As we grew nearer to the house, I could make out the paved patio, custom designs carved into the white concrete, and intricate landscaping surrounding the space. In the center of the grand entertaining area was a large fire pit and several chairs all around it.
The place was breathtaking. I’d never have been able to afford to stay there, not even with the salary I may be offered. It was incredible.
My jaw must’ve been hanging open, because suddenly, George guffawed and broke my concentration. I looked at him and he nodded. “It’s something, isn’t it?”
I did my best to erase the shock from my face. “It’s incredible. It seems so peaceful.”
“It is,” he told me. “It’s a nice place. There’s the lake back there and plenty of privacy. Mr. X lets us come out here sometimes, to get away. It never gets old seeing it for the first time in a while.”
“So, will you be staying here? You and the other drivers? How many bedrooms are there?”
“There are nine total, but no. We won’t be. I’ll drop you off and head back to headquarters. You six will each have your own room, then Mr. X’s room, but he won’t be there the whole time, and Elijah, who’ll be the only one here permanently with you guys. The chef and maid live in the cottage over there.” He pointed to a smaller cabin to the left of the house.
“Elijah?”
“Mr. X’s right-hand man. He’ll be overseeing the process and reporting back to the boss. You’ll go to him if you need anything.”
“Oh, okay.” I looked away, staring back at the window. I’d only known George for half the day, but I was disheartened at the idea of him leaving and me being alone again, alone in a group of people I was competing against. People I didn’t know. People who would want me to fail. It was going to be hard to settle in when I knew each of us were hoping for each other’s downfall. How could anyone look at this as a vacation under those circumstances?
The car came to a stop near the back of the house and George stepped out, moving around to take my luggage from the trunk. I took a breath, trying to calm my nerves. It was going to be fine. Everything was going to be fine.
I took hold of the handle, pushing it open before the nerves got the best of me and held out my hand to take the bag from George as he hurried around.
“Right. There you go. It was nice to meet you.”
“It was nice to meet you as well,” I told him. “Thank you for driving me.”
“It was my pleasure, Au—” He stopped himself, looking around.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” I tried to follow his gaze, but I didn’t see the problem.
“Sorry, nothing.” He shook his head. “We don’t use real names here, and I almost slipped up.”
My head jerked back in surprise. Real names? As opposed to what? “What do you mean?”
“Good morning, George,” a man’s voice, heavy with a British accent, called. I looked up, staring at the man who emerged from the garage. He was incredibly handsome, so much so that I had to physically stop myself from lifting my hands to brush through my hair. What did it matter now? He’d already seen me in all my messy glory. He was dressed all in black, his light brown hair in a low ponytail, perfectly matching his thick facial hair. His skin was tan, a complexion I assumed probably wasn’t only from the sun, though I couldn’t be sure.
“Morning, Elijah,” George said, not bothering to answer my question. “Dropping off Number Four.”
Elijah smiled at me, and as much as I tried to avoid it, I felt my face warming under his scrutiny. As impossible as it seemed, up close he was even more breathtaking. I swallowed hard, taking in his bright green, get-lost-in-me eyes and full lips. “Hello, I’m Elijah,” he said, holding out his hand.
I placed my palm against his, shaking it cautiously as I heeded George’s warning. We don’t use real names here. Elijah looked at George. “I’ve got it from here.”
George hesitated. “Take care, Number Four.” I offered him a small, sad smile and a wave goodbye.
Elijah’s eyes widened. “Oh, wait, I have something I need you to give to the boss when you get back to the city,” he told George. He dug in the pocket of his oversized black blazer and pulled out a white envelope that had been folded over and taped. I swallowed, watching it change from his hand to George’s, both expressions grim. I did not have a good feeling about whatever was in that package.
“I’ll take care of it,” George said, stepping back as Elijah bent down to take my bag.
“May I?” he asked before grabbing it. I stepped back a half-step, still unable to speak, allowing him to take it. He took hold of the black handle and lifted it with ease. “Right this way, then.” He led me into the garage, which—much to my relief—wasn’t lined with clear plastic sheets ready to avoid the mess of my imminent murder, and held open the solid door so I could step into the house. I gasped. We were on the first floor, but I could see the second, atop curving staircases on each end that led to a long, overlooking balcony. The house had been built into the hillside, so from the back of the house, it looked like it was much smaller than it actually was once you were inside. Looks could be so deceiving.
“So, you can see here we have the living room. We’ll do most of our challenges here. The kitchen is there, and we have a fully stocked bar, plus every snack you could imagine. Anything you could want, as long as you’re in the house, is yours.” He sounded cheerful as he told me, and it felt as though it were a regular tour, but I couldn’t help waiting for the bad news—the catch. People didn’t just give away luxury vacations. What did they want from me?
The house was bathed in warm light, yellow lanterns dangled from long beams on the ceiling. In the living room where Elijah and I stood, there was a dark leather couch that matched the loveseat to its left. There were three matching, gray armchairs, one in between the couch and loveseat and two at the opposite end of the couch. The colors, dark brown and light gray, were a perfect complement to the dark honey floors. A wooden rocker sat near the large fireplace and a giant big-screen television hung on the wall. I could see into the kitchen, where white and gray marble countertops surrounded the silver appliances. The bar he had mentioned was in the center of the room and held every liquor I could’ve named, and I could see one of the doors leading from behind the bar toward the patio. My guess was people were going to be spending far too much time at that bar. I made it my goal right then not to have a drink. I needed to keep a level head no matter what.
“You’ll have free run of the house for the entire length of your visit,” Elijah said, interrupting my thoughts. “Feel free to go and explore anywhere, inside or out. Except the bedrooms, of course.” He smiled, as if that weren’t obvious. “Each of you will be assigned a room, and you can choose to spend as much or as little time in there as you’d like. The only time you’ll be required to be out, is when you’re asked to participate in challenges.”
Finally, I found my voice, the exhaustion of his beauty growing easier to stand by the minute. “Are the others here yet?”
“You were the fourth to arrive, hence the name,” he said. “But the others are still settling into their rooms, as I expect you’ll choose to. There is a letter in your room that will explain the rules while you’re here, but should you find yourself with any questions, please let me know. All of the bedrooms are up here, with the exception of Mr. X’s, which is downstairs.” He led me up the curved staircase. There were four sets of two rooms, two on each end of the hall, and two in the middle. To my right, I could see the sets of French doors, leading out to a shaded deck. He pointed to one of the doors in the middle of the hallway. “This is my office here.” He rapped his knuckle against the wood of the door next to it. “And here’s my room. If you knock on either, no matter which I’m in, I’ll hear you.” I nodded, listening to his soothing voice as I took in the immensity of the house. “I hope you’ll enjoy your stay here, Number Four, and I look forward to officially meeting you at dinner tonight.” He stopped at the second door past his, and stared at the cherry-stained wood. “Do you have any immediate questions before I leave you to settle in?”