Syndicates //

xxviii

I didn't feel any better when I woke up. The meds that I had taken at five had worn off.

Everybody was gone, all they left was a note on the table that said they'd gone to meet with Cobalt and they wanted to let me recover, Louis offered to come pick me up if I give him a call.

I also had a text from Harry: "hey as soon as you wake up, get over to cobalt's manor ASAP. don't show up in your club clothes or pjs."

I cuss to myself under my breath. I force myself up, which is at least a little bit easier to do. Before anything else, I shoot a text Louis to come get me. I dig through my clothes and change out in the open since I have the house to myself. I threw on some black, wide leg slacks and a tucked tshirt. Just for good measure, I also added a black blazer.

With my black chunky loafers on, Louis' arrival was perfectly timed.

"Cobalt is exploding," Louis says.

"Like he's angry?" I ask, hoping that wasn't the case.

"Like he's got a million different plans he needs to come up with for a million difference scenarios, on top of analyzing what the hell happened last night."

Things were certainly tense. The fun was over before the night even ended. Everything is far more complicated than it already was.

We arrived at Cobalt's manor. Louis led me inside. It was a classic mansion with an entryway that had a giant staircase leading to the upstairs. There were more rooms than necessary. It wasn't a big mansion, but it had that feel. It was a giant house for a small family.

We went around the stairs and to a room that had giant floor-to-ceiling doors that were shut. Louis rhythmically knocked and the doors swung open magically. Really, it was just the guards.

Eyes fell on me, eyes of impending doom. I was in trouble. I remember this feeling from school.

I'd forgotten to take in the atmosphere of the room: a rich, velvet colored red with dark wood accents. It was the classic Victorian study with a meeting table in the middle.

"Good afternoon, Cobalt," I nod my head as a greeting and respectfully place one hand over the other in front of me at my waist.

"Cipher."

Liam pulls up a chair beside him and offers for me to sit. I sit directly across from Harry and Niall. Louis sits at the head of the table opposite of Cobalt.

"Well, we're about done here boys," Cobalt announces. "You're free to go. I'll just hold onto Cipher and Harry for a moment."

The boys rise to leave. Harry asks for the golf cart keys to drive us back to the estate, while Louis could take the guys home in one of the other carts that they brought.

When they make their shuffled and purposeful leave, the guards shut the doors and Cobalt turned in towards us. "Now I have a lot to deal with on my plate, but there's something that I need help understanding. I figured that you two would be the best to help me."

Cobalt looks up, his eyes passing through us like we're invisible, and nods his head to one of his guards. The man hands him some sheets of paper from the printer across the room. I can tell there's a picture, but I couldn't tell what it was. He takes a red marker and draws some circles, highlighting the reason why he'd kept us. "I was sifting through security camera footage at the club a few hours ago, and I used some facial recognition software. You two are in these pictures. Can you tell me what was happening here?"

My jaw drops.

They're security camera stills of Harry and I dancing. He was holding me close at the waist, and there was hardly any room between us. He shuffles through another photo, circling again for nothing more than dramatic effect. That photo twists my stomach in embarrassment. It's us, leaning in for a kiss. I look up at Harry to see his reaction. His face is stone cold, green eyes glued to the papers.