Mistress AC-0002

W hat was a partnership without chaos? What was love without trial? How Jack had managed to save us from my epic mistake was beyond me. But wasn't that my life? A fuckup for a trophy? Pain for promotion? A setback for a comeback? Was I truly so lucky? I didn't understand it. When I thought my world didn't have much left to offer, I was presented with a dream. Justice. It would be mine. Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not today. But in the future, they'd all fall. What would replace them was us. The ones like me and Elec. The overlooked. The unworthy.

"He's here."

Jack motioned for the slave, who went and opened the door. Elec paused as he walked in, tearing his eyes from the crow, only to settle on me. My gaze went down to the floor.

"What the hell is going on, and why couldn't she walk? Is she hurt? Georgie, stand up."

"No." I glanced up, seeing Jack's head shake back and forth. "She has no position as a Mistress here. She takes her orders from me. All she is now is a wife."

"What the hell do you mean? Of course she's still a Mistress. Georgetta, stand." Elec paused, and I caught his gaze cut over to Jack. "She can stand, can't she? Or is she incapable? A wife?"

Elec got quiet, multiple expressions flickering on his face as I stole glances.

"Georgie fucked up. Tonight, she could have ruined us for good."

"Ruined? That's a pretty big claim."

Jack pointed to the crow.

"She sent him to try to manipulate answers from Doris. Doris Fucking Pennington. She took advantage of that woman's trust and targeted her for information knowing that if Doris suspected, it would be disastrous."

Elec's lips parted as he scanned my face, taking a step closer.

"Georgie…tell me that's not true."

" I was right. At least about my mother."

"That's not the point!" I jumped at Elec's furious explosion. "Doris Pennington may be your biggest supporter. You know that. And you risked it? For what? For information we've already gone over? What were you thinking? "

"I was thinking that I was right. And I was!"

Fingers gripped my hair, jerking me back. I cried out as pressure on my ass sent me skittering to my side. I tried to turn to Jack, but he held me steady to face Elec.

"You don't yell, Wife. You state facts without the attitude. You do so calmly. Precisely. You are a lady. You are a Collins. The ultimate role model for our kind. You will be a mother soon, and you will act like it."

"A mother?"

Elec's face lit up only to hold confusion. Again, he met my stare, but I lowered it at the pain that caused the tears to come. And they weren't happy tears or ones from my injuries. He knew my heartache over not being able to get pregnant. He knew how badly I wanted this.

"Not yet." Jack's voice dropped. "But soon. From here on out, it's the only mission she has. If we can't conceive in the next few years, we'll try other alternatives, but for now, it'll be the only life Georgie knows. As I mentioned, she's stripped of her status. She has one position, and that's to be the model wife, not the brat she's turned into over the years. Even you mentioned the last auction that she seemed angry and reckless. She's crossed the line. Georgie's done. Doris Pennington wants our heir, Elec. She wants to tie our lines." Jack let go of my hair, moving over to grasp my shoulder. "She's putting our name in with the uppers. She mentioned a few positions would be opening soon."

"Wait. You have to slow down. You wouldn't believe the fucking week I've had." Elec came even closer, in awe, looking between us. "Positions? What did the two of you do to win her over? To favor someone is one thing. To hand them the holy grail is quite another. The Uppers plus the Pennington line ," Elec whispered. "Yes. That is a damn good match. One of the best. Tell me. What happened that swung her even more in your favor?"

Jack's lips twisted, and he eased me to my knees, pulling back the side of my robe. "The one thing that needed to happen. The only thing that saved us." Elec took in the bruising and the broken skin in the shape of lines. I didn't miss the way his jaw flexed repeatedly.

"The old ways." The Main Master swallowed hard, nodding. "I suspected as much when you were talking about positions being removed. Doris would have loved that. She knows what a mess the outside world is becoming with the lines. I'm trying to repair it but…fuck. It's a disaster. This is good, though. Better than good, but I need your wife, Jack. How long will you keep Georgie in slave status? Until she conceives? What's the plan?"

"That's why I brought you here. Georgie needs a full workup. I want more blood tests and analysis on the medications she's on. If they're not working, we need to try something different. I'm a patient man, but time is not on our side. I'm good with one heir, but the more we can provide, the better it'll be. As for her on the outside world, she'll step down from her father's companies. He can figure out who he wants to fill in in the meantime. Georgie doesn't leave my side anymore. We work together. We eat together. From here on out, we live together. Every day. Every minute."

"And when she comes here, you're denying her what she needs? That's awfully dangerous of you, Jack."

My heart was racing as I looked between them.

"She can have what she needs, I run this game now. What happens is up to me. Speaking of the Gardens, we may need to take a break."

"A break?" The disapproval was thick in Elec's tone. "I need Georgie here, more than ever."

"You're going to have to give us time. My wife is not well. Georgie wants the beach, and I happen to think it's exactly what she needs to make her better. She wants sun and a tropical climate. I hear you might know a place. A place like this one…but not. Elec, I haven't asked you for anything, but Georgie needs this. She needs it."

His eyes lowered to mine, and I quickly dropped my gaze back to the floor. Had his mention of the island been a secret?

"You want to go to Red Island?"

"We do. Think of it as a reset for Georgie. I think it would do both of us wonders. It'd be like a second honeymoon. This time just," he paused, "more our taste."

I stole a glance up, watching as my cousin's brow drew in. He turned, taking in the crow before coming back to us. He looked so stressed. My mouth opened to ask if he was okay, but pressure latched to my shoulder, cutting me off before I could even speak.

"I'll make a call. I happen to have gotten very close with the new Main Master there over the last few weeks. I was very impressed with how his training turned out. You'll both like Luke."

"I'm sure we will. Thank you." Jack reached out, shaking his hand. "We look forward to meeting him. If we can get out there around the next auction, that would be great. Where is it exactly?"

Elec laughed under his breath, shaking his head.

"I can't tell you that."

" What do you mean, you can't tell us? " Pressure returned to my shoulder at my question.

"No one is to know the location. If you want to go, you'll take my jet. It'll get you there."

"But—" Jack stopped at Elec's hand coming up, and I knew my husband was worried about being too far away from his job.

"Relax, Jack. Everything will be fine. What you're doing for Georgie is top priority. Not just for you, but for the circle. That means everything. I'll set it up and have your position covered while you're both gone. As for Georgie, we'll get her back in and run more tests. You need an heir, lots of heirs, and we're going to make it happen. Mark my words, it will happen."

I swallowed back the tears, nodding as I stared up at my cousin—at our Main Master. I wanted to hug him. To tell him thank you like Jack did. I didn't have to as he threw me a wink. He was determined. He believed. And for the first time since I started this journey, I suddenly believed him too.

"Georgie, I never asked what you got out of Doris."

"Wait…first you. Are you okay? What happened with Melissa? You've been so busy when I call."

Elec shrugged. "It's nothing you need to worry about. You have bigger things to focus on. Tell me about Doris."

Hope collided with the all-too-consuming anger as I stared into Elec's blue eyes.

"I told you my mother wanted me dead. Doris all but confirmed it. She said I was sent on suicide missions. Those are Doris' words. Suicide missions." My head shook as I watched him shift. "This went beyond making me prove myself. Doris said she was jealous, and that I was competition. My own mother tried to kill me. I know she did, and so does everyone else on the Jane Doe board. For all I know, Elaine may have even been helping her."

Silence. Seconds passed before he nodded.

"I'll find out exactly what was said, and we'll go from there. What about him?"

I glanced to the crow, watching as the slave looked up from the other side of the room. Before I could open my mouth, Jack's hand clamped back on my shoulder, silencing me as he spoke.

"I'm hoping you've changed your mind on the exchange with the crow. I want more than to have her messed with. Elaine must be questioned. If she was complicit in an attempt on my wife's life, no matter how small or how long ago, that's treason, Elec. She must answer for what role she took, if any."

I relaxed, breathing through the slight panic I still had at what Jack was going to say. That he was on board with my justice sent my head resting against his knee.

" You're trading me ? To whom?"

Wildness surged through the crow's gaze as he looked between all of us. Elec continued, ignoring him.

"If what you say is true, there's still no proof. Assumptions will not punish your mother. The one who pays is the guilty party who went along with these acts. That just leaves you with Elaine, but she'll never admit anything… unless there's more to the story ." His voice lowered and he hesitated, glancing back at the crow who was now shifting like a caged animal looking for somewhere to run. "No. I'm sorry. I can't agree to an exchange with Gilbert Marks."

"What? But Cousin?—"

Harder the pressure became as Jack waited for Elec to continue. Me, I could hardly sit still as his attention pinned me to the floor with anxiety.

"I know you, Georgie. Have you talked to Gilbert at all?"

There it was. Anger, but hidden. I nodded, not lying. "Yes, Main Master. Days ago. I told him I might have some business he'd be interested in, but that I was putting things together and would contact him if it worked out. He didn't press for details, and I didn't give any."

"Good."

"Elec." Jack's face was hard. "Please. This is important to us. My wife and I need answers. I ask that you rethink your decision. I don't understand how you can't see the importance?—."

"Oh, I see everything. He'd never trade the crow for Elaine. She's a Jane . Gilbert's not stupid. It's too soon that he's been back. He won't take the risk associated with that, for one, and for two, that puts you indebted to him, and I won't allow it. Give me some time to cover all our asses. We don't need Gilbert or his men. I'll have mine bring her in, and I'll handle Elaine personally."

One of the crow's hands lifted to his chest as he let out a deep breath of what had to be relief. But it didn't last as Elec turned his attention to the slave.

"Do you see what that does?" A sly smile came to Elec. "With Elaine, a Jane , in my clutches, Gabriella won't have a choice but to come here. To face me. To face us. But that's for another time. For the future. As for this part of your story." His head jerked to the crow. "This part ends tonight. What I want you both to do is this: call Gilbert. Trade the crow for a future favor. One without strings. You keep that favor for when you're an Upper. Only use it when you have no other options. Think smart. Put your focus on connections who bring you higher. Build an alliance with Mr. Marks. I am. His connections are quite useful, and you can never go wrong with having Gilbert and his people on your side. He has more power than you can imagine, and someday, we're going to need that. The future belongs to us, and yours has started tonight."