Society Girls: Neveah (2 page)

I’m a little freaked out at being called in
to meet with Reina Corrigan. I wasn’t exactly nice to her when I
thought she was cheating on her husband, Matt. Matt’s like my
adopted uncle and brother all rolled into one, and while he’s
protective of me, I feel the same way about him. I haven’t had many
chances in my life to stand up for him, so when I thought he was
being wronged, I went big. And got cut off at the knees. Turns out
Reina wasn’t cheating, and while she was nice about the whole
thing, I still felt like a stupid little girl.

So when Alex Corrigan—who I also pretty much
insulted at one point—called, and asked if I could meet with Reina,
I couldn’t say no. Maybe I can actually redeem myself today. I
brought flowers for Alex and an antique rosary for Reina. Matt
mentioned that she used to be Catholic but has been struggling with
her faith, so I thought it would be a good gift. At least until
now. I’m in the elevator up to the Corrigan & Co. Foundation
offices and I’m starting to think maybe I should’ve just ignored
everything.

“Hi, Neveah,” Alex says when I walk into the
lobby of the Foundation. She’s smiling at me, and I feel even worse
about how I treated her.

“I got you flowers. I’m sorry I acted like
your job wasn’t important, or that you shouldn’t be doing it
because you’re a billionaire.”

“Oh, wow. Thanks. I appreciate the apology,
and the flowers,” she says, taking them from me, and placing the on
the counter in front of her. “Reina will be ready for you in just a
few minutes.”

“Okay,” I tell her, pulling the left side of
my bottom lip into my mouth. “Can you tell me if it’s good or
bad?”

“Is there a reason it would be bad?”

“I was rude to her…and you.”

“Reina tries not to hold grudges. Plus, Matt
loves you. That alone would make her put up with a little
rudeness.”

“Thanks,” I tell her, feeling a little
better.

The tablet in front of her buzzes, and she
smiles at me again. “You can go on back to Reina’s office now.”

I smile back at her, and walk down the hall.
Since I’ve been here before, I’m not surprised when the doors open
before I can knock. However, I am surprised to see that Reina’s not
alone in her office. Jane Corrigan and two other women are in the
room as well. One looks to be a little older than Jane, and smiles
at me. The other is a gorgeous woman who looks to be part Asian,
and is maybe in her late twenties. I’ve seen her before, but have
never been formally introduced. The expression on her face is
calculating, but not unfriendly.

“Come in and sit down, Nev,” Reina says,
gesturing to a chair next to the younger woman. “I think you’ve met
Jane already. This is Cyndi and Faith. Ladies, meet Neveah.”

Cyndi makes me feel instantly welcome, and
Faith makes me feel even more nervous when she smiles. I don’t know
why. She doesn’t look unkind. There’s just something about her that
makes me feel like she’s looking into my soul, and deciding if I’m
a good person or not. I want to yell out that I am, but I just sit
down and keep my mouth shut.

“I’m sure you’re curious about why I asked
you to come here today.”

“A little.” A lot.

“Matt told us that you know what we really
do.”

Oh no! Are they going to do something to
me?

“Relax, Neveah. No one is going to hurt
you,” Faith says, looking down at her tablet. “We’re going to offer
you a job.”

“Thanks for jumping ahead, Faith,” Reina
tells her, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

A job? Really? I try to keep my face
impassive, even though I’m freaking out inside. “What kind of
job?”

“The one Matt’s been gro oming you for,”
Reina says, smiling at my look of shock. “I know he made sure you
had extensive training in several areas we deem important. We’re
doing something new with the Society, bringing in an entire group
of recruits at once for the first time. I’d like you to be one of
them.”

“If he’s told you about my training, then he
must have also told you that I won’t touch a gun.”

“He mentioned that, yes, and I won’t lie to
you, you will need to shoot a gun by the time you finish training.”
I start to protest, and she holds up her hand. “I haven’t planned
out all of the training yet, but I know it will take over a year,
maybe even two, to make sure everyone we recruit is completely
ready. The current members of the Society took less time, because
there were only a few of them training at any given time, but we
don’t want to rush anything. Everyone has something to work on and
we’re not going to just rush all of you through. But you will need
to do it.”

“I-I can’t,” I tell her, my heart breaking a
little.

Matt started telling me
stories about fierce warrior women when I was being bullied at
school for being Muslim. I thought they were just
that—stories—until I met Reina and her friends. It was then that I
knew what I wanted. I wanted to be one of them. I still want that,
but I can’t do it. I can’t shoot a gun, or even worse, shoot
someone
with a
gun.

“You can,” Faith says, looking exactly like
a fierce warrior right now. “You will.”

“My father was killed by a gun,” I tell her,
even she probably knows this.

“My father was murdered by a jealous
bastard. I was in the room, and it was the worst thing I have ever
experienced.”

Oh. “So you were afraid of guns, too? Is
that why you’re here? To help me?”

“I’m here to help you, yes, but I was never
afraid of a gun. I was afraid of justice not prevailing over evil.
With the Society, I’ve done everything I can to make sure justice
is served to those who hurt and kill others.”

I swallow hard. What she’s saying scares me,
but also excites me. I can’t imagine picking up a gun, but I want
to do what she does. I want to help make things right. I just don’t
know if I can. “I don’t want you to waste your time and resources
if I can’t do it.”

“Don’t worry about that. We will do
everything we can to make sure you succeed, and are comfortable
doing it. If, after all the other training, you still can’t shoot a
gun, there will be no hard feelings. The question is ‘do you want
to try?’” Reina asks me.

“Yes,” I say without hesitation, holding out
the rosary I brought her. “I do.”

* * *

Around three months ago

Neveah

When I said yes to Reina Corrigan over a
year ago, things moved really fast, and then really slow. I took
all kinds of tests, and formally met everyone else associated with
the Society. Not just the mentors and founders, but all of the
teams who support them. To say the Foundation and Society are
well-oiled machines is an understatement. Besides the people who
work on the floor where Alex and Reina are, there are several
sublevels of offices, labs, training rooms and ranges, and even a
hospital wing. And it all goes on without anyone from Corrigan
& Co. knowing that it’s happening above, or below them.

Well, except for Matt and
his brother, Miles, who is Alex’s husband. Oh, and Matt’s good
friends Nate and Aiden, who are married to two of the Society
women. And Jake and Brayden, who are married to two more. Plus
there’s Theo in Security. I guess I should say
most
of the C&C people don’t
know.

Once I was tested and had my tour, Reina
sent me back to college. She told me to continue my studies and
that she’d let me know once they were ready for me. I’ve seen her
over the past year, because she’s married to Matt. I even went to
their second wedding in Mexico this year—I was at their first
wedding, too. Even without the Society she’d be a part of my life,
because of Matt.

Matt is…well, that’s hard to explain,
because he’s so many things to me and my family. We knew him first
as the young soldier who came to our house, falling to his knees
and crying at my mother’s feet. All because a stray bullet from his
gun killed my father. My mother never blamed him, not even for a
minute, and my brother and I took our cues from her. Over the
years, he became a part of our family. We love him, not because of
the money he’s given us to make sure we all live comfortably, or
for arranging our American green cards. No, he’s part of our family
because he’s a good man who loves us just as much as we love
him.

And he really did get me as ready for the
Society as a person could possibly be. I know almost as many
languages as Reina, I am comfortable with all forms of technology,
I can spar with Matt and his friends, and I know how to act like a
lady when I need to. The only thing I can’t do is shoot a gun.

One week ago

Neveah

I needed a break from my
friends and our revolving table of drama, and the silent auction
items seem like a great place to escape to. I peruse the trips, the
meals, the show tickets, and the jewelry, but none of it really
catches my eye. I have some money to donate, but I don’t want to go
home with any old thing just because I want
something
.

As I walk a little further down the tables,
I see the guns. There are some ugly black ones, but there’s also
one with an intricately inlaid handle. It’s beautiful, which is
ironic, since it’s still a harbinger of death, no matter what it
tries to look like.

I hate guns. Even in the hands of someone
who is trained to use them, accidents happen, and man walking by
can be killed. I’ll never blame Matt for killing my father, but I
can’t help but blame the gun he was using. I know I have to get
over my fear in order to become a full member of the Society, but
can I? I don’t really know.

I’m drawn to the pretty gun, though. So much
so, in fact, that I walk over to get a closer look. I want to touch
it. But then again, I don’t. I reach out my hand, tentatively, but
a voice to the side of me stops me.

“No touching the weapons, Ma’am.” I turn to
see a police officer glaring at me.

“I’m sorry. I assumed they were
unloaded.”

“They are, but we still would prefer if you
didn’t touch them.”

“You’d
prefer
, so I can touch them if I
want.”

“I would ask you not to. You seem a little
young for this crowd. Can I ask what you’re doing here?”

“Have you asked every guest who’s come by
here?”

“No.”

“Yet, you’re asking me. Is my dress not
designer enough for you?” I ask, looking down at the fancy dress
Stella gave me to wear. I’m pretty sure it retails for more than
his salary for the month, but I got it for free. He has the decency
to look embarrassed that he’s been called out. “I have nothing to
hide, Officer. I’m here because I’m an intern with the Corrigan
& Co. Foundation.”

“Oh,” he says, his eyes going wide. “I’m so
sorry. I didn’t know. Please excuse me.”

“I accept your apology, but I can’t excuse
you. Racial profiling is something I live with every day, but it is
not something I will ever accept.”

“As you shouldn’t,” Dylan Gallagher tells
me, walking over to us.

“I’ll be going back to my post. I truly am
sorry.”

He walks away, and I turn to do the same,
but Dylan’s hand on my arm stops me. “Does that happen a lot?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t look like a terrorist.”

“And what exactly does a terrorist look
like, Mr. Gallagher?”

“Shit. That was a stupid thing to say. I’m
sorry.”

“I seem to be hearing that phrase quite a
bit this evening.”

“Yeah, I guess you are,” he says, rubbing
the back of his neck. “Call me Dylan please, Neveah.”

“How do you know my name?”

“My sister told me.”

“What exactly did she tell you?” I ask,
curious since Ellie isn’t my mentor and should have no reason to
discuss me with her brother.

“Just your name. I asked her who the
gorgeous girl in the red dress was, and she gave me your name. And
a warning to stay away from you.”

“Well you are better known for your playing
off the court, than on it.”

“You wound me. I’ll have you know that I was
MVP. That means ‘Most Valuable Player’.”

“Did you really just insult my intelligence?
And women actually sleep with you?”

“It happens,” he says with a shrug.

“You either have a large penis, which is
doubtful because of your attitude…”

“Hey now.”

“Or you’re good at what you do.”

“I’ve had no complaints. And, it’s a decent
size.”

“Ah, trying to downplay now. You’re good at
reacting, I’ll give you that.”

“I’m also good at shooting a gun.”

“Excuse me?”

“You and the cop were facing off over that
gun. Do you want to know how to shoot it?”

“It’s not mine to shoot.”

He walks over to the listing, and scribbles
something on the paper. “After tonight, it will be. Do you want me
to teach you how to shoot it? No strings. We can just be
friends.”

“What’s in it for you?”

“If I play my cards right, and stop being an
ass, maybe I’ll convince you to be more than friends with me.”

“I didn’t think you needed to put out so
much effort to get a girl into your bed.”

“I don’t.”

“Oh.”

“Does that ‘oh’ translate to a ‘yes’?”

“It shouldn’t.”

“But?”

“Yes, I’d like to be your friend. And I’d
like…I’d like you to teach me how to shoot that gun. I hate them,
but I need to get past that.”

“Perfect,” he says, handing me his phone.
“Give me your number and I’ll text you tomorrow to work out the
details.

“Why are you doing this? You don’t even know
me, or why I hate guns.”

“I know you’re friends with my sister, so
you have to be cool, and you don’t need to tell me all your secrets
yet. Now, about that number,” he says, gesturing to the phone in my
hands.