Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 297

Gate Crashing

"A surprise party with serious consequence."

As the helicopter approached the rectangular landing platform, I had a clear view of my grandfather’s vacation home below. The house was a massive three-story affair, made entirely of stone accented with white doors, windows, and shutters. A white and green porch stretched across the front of it, with one end continuing across the yard and onto a lake, effectively turning into a dock with what looked like a boat house. The back of the home was mostly hidden, but I briefly spied what appeared to be a pool as we descended.

A few vehicles were parked in the massive driveway opposite the dock, and a helicopter occupied one of the two spaces on the helipad we were quickly approaching—Chloe had understated just how many people were there. A fleeting thought passed my mind that perhaps it was a surprise party on my behalf, but that was stupid. If that were the case, Chloe and her team wouldn’t be on edge like this.

“It can’t be anything too dangerous,” I mused and glanced at one of the three security operatives in the cabin with us. “I can’t imagine anyone meaning us harm just leaving their vehicles in plain sight.”

“I’m not sure, sir,” he said, checking his sidearm. “Please stay in the helicopter, and we’ll inform you as soon as we’re sure it’s safe.”

A few minutes later, the helicopter touched down on the pad, and the three agents immediately filed out, dropping to the concrete and fanning out; their eyes searched the surrounding tree line and the house, looking for any sign of danger. Chloe returned from the cockpit and was about to follow them, but I placed a hand on her shoulder. “Chloe, I don’t want anyone leaving the house until I’m sure no one’s taken or messed with anything.”

My bodyguard glanced toward the house and said, “I’ll see what we can do, but I can’t promise anything. Judging by the vehicles already here, their numbers are comparable to ours if we’re lucky. I’ve called for backup, but it won’t do us any good for at least an hour and a half.”

“Just… see what you can do,” I said. “If there’s a chance that the drive is in that house, the last thing I need is for it to slip through my fingers—or anything else that might be important. Besides, even if there’s nothing here, I’m tired of having people fucking me over and getting away with it.”

There’d been too many of those: Cartwright, Ashlee, Amber Bell, Roger… they’d all managed to get one up on me without getting what was coming to them, and I had enough of that.

“Roger VanCamp didn’t,” Chloe pointed out.

“He got away,” I said.

“You don’t know that,” she pushed back and glanced at Helen. “And even if he did, he lost a lot to you. Take the win.”

I followed Chloe’s glance to Helen, who was whispering with Erin. She happened to look my way as I stared, and her blue eyes caught mine. She gave me a small, mysterious smile as she stared back at me. Maybe Chloe had a point.

“I’ll try to keep everyone where they are, though,” Chloe said.

“Thanks,” I said, letting go of her shoulder.

She dropped from the helicopter and took point, leading four agents—the three from my cabin and one that had joined her from the cockpit—across the yard toward the front door of my grandfather’s vacation home. Their guns weren’t drawn, and they all maintained a casual gait, but I’d been around them enough to notice how they kept their holsters clear from obstruction and their heads on swivels.

“How long do you think it’ll take them?” Emily asked, joining me beside the door.

“As long as it takes,” I replied as I watched them walk toward the home. Then I shut the door so we could at least wait in relative peace and quiet, insulated from the sound of the whirring helicopter rotor.

We spent the next twenty minutes waiting in the chopper. I ended up sitting on the interior’s carpeted floor, wondering what was taking them so long and contemplating all the possibilities. I envisioned all five members of my security lying dead on the floor or being held hostage, waiting for me to make a move. Perhaps they were standing in the middle of the living room with their guns drawn, trying to talk the mystery group into surrendering theirs.

If it came to it, I could always take off and leave my security behind. The chopper was still running, and a sixth security staffer—the pilot—was still in the cockpit, likely with orders to take off at the first sign of trouble. Considering the five ladies in the helicopter with me, I might have let him. They meant too much to me. However, taking off and leaving Chloe to die… I don’t know if I could recover from that.

Erin had dropped to the floor next to me and leaned against my chest, holding my arm wrapped around her shoulders. My face was buried in her hair, enjoying her floral scent as I imagined all the horrible scenarios Chloe could be in. Helen was still petting Bobbi, who was back to dozing as we waited. She’d attached the leash to the submissive’s collar but had removed it on my request. I didn’t want a leashed woman getting in the way in case something crazy happened… or to be a distraction. Natashya and Emily had taken turns watching out the window for any sign of change, and my sister was currently sitting in her seat, staring at Bobbi contemplatively while her girlfriend stared out the window.

“Here she comes,” Natashya finally said, pulling Emily’s attention from Bobbi as she crawled to her knees and leaned into the window next to her girlfriend. Erin and I got to our feet and approached. Sure enough, Chloe was walking toward us from across the lawn, looking completely fine. She was still wearing a light jacket, a pair of jeans, and a white blouse with no sign of a drawn gun. Approaching the helicopter, the blades whipped her hair around her head, throwing some of it in her face. She swiped it from her eyes as she approached the door just as Natashya opened it for her. My bodyguard climbed onto the helicopter and shut the door behind her.

“Well? I asked.

“It’s fine,” she said. “There’s roughly people in there having some kind of party. Only one of them’s armed.”

“Strangers just broke into Colin’s house?” I asked.

Chloe shook her head. “It’s one of the twins.”

“Twins?” I asked.

“Your brother. Quentin Gerrard.”

“Oh,” I said, trying to process that information. My brother was here. Quentin. I had a brother, and he was inside that house only a couple hundred feet away. I could feel my stomach turn at the thought of unexpectedly meeting one of the Gerrards. My understanding was that they all hated me; my aunt had confirmed as much at the meeting. However, according to Chandler, the twins simply couldn’t be bothered to make it to the meeting on Monday. Maybe I had family that didn’t despise me. Perhaps they were just lazy or indifferent.