Page 73 of Isabela

I blink after him as he climbs out of the truck before I get my act together and open the vehicle door. Gael is waiting there, hand out to help me out, and I wonder if he jogged around to meet me. I feel a little spacy right now, which is making time feel strange for me.

Reaching out, I let his warmth sink into me as I hold his hand and climb out of the truck. Usually, a vehicle this large would mean Gael is compensating for something, but I’ve seen his dick and that is definitely not the case. He pulls me closer and kisses my forehead, searching my eyes.

“What’s going on in there, Isa?” he asks.

“A lot,” I confess. “I can’t even make sense of most of it. I’m okay though.”

“I’ll be right here the entire time,” he promises. “We have to have you sign a little paperwork before we get to the fun. It’s a non-disclosure agreement saying you won’t talk about what the Society is, or your dealings with it. It’s all very boring stuff. That and an oath to the Society in blood.”

Gael closes the truck door on that note, pulling me into motion as my lips part in shock.

“So don’t talk about Fight Club and a blood oath? No big deal,” I scoff, wondering how this is my life.

Gael shrugs as we walk. “It’s our one nod to dramatics, I swear,” he says with a smirk.

This man is entirely too gorgeous for his own good. I lean into his side to remind myself that this is real, I’m free, and the mayor is dead. The world is going to be exterminated of the people who want to hurt me. Maybe I should be worried about what kind of person this makes me, but I’m not.

I deserve good things. I want to be able to leave the house without worrying about being kidnapped. I may never be a normal college kid with all of the things hanging over my head, but I’m okay with that. I never want to be as vulnerable as I was in Charles' hands.

Taking a shaky breath, I wait for Gael to open the warehouse door for me. There’s a keypad on it for security purposes.

“All the codes were changed this morning,” he murmurs. “Theodore and I are overhauling the Society’s system, and I’ll be interrogating some of the members to ensure their loyalty hasn’t shifted.”

While I want to say it’s overkill, I don’t think it is. Charles bought Lily's loyalty with the promise of something she felt she couldn’t get with the Society.

“I want to know what Lily was promised,” I say before realizing my lips are moving. “It just feels odd to me that she’d flip so easily.”

“You’re right,” Gael murmurs as we continue through the main room. Everything is brick and concrete, with scattered rooms throughout the building. “First, we’re going in this room here. I’ll call in a couple of members to witness your agreement to commit to the Society.”

Nodding, I enter the room he leads me into. It’s an office with black painted walls and a large wood table in the middle instead of a desk.

“This building serves as an interrogation place as well as where I plan out missions with our members. We have a few places like this, safe houses, and other properties we use to conduct business,” he explains. “Tonight will be the first time we bring a new initiate into the fold here.”

Gael shoots out a few texts, and I hear movement outside of the open door as we wait. He opens up a cabinet, frowning at the contents before pulling out a few things. I watch as he sanitizes a letter opener and places a pretty bowl on the table. My lips twitch in amusement as he also prints some paperwork off that I assume is my contract.

Gael Murphy is efficient and I’m finding it sexy as hell. I don’t know when I started finding his quirks attractive instead of annoying, but butterflies flutter in my stomach as his eyes find me, smoldering just for me as people walk into the office.

I find myself holding my breath as I watch him, reminding myself to exhale. My body is in this weird state of excitement and exhaustion, which is no wonder with everything that’s been happening.

I don’t have time to sleep, and I’m very happy I didn’t need to spend more time at the hospital. For now, my headache is blissfully gone, and my face is a dull ache from the mayor’s blows.

Wouldn’t it be nice if killing someone erased their actions as well?

“Isabela Cohen is the heiress to Cohen Security and Communications and is offering her genius with numbers and connections with the company as she joins the Eagna Society,” Gael announces as the last person slips in the door.

“As you know, she’s had some trouble recently that we’re helping her with. We are doing things a bit differently since her uncle will be ending his life over a bloody drain tonight. There are moments to stand on ceremony, but this is not one of those times.”

Everyone nods in agreement, and Michael steps forward. It’s not quite raising his hand for permission, but more announcing his presence. Gael’s eyes acknowledge him anyway, waiting to see what he has to say.

“I was tasked with keeping her safe and failed, which led to her being kidnapped and hurt. Let me be the first to welcome Isabela to the Society,” Michael says. I smile weakly at him because Lily lied to all of us, him most of all, since they were partners. “Dr. Murphy has talked about your affinity with numbers, which I think will be a great addition to the team.”

There’s murmurs of welcoming words as Gael takes a breath for his next words. “I agree, so we are going to initiate Isabela into the Society now before we interrogate and punish those that have betrayed the Society. Tonight, we stand in witness to this brave girl who has decided to move through life differently than others, because together we are stronger than apart,” he intones.

“Together we are strong,” the members behind me state.

“Isabela, what are you bringing to the table as a Society member?” Gael asks. I widen my eyes in panic, because I wasn’t expecting to be put on the spot like this. The asshole smirks, knowing exactly what he’s doing.

“I’m hard working, enjoy puzzles and difficult tasks,” I tell him. “I’ll never stop working at a job until it’s done or solved, because it’s who I am. I despise those who prey on the weak, so I’ll fight for those who can’t, while I’m part of the Society.”

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