The Auction (21 page)

His driver pulled up in front of a large beige home.

She looked at him with silent question in her eyes.

Once the vehicle stopped, the chauffeur opened the door for them. Foster held out his hand to Macy. “Let’s go.”

She took his hand as she slid out of the car. “Why are we here?”

“This is your new home. Come with me. I think there are some people who are eager to see you.”

Her jaw fell opened. “You bought me a house?”

“Not just you. You have housemates. Now stop gawking and let’s go.” Foster dragged her along.

When the
y
entered
,
the first person to greet them was a little girl who looked like a miniature version of Macy. “Macy!” She screamed with glee.

“Cary!” Macy embraced her little sister, laughing and crying at the same time. Thus began a wave of people who came forward to welcome her home. Each one of Macy’s siblings hugged and held on to her as if they didn’t want to let go.

Aya was next. The two women hugged each other fiercely. “I’m so glad you’re home safe.”

Arthur and Mac from the bar then greeted her. Even Dare gave her a perfunctory hug although it was clear he’d done it as the behest of Aya.

Her father Carl was last. Foster had given the man a stern talking to, letting him know that he had to get his shit together or Foster would have him removed from the house. Apparently Carl had taken his words to heart.

“Glad to see you home, baby girl.” There were tears in the older man’s eyes and even if he wasn’t exactly the best father it was obvious that he cared about Macy.

Finally when everyone had hugged and welcomed her home, Macy went to Foster and wrapped his arms around his waist. “This was an amazing surprise. I can’t begin to thank you for all you’ve done for me. There’s nothing that could make this m
oment more perfect.”

Foster grinned. “Oh, I beg to differ. Aya, could yo
u go get Macy’s other surprise?”

Aya nodded with a big smile on her face before rushing out of the room. She returned with Victoria in tow.

Foster barely registered the shock on Macy’s face
before
she fell to her knees with the enormity of the moment. All Foster could see was how beautiful Victoria was. Her honey brown curls framed her lovely face and her outfit skimmed her curves perfectly. It was almost as if he was seeing her for the first time again. He loved this woman with everything in
h
is being but she wasn’t meant for him. She deserved someone who wasn’t so thoroughly broken and fucked up inside.

Her hazel gaze briefly cut toward him. Foster couldn’t read whether she was pleased to see him or not but it didn’t matter because soon she only had eyes for her sobbing sister. She raced forward and slid on the floor with Macy.

They two sisters held on to each other
as if their lives depended on it
. It was a beautiful scene that brought tears to the eyes of many occupants in the room.

His mission was finally accomplished and he was no longer needed. He slipped away unnoticed and headed out the door. With each step he took his heart broke a little bit at a time.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Tori didn’t think she’d ever get used to living in such a nice
place.
If she’d only had herself to consider, she would have refused to move into the house that Foster had bought for her family. It seemed like some kind of payoff. Her father always said she had way too much pride for her own good. Maybe she did,
but pride was all she had
. It didn’t help matters that everyone sang
Foster’s
praises. All of her siblings seemed to think he was great, especially Macy, who believed that the sun rose and set on Foster. It was always Foster this and Foster that. Even her father, who she hadn’t seen take a drink since they’d moved into to the house, thought Foster was a great guy.

She’d resorted to taking long walks just to avoid being inside and thinking about him. But no matter what she did or how hard she tried he was never far from her thoughts, especially at night when she closed her eyes. Her dreams were haunted by him and how it had felt to be in arms. She’d wake up expecting to see him there only
to
realize it had all been a figment of her imagination.

But then she had those days when she wondered if what he’d told her was true. Did he really love her? It was hard to believe him after he’d hurt her so badly. She was so conflicted where he was concerned that she didn’t know what to do.

Tori stepped inside the house and stretched. She’d walked for at least five miles to clear her mind and though Foster remained centered in her mind, she at least felt better physically. The house was eerily quiet. Usually there was lots of activity with her siblings either lounging or running around the house. But now all the younger ones were enrolled in one of the fancy schools where the Elite sent their children. Her father had actually met a widow in the neighborhood who he seemed to be smitten with. He was spending so much time with her that there were nights when he stayed at her place. Macy still worked at Arthur’s Bar because she said she’d be bored otherwise. Tori knew the feeling. She planned on looking for work soon. Aya had offered her a job at the bar as well, but the place wasn’t very large. She felt she’d be getting in the way and taking a check she didn’t deserve.

It looked like she had a place to herself for a while. But as Tori walked further into the house she was surprised to see Macy on the couch reading a paper book. “Hey Macy, what are you doing home? I thought you had to work at the bar today.”

“I did but Foster came by to take me out for lunch. Arthur said I could take the rest of the day off. Before
Foster
dropped me off here, he said he had to pick something up at his house so I was waiting in his living room and saw a paper book laying on the table. He showed me this amazing library. Did you know he owns over a thousand paper books? It was pretty incredible. He said I could borrow this one as long as I’m very careful with it. This book is pretty good.”

Tori remembered him telling her that he’d only ever shown it to her and Dare. At the time it had made her feel special. She didn’t know why it bothered her so much that he showed Macy. But bothered wasn’t the right word. She was jealous and before Tori could think about her words she said
, “He showed me his library?
Did he take you upstairs to his bedroom afterwards, too?” The second she said it, she regretted it.

Macy’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open as a bright red blush swept her entire face.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I…I don’t know what’s wrong with me. That was out of line.”

Macy put her book down and walked over to Tori. She grabbed Tori by the hands. “What’s going on with you, Tori?”

Tori shook her head. “Forget I said that, okay?”

“No. I mean, I’m not angry at you. But I’m concerned. Where did that come from? You know that Foster and I are just friends. I admit that I did have a huge crush on him
at one point
but I realized that it mainly stemmed from my gratitude to him for saving me from that monster who had tagged me in The Run. Now he’s like the big brother we never had. He’s come to mean a lot to me. But believe me, there has never been anything romantic between the two of us. How could there be when he only has eyes for you?”

Tori pulled her hands away from her sister’s. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She had never mentioned her time with Foster to anyone in her family. All they knew was that she’d been wit
h some mysterious man that she
refused to talk about. The irony of Macy and Foster becoming close wasn’t lost on Tori, but she never wanted to come between their friendship because it was clear that it made her little sister happy.

Macy gave her a knowing smirk. “Oh, but I think you do.”

“Has he said anything about me?” Tori couldn’t help but ask even though she didn’t want to care.

“All the time. Nothing specifically but he asks how you’re doing a lot. He always manages to work your name into a conversation. Look Tori, it isn’t hard to figure out that he was the one you’d met when you did you first run.”

“How?”

Macy sighed. “I’m not stupid, Tori. I know you try to protect me from things you think could hurt me, but I’m a big girl now. This past year has taught me that I’m stronger than I thought I was.
You’ve done so much for me
. You let me cry on yours shoulder when I had that nightmare the other night. You’ve taken care of me all my life. Let me be here for you for once.”

Tori shook her head. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Stop patronizing me, Tori. You might as well talk about it with me because the way you’ve been moping around the house has everyone concerned. Even Dad has questioned your state of well-being.”

Tori snorted. “Never thought he’d notice anything beyond his own self-interests.”

“Would you stop being such a bitch? You and I both know that Dad isn’t perfect but he’s trying. You, on the other hand, disappear for hours at a time, and when you are here you sit in a corner and stare out the window. I hear you cry yourself to sleep at night. You barely eat, you don’t interact with the rest of us and then you stand here and patronize me. Cut the bullshit, Tori. If you’re not willing to talk about it, fine, but you need to get yourself together, not only for the kids but for yourself.”

Tori’s mouth fell open. Macy had never talked that way to her before or anyone for that matter. And there was nothing Tori could say to dispute it because everything her sister said was absolutely right. One of the reasons she’s kept her distance from her family was because she didn’t want them to see how miserable she actually was. She lowered her head as
a
tear slipped from her eyes. “I’m sorry.
I didn’t realize how my mood had
been affecting everyone.”

Macy pulled Tori into her arms and gave her a tight squeeze. “Oh hon, it’s okay. I’m just worried about you. I love you so much and it hurts me to see you in so much pain. Please, won’t you tell me about it?”

Tori nodded her head and allowed her sister to guide her to the couch. Once she sat down, the words came tumbling out. Every now and then she’d pause so that she wouldn’t break down. All the while, Macy held her hand and listened without interruption. Tori left nothing out, from how she and Foster had met during The Run, how she felt about him and how he’d hurt her. She shared her experience with the auction and through it all she never forgot about Foster. Finally she confessed the last conversation she’d had with Foster and how she reacted. By the time Tori was finished with her tale, she was exhausted and all out of tears. “So that’s basically all there is to say about it. I fell in love with him
, and even though
he’s given me so
many clues not to trust him
I stubbornly didn’t listen. After all I’ve been through he tells me that he loves me as if he didn’t rip my heart out. His only excuse is t
hat he was trying to protect me.
He doesn’t get to change things around like that.”

Macy remained silent as if she seemed to be in deep thought.

“Well?” Tori prompted. “Are
n’t
you going to jump to Foster’s defense?”

“Is that what you want me to do?”

Tori was a bit taken aback by her sister’s response. She was sure Macy would tell her to believe in Foster. She wondered why Macy remained silent now. “Of course not.”

“Then I won’t. I was under the impression that you needed me to listen and that’s what I’m doing. Sometimes talking things out makes you feel better. How are you feeling?” Macy rubbed Tori’s arms in an up and down motion.

“A little better. But I’m still confused. I don’t understand how he can be a certain way one minute and then the next this cold, unfeeling jerk.”

“We both know that people aren’t the same all the time. You certainly haven’t been your usual upbeat, happy self since you’ve been home which is understandable. You’ve experienced things that would have broken most women.”

Tori stood up. “Tell me what you think.”

Macy tilted her head to the side. “I think you already know what the next step is but you’re too scared to take it.”

There was no use in pretending that she didn’t know what Macy was talking about. Deep down she knew what she knew
what
she had to do in order to get some type of closure or else she’d drive herself crazy with wondering what if. “I can’t. It hurts too much.”

Macy sighed. “You’re my sister and I’ll always be on your side no matter what. But I don’t see the point in your torturing yourself like this when the person you should be telling these things too is just a call away. You’re hurting and from the looks of Foster, he is too. So let’s say he was telling you the truth when he explained why he did what he did to you. You’re justified in your anger because he didn’t have the right to take that decision about your future into his hands. But on the other hand how long can you stay mad at him if his intentions were noble?”

“You’re right. I guess I’ve known all along but I’m scared. Scared of how intense my feelings were for him and of getting hurt again. I don’t ever want to feel what I did when he discarded me.”

“I don’t know much about being in love, but I do know that love is about taking chances and if you really love someone they’re worth the risk. I’m not telling you what you should do, but like you said, if you talk to him at least afterwards you can finally heal. That’s parts of the problem. Your emotions were left into such a tailspin, you’ve never had the chance to fully recover. You owe yourself the opportunity to heal, no matter how things turn out between you and Foster.”

“You’re right, but do you believe him?”

“It’s really not my place to believe him. But I can tell you this, the Foster I know is someone who will go to any lengths to keep a promise. He told me that he would always look out for me after he saved me from that bastard who used to torture me until I wished I was dead. And he’s come through for me ever since. When I was kidnapped on my way to work I was scared out of my mind. Through it all, the grooming process, the conditioning, even going on the block, I never lost faith that he’d come for me. And he did. That’s the kind of man I think he is. Now it’s your turn to decide for yourself.”

Tori narrowed her gaze. “When did you get so wise?”

“I learned from the best. I’ll tell you what; I’ll dial his coordinates on my holophone and tell him you’d like to have a meeting. On neutral territory of course.”

Tori hesitated for a moment. Was this really what she wanted? Regardless it was what she needed. “Okay, yes go ahead.”

Macy pulled out the holophone and asked it to contact Foster. The device chimed a few times before Foster’s image popped up.

“Macy,” he greeted. “What can I do for you today?” He then turned his head and looked at Tori. His eyebrows shot up in apparent surprise before he schooled his features to something unreadable. “Victoria,” he acknowledged.

“Hi,” Tori responded for lack of anything else to say.

“Is there something you wanted?” He directed his question toward Macy.

“Actually, I’m calling on Tori’s behalf. She wants to meet up with you.”

Foster turned his head to look at Tori. “Is that true, Victoria?”

She licked her lips that had suddenly gone dry. “Yes. I’d like to see you, Foster.”