Ruby Revenge

THREE MONTHS LATER

SAGE

Sipping my coffee, I stared out the back window as the sun rose. The large kitchen table was lonely when it was just me here. I’d been back at my house ever since Niko left. Kiara had stayed for a while, but after a few weeks, she needed to get back to Chicago. These last months had been a whirlwind, and it was just starting to slow down.

Immediately after Kiara had made it to Michigan, we opened the book and looked through it. It would incriminate them all. I had noticed another page was ripped out, along with a tiny area on a different page. Kiara had asked me about it, and at the time, I had been honest about not knowing. But now I did.

Niko’s name wasn’t found anywhere in the book. I had no idea what the other page had on it, but I had a feeling it had something to do with Niko telling me that I was safe from them.

He was true to his word. No one had come looking for me. There was always a nagging thought in the back of my mind that they would come for their revenge.

Once Kiara pushed the book into the right hands, things moved fast. To make sure nothing got buried, I had contacted the family members of all the victims that were listed in that book. Not in person, but by phone or email.

I wasn’t about to walk into something like I almost did with Robert Dailey—who had been a part of the society. Many family members joined together and kept badgering the police to make sure it was a top priority.

Not even three weeks after I had taken the book, arrests were already being made. The police in different cities were working together, and the FBI got involved because it crossed state lines. While people were getting arrested and taken in for questioning, they started digging at all the burial sites that were listed in the book. By now, the media had gotten a hold of the story, and it had exploded over social media. A secret society—that so many seemingly regular people were a part of—was the talk of everyone, everywhere. The public knew, and the outcry made sure it would not be forgotten.

Kiara had made sure that I was at the police station when they brought Alex in for questioning. I had sat impatiently in the waiting area, and when he had seen me, his rage was uncontrollable. He had lunged at me, and it took two officers to hold him back.

But he didn’t scare me anymore. His secret was out, and he couldn’t hurt me. I had smiled smugly at him as the officers held him back. I wanted to show him that it was me who had done this. That there was nothing he could do anymore. That had been the last time I saw him, but I was planning on being at his court date whenever that would be.

The one surprising thing was that there had not been one mention of Niko. His name was obviously missing from the book, but I had expected his name to come up from someone else. The more people they questioned and arrested, the more the society turned on each other.

The man who had supplied the sedative drug had told officers about the man who got the coffins for the burials. They were all fighting to release information in exchange for reduced sentences. But not one of the group members uttered Niko’s name. I didn’t understand why. What could he be holding to have everyone protect him?

The police took my statement when this had all started, and it gave them an inside look into what the society did. I had told the police everything—except every single detail about Niko. I told them all about what happened with Lacey and the ceremony. About how they were all in hooded robes during the ceremony and I couldn’t see their faces. Which was the truth. They didn’t have to know Niko had been part of it.

Kiara had told me that with the book, they had more than enough evidence if I didn’t want to sit on the stand inside a courtroom and tell my story. And I was relieved about that. I didn’t want to be a part of the media circus.

A week after I had given the book over, Kiara had asked why I was protecting Niko. She couldn’t understand why I was letting him walk free when he was with the society. I tried explaining it to her. Yes, Niko was part of the society. But he had changed. He conquered a life that could have devoured and spit him out into a person who was cold and soulless.

That was what made him different from Alex, or from anyone else I had met from the society. Alex would have done anything to protect the society. He was a diehard believer, just like his father, and most everyone else in the society. If it hadn’t been exposed, it would have kept happening for years to come.

I waited every day for Niko to call. I was still fucking waiting. I was so angry at him for leaving. Especially when it was clear the society wasn’t naming him in anything. Until something was dropped off at Kiara’s office. Now I understood why he’d left. It didn’t make it any easier. I still missed him.

Everything I’d done had been worth it. And I’d do it again if I had to. But now that it was over, I was alone. Setting my coffee down, I wiped my tears away as I thought of my dad.

A week ago, he’d passed away peacefully in his sleep.

I would always be eternally grateful that I had these last three months to spend with him. And that my mom’s disappearance had been solved before he passed away. Kiara had come for a couple of days, but her caseload had been crazy with the society, and she couldn’t stay long.

Today was my dad’s memorial. And then I was going to make plans to leave Capac. It would always be home, but there was nothing left here for me. And no one. I had as many good memories as I did bad. I needed a fresh start.

My phone went off, and I looked down to see a number I didn’t recognize. I warily picked it up, my fears about the society running rampant.

“Hello?” I asked timidly.

“Hey, Sage.”

My heart stuttered. “Niko?”

“It’s so good to hear your voice,” he breathed out.

“I don’t know whether to yell at you for not calling or to tell you how much I miss you,” I muttered, unable to stop smiling.

“Yell all you want. I’d stay on the phone all day and listen.”

I giggled before growing serious. “Have you been keeping up with what happened?”