Our dads had left to go find out every single detail about the phone call, leaving the rest of us alone with Sian. She wasn’t near the house though.
I watched her go out to the gardens. There was a small pond at the back of the yard, not too far from the tennis court.
After following that path, I found her sitting on the grass near the pond, staring across the water.
A couple of frogs were perched on lily pads, and I wouldn’t lie, I wasn’t a frog person. They were so gross, but my disgust with frogs aside, I made my way toward her, taking a seat. The headache I woke up with was long gone.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey, how are you feeling?”
“Better. You?”
“I wish I just had the hangover to deal with. It would be a lot easier than this.” She turned toward me. “Did you hear?”
“I heard.”
“I always thought it was strange how Drew … died. I thought something wasn’t right and then I just figured I was being paranoid.” She barked out a laugh. “It was him all along. My dad ruining everything. She was the only good part about that life.” She covered her face with her hands.
Seeing her pain cut me deep. I moved in closer and wrapped my arms around her. She leaned against me, sobbing against my chest.
Running my fingers down her back, I held her, trying to soothe her pain. There was nothing I could do to bring back the nanny she loved. Drew sounded like an awesome person. Alexander had a lot of shit coming his way, so long as we could find him. With him having the private initiation tapes, there was nothing we could do. Our hands were tied. He was the one with all the power.
There was no way The Society would risk exposure, and certainly not on its members.
“I want to kill him, William. I want him to feel pain like I’ve felt. I want him to be so helpless that he’s begging for someone to save him.” The anger came with each bitter word she spoke.
“He will pay, Sian.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. I honestly don’t have an answer, but I refuse to believe we’re going to let this stand. It can’t happen.”
Sian lifted up, then wiped at her face and sniffled.
“You’re right.” She cleared her throat. “I think he killed Heather. I don’t know … how, it’s a feeling. He hated her so much.”
“From what my dad said, he was exactly like her. He came from a poor family. It’s only through The Society and being married to your mother that he was able to gain any wealth.”
“Why kill her? Heather didn’t do anything.”
I ran my fingers through my hair. This was another reason I shouldn’t drink. My mind was a little foggier than usual. These kinds of questions were easy for me to answer, but right now, I was drawing a blank on how best to answer them. What did I say to her to make her feel better? To make her understand none of this was her fault.
In my mind, I had a computer image, and I looked at Sian. “The laptop?”
“What?”
“We’re supposed to be getting Heather’s laptop. Fred asked a whole bunch of questions, right? You don’t think Heather got digging a little too deeply?” I asked. I was throwing out a possible answer here that could be so farfetched it might actually be true.
Sian nodded. “You’re right. We won’t know until we try.” She grabbed my hand. “Come on.”
“Wait, what?”
“I need to get to Heather’s place. That laptop might already be gone, but it’s worth a shot. We need to figure this out.”
She pulled me along as I got to my feet, following after her.
“I’m not sure I’m in any position to drive,” I said. “I consumed a lot of alcohol last night.”
“I’ll grab Mateo. He can drive us.”
I hated that she had to rely on someone else. This was just another reason why drinking should be banned from my life at all costs.
Sian should be able to rely on me. Twenty minutes later, seated in Mateo’s car, in the fucking backseat, I made a vow. This time, no more drink at all. No spirits or ale of any kind. When Sian needed me, she was going to get all of me. Not this piss-poor excuse of a human being.
Arms folded, I saw Mateo kept glancing back at me. He wore this smirk on his face, which I didn’t appreciate.
I showed him two fingers, in a big fuck off, and he chuckled.
“Is everything okay?” Sian asked.
“It’s good. More than good. I think William is feeling a little sorry for himself,” Mateo said.
“Fuck off, man. You don’t know what I’m feeling.”
Sian glanced over her seat and smiled at me. “The vomiting aside, I had a lot of fun last night. Thank you.”
I smiled. I couldn’t help it. “Good. That’s good.”
“We can do it again sometime, minus the alcohol.”
“Yeah, I’m not drinking again,” I said.
“Where have I heard that one before?” Mateo asked.
“I mean it this time. I’m not drinking another drop.”
Mateo didn’t say another word, and I was grateful for that. I wasn’t an addict. I could go weeks and months without a single drop. My problem was handling it when I started to drink. I needed to get better at it, and sooner rather than later.
I stayed quiet as Sian gave Mateo directions to Heather’s house. Gideon and Dante had wanted to come, but Sian had said the fewer people the better. Heather had warned her all her parents cared about was money.
Mateo already had a stack of cash to pay for the laptop if necessary.
The drive was long and we had to make a couple of stops for toilet breaks and snacks. On another, Mateo filled the car with gas, and then we arrived at a trailer park.
Mateo’s flash car stood out like a sore thumb. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” he said.
“It’s fine.” Sian was already out of the car, and I quickly joined her, leaving Mateo in the car.
Only, he didn’t give me the luxury of helping her out on my own, he climbed out and joined us.
“Dude, I got this.”
“You got the cash to cover whatever fee they ask for?” Mateo asked.
“Touché.”
“What is with you, anyway? You’re acting strange.”
“You don’t have to keep on pointing out to Sian what a piece of crap I am,” I said.
Mateo spun toward me. “A piece of crap?”
“Yeah. I can’t drive her. I don’t have the money. I drink too much. I can’t handle my drink. You know what I’m talking about.”
“I know you’re talking shit right now.” Mateo’s hands clenched into fists. “I haven’t done any of those things. Sian came to me and said you drank too much to drive. She saw you as being responsible, not a piece of crap. Second, you don’t have money on you, I grabbed some as Heather had warned Sian, who told me there was a price tag on everything. Thirdly, learn to handle your drink and don’t get blind drunk. None of those are my problems. They’re your problems.”
He spoke the truth. Now I hated him even more, but I also loved him like a friend. I opened my mouth about to say more when Sian interrupted.
“Got it,” she said with a smile. She held a red laptop in her hands.