I avoid their deafening silence and keep my focus on the end of the jet’s wing, staring intently at a blue star, wondering what it’s for. "You're going to need to find something nice to wear to dinner tonight," Axel tells me.
I slowly turn my head to glance at him, feeling annoyed, which he likely knows by the resting bitch face I’ve perfected in the past hour. "Dinner?" Is he talking about the two of us? Because that's going to make for an awkward conversation in front of Everett, even though I wouldn’t be surprised if Axel intentionally caused a scene like that. He seems to enjoy poking at Everett for whatever reason.
"Yes, we're meeting with someone," Axel says again, like it's nothing.
"You said this had nothing to do with me. I’m not going to your dinner. I don’t trust either of you,” I tell them.
I was stupid to use those dumb spoof music torture YouTube videos last week. The videos ran through the news a while ago when they were going viral, so I didn’t think much of it since the public already knew about them, but if I had known better or if I was thinking straight, I never would have used the videos. "He likes to meet with us once a month, and he's looking forward to meeting you."
I lean my head back into the leather seat and close my eyes. It's been a full week since I ended up here with these guys, and I didn’t think they knew a damn thing about me. Mason told me to watch out for international businessmen who would be searching for me. Now I know I have to be fearful of anyone working for the government too. If I had known that last week, I would have been a hell of a lot more careful before taking this fucking job, despite the sacrifices I would have had to make.
I dozed off for a bit, and now I’m waking up to Axel and Everett with their laptops out, both working intently on something. For some reason, the sight of this surprises me. I was starting to think the only thing they do is beat the shit out of people, then eat and drink it off. I can't see Everett’s screen, even though he’s sitting directly beside me. He must have one of those filters that block the view unless you're looking directly at the screen. I let out a groan and pull myself up against the seat I was slouched into.
"We should be landing in about twenty minutes," Axel says while peering down at his watch. I had no idea I slept that long, but it would have been better if I slept for twenty minutes longer.
"Did you see the one that just came in?" Everett asks Axel. He's in work mode, and when he's in work mode, none of Everett's true personality shines through.
"Yeah," Axel says as he runs his hand down the side of his face. "I don't know how we're going to pull that one off."
Everett closes his laptop and slips it into his bag. "Let's just get through tonight first," he suggests.
Axel closes his laptop too and places it on the seat next to his. "Yeah, good point."
I've been looking between the two of them, back and forth, trying to figure out what the hell they're talking about, but as usual, everything is a secret until I'm shoved into a room with a demented asshole. When their conversation ends, they look over at me and my "don't give a fuck" expression. If they think I don't care, I have hope that they'll be more inclined to tell me what they’re up to. If they don't tell me, I'll have to continue assuming the worst, like I currently am.
They're beginning to gather their things in preparation for landing, and since my ears are popping, I assume we should be hitting the ground within just a few minutes now. I'm not used to a pilot who doesn't update the passengers on what's happening. It's not comforting. Plus, I don't like to fly.
Almost the moment the wheels hit the ground, Axel and Everett are out of their seats, slinging their bags over their shoulders. I wait for the plane to stop and take my bag to follow them. We're not at an airport, so I'm unsure of what to expect once we step out of the jet, but my questions are quickly answered as we step out onto the tarmac where there's a car waiting for us.
The irony of traveling to D.C. is that it took about two hours to get here by jet, and just over two hours to get to our hotel in the middle of the city. I feel like I'm ready for a nap, rather than dinner with this someone.
The three of us quietly check into the hotel, and Axel hands me a key with a room number written on the front of the card.
"So, do you travel a lot?" I ask them. The elevator doors open, and though we're in what must be a five-star hotel, this gold-plated space inside barely has enough room for the three of us. I'm a foot shorter than both of them, and this is brutally uncomfortable. At least I have a good view of a fresh stain on Everett’s shirt, probably from whatever he ate for lunch. Then there's Axel, who managed to step off a two-hour flight without a wrinkle on his shirt. I'm not sure how that's even possible.
"Yeah, we do travel a lot, and you will be too," Axel says.
"How about asking me? You know, since I’m not your pet and all," I tell him. "I can quit and walk away from all of this like I've been trying to do for the past day.” I’m not so sure I have that option anymore, but I need to do what I can to find a way out.
The doors open, and only Axel and I step out of the elevator. "I'm one floor up," Everett says as the doors close between us.
"You're right. I apologize for speaking to you that way," Axel says. I look down at my key and up at the room numbers, finding my room at the end of the short hall.
"Great, thanks for that.” I head down the hallway, stopping in front of my room. Holding my key up to the scanner, I listen for the click. With a shove, I push the heavy door open and find Axel following me, rather than entering his room that I assumed was next to mine.
"You got a minute?” he asks after stepping inside.
"What are you doing?" I reply, knowing what he's likely about to do after what's happened today. How is today still today? It's been the longest goddamn day of my life.
"Making sure your package arrived," he says, stepping in front of me and walking into the main part of the room. "Good." He pokes his head into the bathroom and flips the light on. "Everything you need for tonight is here. I had it delivered."
I walk over to the king-size bed, finding an oversized, shiny pink box. "What is this?" I lift the cover, revealing a maroon dress, one that I can tell won’t go on without a struggle. "Is this necessary?"
"When you see where we're eating tonight, you'll understand why it's necessary," he says, eyeing the dress.
"Who picked this out?" I ask.
"Doesn't matter," he quickly replies.
"Is this just a ploy to take me out tonight?" I ask, cocking my head to the side. I don’t know what to think anymore. He’s fucking with my head as much as I’ve learned to do so with other people.
"I wouldn't have brought Everett along if I were trying to trick you," he says, walking toward the door. "We need to leave here at six, so you only have an hour to get ready." He opens the closet door before leaving, pulls a shoebox out, and slides it over to where I'm standing. "Get dressed." He leaves the room, and I hear the door in the next room over open and close. He requested connecting rooms.
Axel will probably barge in right when I'm squeezing into this damn dress that looks like it's meant for a Barbie doll with no hips. I suppose this is one more thing I can add to my job description: forcing people to kill themselves, and dressing like a game show host's assistant. Awesome.