This was all too much. I rubbed at my temples and let the tears fall.
“No. They don’t know this yet,” Mateo said. “I’m going to take it to them.”
“They’ll know what to do next, right?” William asked.
“My guess is this will go straight to The Society.” This came from Gideon.
Even with my eyes closed, I started to recognize the sound of their voices. Hearing them talk offered me a sense of comfort, which was so strange. How had this happened? How had I gone from fighting these four guys, not wanting to be part of their initiation, to finding safety between all four?
“She must have been so scared,” I said. Opening my eyes, I looked at each of them. “We can’t … there’s no way … they can’t get away with this. Not Chloe, not my dad, none of them.”
“This shows that your dad had help on the inside and I don’t think it was just Coach Bilson,” Dante said. “He got on the grounds and out again, undetected.”
“Do you think it’s someone who doesn’t know the location of all the cameras?” I asked.
“That rules out the principal and all the security guards, unless your dad was fucking stupid and took a chance.” Gideon shrugged. He’d thrust his hands into his pockets as he talked.
“Maybe he didn’t think he’d be recognized.” He’d tried to keep his identity a secret but he’d gotten too sloppy.
My dad had killed my best friend.
He’d killed Drew.
The monster had to go.
But my dad was gone at the moment. No one knew where he was. The slippery weasel had been able to stay hidden for so long. How? Why? He was a man who was dominated by his need for power. Why was he all of a sudden happy to stay in the shadows?
“Chloe,” I said. “She hasn’t gone missing. If my memory serves me well, she’s enjoying a long summer vacation and starting college.”
“She would have started college by now, but I heard she’d taken an extended break,” Gideon said. “To deal with the pain of losing a friend.”
“Do you think she’ll lead us to him?” I asked.
“Sian, whatever happens, we’re not going to be able to have any part in it. You know this,” Dante said.
I turned toward him and shrugged. “I … he has to be stopped. You all must see this.”
When I glanced back at Gideon, I didn’t know what kind of look he had on his face, but I didn’t like it.
“What?” I asked. “Why do you look like that?”
“Sian, there’s no guarantee The Society will make him pay.” He looked down at the floor.
This made me laugh. “You’re kidding me, right? You said all along that we needed proof. This is it. My dad is a murderer. He will do whatever it takes to bring them down. Why wouldn’t they want to get rid of him?” There was no sense in keeping a man so power-hungry he attempted to take down a private organization.
Silence rang out, and I turned full circle to each of them. They all looked doubtful.
“What?” I asked. “What is it you all know that I clearly don’t?”
“He has videos, Sian,” William said. “There is a lot more at stake and I’m guessing those videos are your daddy’s leverage.”
I shook my head. “No. No. He can’t get away with this. There’s no way. You can’t let it happen.”
The air in the room felt way too thick. Without waiting for an answer, I turned on my heel and left the room. I needed air. I had to get to a much better place to breathe it all in.
I didn’t know how I got to the garden, but the moment I collapsed on the grass, my fingers sinking into the soft grass beneath my palm that was wet from the rainfall we’d had hours ago, I took a deep breath.
The scent of the earth filled every single one of my senses. The deep musk of soil that was slightly overpowering, I felt like I could taste it, and it made me want to vomit. No, the soil’s smell wasn’t my problem. Not even close. No, it was bitterness of knowing justice couldn’t be served. Not while others’ lives were at stake.
My father was a sneaky, horrible, spiteful bastard, but even now, he always made sure his own agenda was the first priority. He had my mom. She was going to be hurt.
I didn’t know how to think or how to feel.
When my knelt posture didn’t help me get any control of my emotions, I slumped down, resting my cheek against my palms.
This was way too close to the dirt, to the possible spiders, ants, worms, and whatever other insects seemed to crawl all over grass, but I had to have a moment.
My mind was full with so many thoughts. This was unfair. I didn’t understand how my father, of all people, could get away with this.