To Capture a Thorn (The Society 2)

I bent down, picking it up, and saw a number on the screen I didn’t recognize.

“Why me?” I groaned and clicked the accept button. I hated cell phones. It was why I didn’t bother having one. “Hello.” I placed the phone against my ear and waited.

No sound. Nothing at first.

“Hello, daughter,” Alexander said.

I’d been warned he’d try to be in touch, but I figured it would be in Gideon’s house, not while I visited my best friend. The same friend he’d murdered, which was the reason why I visited.

“Have we forgotten our manners?” he asked.

As I gritted my teeth, the temptation to hang up was strong, but I wasn’t going to let him get to me. “Who are you?” I asked.

He tutted. “Sian, don’t disappoint me like you have so many times before. You know who I am.”

“I know you’re a wanted criminal. They’re out hunting you.” I held the set of keys within my fist. Had The Society given me his hotel room number? The key to bringing him in?

I hoped so. I wanted to see him pay for what he did.

“You don’t know what you’re fucking talking about.” He all but snarled at me.

This made me smile. “What? Did you expect to spend the time mocking me? Forcing me to go through with that only so you could put it out for the world to see?” I asked.

“I see you’ve grown a backbone. I wonder if you’ll still have it when I kill your boys.”

I laughed even as fear raced down my spine. I didn’t want anyone to hurt them. They were the only real family I had left. “Nice try, Dad, but how do you think you’re going to be able to accomplish that? They know who you are. They know what you’ve done.”

“They will all pay.”

“For what? For your sins? The only person who is going to pay is you.” I glanced around at the houses, wondering if he could see me. I wasn’t sure and to be honest, I didn’t care. “You know, I figured it out about Chloe. Why you used her. She was easy cash. You’re a man who has always lived outside of his means. First you went to All Saints, tagged along with the Saintly Devils, and then, you decided to take their selected from them. Did you have a crush on Mom, or did you just want to feel the kind of power you’d never had before? To take it away from the real men?”

I didn’t know why I was saying these things. Maybe I felt brave from visiting Heather’s graveside and now that I was talking to the man responsible for her being there, I had grown a spine.

“You little bitch.”

“But you’re not a real man, are you, Dad? A real man wouldn’t hide behind women. They wouldn’t drug her for years on end just to keep her in some kind of control. You’re not a man. You’re a worthless piece of shit, and when The Society finally gets a hold of you, you’re going to wish you stayed in your place, constantly fifth best. Constantly hoping for a better life.” I hated the words spilling from my mouth. They sounded cruel even to my ears, but once I started, I couldn’t stop. I wanted him to pay. I wanted him to feel fear and to be trapped.

“You’re going to pay, Sian. I’m going to watch you burn.”

“Then I’ll see you in hell.” I hung up the phone, tossing it into the nearest trash can. I couldn’t wait to finally have it out with the monster and to see him get what he deserved. It was worth giving myself to The Society for that.

Chapter Fourteen

Gideon

I knew of the hotel Sian told me about. She showed me the letter along with the key. It was an hour from my dad’s place.

When I told him I had to go out, at first, he’d tried to stop me. I had no choice but to give him a hint of why I was leaving. It certainly wasn’t willingly, not until we caught Alexander.

The press had also been enjoying running stories and bullshit tales about each and every one of us.

Bastards. I hated the press.

Fortunately, Justin, Mateo’s father, ran enough of the story to not make it explode into something viral, but made sure the released footage of the moments leading up to Heather’s murder took priority. They considered it real news.

Sian sat silently beside me.

We hadn’t gotten a chance to really talk since she’d thrown her future into our hands and at the mercy of The Society. I had no clue what to say to her to make her feel better. Did she need to feel better?

“Are you okay?” I asked.

I kept casting glances her way. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her nod.