Erin
I pace back and forth in the foyer, waiting for Riley to arrive. He said he had an important file to bring over for when James gets back from Portenville, so it's not likely that we'll get caught, but I'm still nervous.
I'm contacting the A.E.D.P. for fuck's sake! God, what am I doing? If I get caught, I'm probably going to get sent to debtor's prison. If James finds out I've had even minimal correspondence with them, he's going to be livid. He might decide I'm not worth the trouble of keeping around and have me transferred to work somewhere else.
Tears well in my eyes at the thought. I... don't want that to happen.
Maybe I shouldn't have called Riley.
I contemplate calling him back and telling him not to come, but before I can make up my mind I hear the roar of an unfamiliar engine outside and I know he's here.
It's too late to turn back now.
A few moments later there's a very faint knock on the door and I hurry to answer it before any of the others can.
Riley smiles at me, his long blond hair flowing freely in the spring breeze. "Good afternoon, Erin," he greets, adjusting his glasses. He's got a manilla envelope tucked under one arm. That must be the file for James.
"Hi," I reply, a little awkwardly. I step aside to let him in, glancing outside to make sure none of the others saw him come in before shutting the door.
"What are you doing here?" I ask him, playing along like he told me to, just in case someone is listening in.
"I have some paperwork that Mr. Harrington needs to look over and double check. I understand he's out of town at the moment, but there's no rush. Can I trust you'll give it to him when he arrives home?" He asks Mr in his chipper tone as he hands me the file.
I nod. "Yes, of course," I say, taking the envelope from him. It's thick and kind of heavy.
"Thank you," Riley replies, yawning. "Goodness, I'm tired," he adds with a laugh.
"Oh, would you like a cup of coffee?" I ask him.
He nods. "That would be delightful. Thank you," he replies and I lead him to the kitchen.
After I've made up two cups of coffee, we sit down at the table off to the side of the kitchen and Riley sets a small circular device on the table, pressing a button to activate it.
"That will scramble all security camera footage and listening devices for the next ten minutes," he explains, taking a sip of his coffee. "According to the DNA recognition scanners, I'm not here."
"Wow. You really know how to make a good cup of coffee," he adds, taking another sip.
I laugh. "Yeah... that's like the one thing I'm good at," I retort.
"Well, may I ask the reason for your call?" He asks curiously, licking his lips.
"Well, I want to know what you guys are about. What you're doing to end the debt program. I'm intrigued, but I'm not going to get behind an organization I know nothing about," I tell him.
He nods. "That's understandable. Well, right now we're kind of in a state of limbo. We're currently amassing our rebel army and recruiting as many people to our cause as possible," he starts.
"Why?" I ask, taking a sip of my own coffee. I glance to the plate of cookies Dalia left on the table earlier, and I contemplate taking one but I stop myself. No. James told me not to touch another cookie while he was gone and I'm going to listen to him.
"Well, I really don't know how much I can say without you readily agreeing to help us, but big things are coming," Riley replies vaguely.
That's not helpful, so I decide to go about getting the information I need in a different way.
"Well, Kendra seems awfully determined to get me on your side. Why is that? I'm just one debtor with a bad rap sheet," I say with a derisive laugh.
Riley grimaces and I can tell that he took the bait. "You're not just any debtor, Erin. You work for James Harrington," he says. "And while having access to his bank account would be useful, that's not the only reason we want him on our side," he continues urgently.
"Why do you want him on your side?" I ask him.
"James Harrington is an important person. He's going to be taking his mother's place as the CEO of Persona Industries in the next few years. Persona Industries and the United States government have a long-standing work relationship. What Persona Industries does directly affects the government and vice versa. And beyond that, he's intimidating," he tells me bluntly.
Oh. They want James' influence. They want him to intimidate other people and organizations into giving them what they want. I guess that does make some sense.
"We're trying to make the wealthy see the truth, but it isn't easy. They have stood in our way for far too long, but but when the day of reckoning comes, they're not going like what they see," Riley tells me, fire burning in his eyes, and it's almost like he isn't really here. Like he's lost in a daydream.
A cold shiver runs through me. Mr. Brewer wasn't kidding. They're going to murder all the government officials and wealthy families that don't stand on their side.
I stare at Riley wide-eyed. "Oh my god," I splutter in disbelief.
"You're going to murder everyone who stands in your way. You're going to burn down manors and businesses. And you're going to hold trials and sentence anyone who has ever had a hand in the debt program to execution."
The look on Riley's face tells me I'm right and it makes my stomach turn. "What? No. Where did you hear that?" He demands, growing frantic.
"Who told you?" He adds.
I decide that selling Mr. Brewer out would not be a smart idea so I lie instead. "Nobody. I just... figured it out on my own thanks to what you told me," I reply.
Riley runs his fingers through his hair, swearing. "I wasn't supposed to tell you all that," he murmurs to himself.
"Well you did, and I've heard all I needed to hear. You need to leave," I snap.
"But it's not like that-," Riley tries to explain but I interrupt him.
"Murdering thousands of innocent people isn't something I'm into," I tell him.
Riley looks appalled. "Innocent?!" He spits incredulously. "Do you have any idea what they've done?!" He asks me, his voice cracking.
"I said you need to leave. Now!" I snap at him.
Riley jumps. He stares at me a moment longer before grabbing his weird little signal jammer and shutting it off. I follow him as he walks down the hall, back to the foyer. There, he turns to me with pleading eyes.
"I hope you'll reconsider," he tells me softly.
I scoff. "I won't," I spit at him.
"I've made a mess of things," he adds, ringing his hands regretfully.
I let out a mirthless laugh. "Yes you have," I agree, folding my arms over my chest.
Riley's expression turns cold and intense. "Fine. But the wealthy won't be the only ones we take down. And when the day of reckoning comes, you'll realize who's side you should have chosen."
Then he opens the door and leaves. I watch him drive away, not daring to take my eyes off his car until the gates have closed behind him.
I sink to my knees, wishing I had just thrown that phone number away. I should have told James everything. But I didn't because a part of me had hoped that just maybe the A.E.D.P. could change things.
I should have known that they were just like every other rebel group out there. None of them care about actual change. They don't want to find a peaceful solution. They only care about revenge.
I'm going to have to tell James everything when he gets back. He's going to be furious with me for keeping the truth from him.
It was my mistake and now I'm going to have to deal with the consequences of my actions. There's nothing I can do.
Then I realize that there is something I can do. I pull out my phone and search through the contacts list, grateful that James programmed his friends' numbers into my phone in case I needed something.
I find Emily's name, clicking the call button. It rings a few times before she answers.
"Erin?" She asks, and she sounds a little concerned.
James must've given Emily my number too.
"Hello, Emily," I reply awkwardly.
"What's going on?" She asks me.
I clear my throat. "Well, it's a long story but you know the intern that works at Persona Industries headquarters?" I ask.
"Riley?" She confirms.
"Yes."
"Yes, I know him. He always makes James' coffee wrong," she replies with a laugh.
If this weren't so urgent I would probably find that funny too. "Well, I think he's working for a rebel group."
There's a moment of silence on her end of the phone. "How do you know?" She asks.
"I'll explain everything to James when he gets back," I assure her.
"Alright. I'll have security look into him," she says.
"Thank you," I tell her.
"Of course. Do you need anything else?" She asks me.
"No," I tell her. "I'm fine." It's so strange to have someone asking me if I need anything. All my life, it's been the other way around.
"Alright," Emily replies. "If you're sure."
"I'm sure," I say.
After she hangs up the phone I let out a deep breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
I take the packet of papers up to James' room, setting it on his desk before flopping down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.
This is such a mess. I just hope James isn't too angry with me. I could call him and tell him everything now.
I decide that that's a better plan than letting the anxiety and guilt eat me alive for the next three days, so I pull out my phone, clicking on James' phone number which he appropriately labeled as 'Master' in my phone. I think this is a record for how many times I've used a phone in a single day.
It barely rings before he answers. "Hello, Erin," he greets, sounding relieved to hear my voice.
"Hello, Master," I reply, unable to fight my smile.
"Is everything okay?" He asks me, the concern in his voice making my heart flutter.
I sigh. "Um... kind of. I have something to tell you and it's kind of a long story," I say tentatively.
James lets out a deep breath. "Whatever it is, it can wait. I'm coming home tomorrow," he says.
Excitement bursts inside of me like fireworks on the fourth of July. He's coming home. I get to see him tomorrow!
"Really?!" I ask, and the eagerness in my voice makes him laugh.
"I'll be back early in the morning. Around seven or eight," James says.
"That means I still have fifteen hours and... twelve minutes until I get to see you again!" I whine, making James laugh even more.
"Tomorrow will be here before you know it," he assures me.
"I know," I reply dejectedly, wishing he could just come home now. But at the same time, having a few hours to think about what I'm going to say will be a good thing.
"Is the crisis all dealt with?" I ask him curiously.
James chuckles. "Nope. Not even close. But I can't stay in this fucking city any longer. I miss home. I miss you," he replies.
His words make my heart swell. He could stay there and continue to work on the problem, but he's choosing to come home to see me instead.
"I miss you too, Master," I reply, unable to hide the longing in my voice.
"How many sweets have you eaten since the last time we talked?" He asks me suspiciously.
"None," I reply honestly. "Except for the sugar I put in my coffee," I admit.
He laughs. "You're being honest?" He asks.
"Yes, Master," I reply.
"That's my good girl," he praises sensually.
I can feel the warmth dripping from my core. God, I love when he calls me that.
"I should be going, Erin, but I'll see you soon," he tells me.
"Okay," I reply. "See you tomorrow," I tell him.
"See you tomorrow," he repeats before hanging up. I fall back on his bed again, planning out how I'm going to explain the truth to James when he gets home tomorrow.
I just have to hope that he won't be too angry.
A/N: Three chapters in one week?!?! What is this?! Actual inspiration and drive to write? Can't remember the last time THAT happened lol. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The A.E.D.P. wasn't what you were expecting was it? Don't worry there's plenty more drama coming in the next few chapters. Thanks for continuing to read His Slave! 🤍