It is."