“But I do. Gideon … he’s a stubborn one. I trained him hard. I know what he has to face and what he has to be like in order to survive this world. I’m not the best dad. In truth, I’ve spent most of my life regretting so much that I’ve barely even lived the past nineteen years. Instead, I’ve tried not to stalk a woman that came into my life as a means to an end, only to leave it taking my heart and my very reason for living along with her.”
“You love her that much?”
“I do. I know if you choose to leave, my son will miss you the same way.” He got to his feet. “I know The Society is not for everyone. I know it can take as much as it gives. I lived both, but they fixed my messes. I’ve seen the way you look at my son, at his friends. I believe if you gave it a chance, you’d be able to make it work.”
“Four men and one girl. That’s the stuff that’s in stories.” I should know about it. I wrote a couple myself. Anything to help amuse my day away.
“And sometimes, it can be the stuff of real life.” Lucas gave me a sad smile before turning away.
As conversations went, it wasn’t exactly inspiring, but it had given me some food for thought.
Chapter Nine
Gideon
My dad had taken the laptop. I didn’t know where he was going with it or who he was going to give it to, hopefully to resolve this matter and get Sian her mother back. She deserved some happiness. As I lay in my bed, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was going to lose her the moment her dad was brought to justice.
These past ten months after Heather’s death had been the worst ones I’d ever gone through. Watching Sian seeming to die a little more each day with no way of being able to reach her.
I didn’t know if I could handle that again.
Heather’s death was no accident. She didn’t fall asleep in a library and then some dodgy electrical work. It was all intentional. Chloe helped. Just thinking of that fucking bitch filled me with anger. I wanted to go to her now and make her pay, but my dad said there were always protocols to follow.
I wanted to tell him to fuck protocols. Look what happened to him and Sian’s mother the last time they followed the rules.
He told me to trust him. I didn’t want to trust him, or anyone else.
Chloe had been working with Sian’s father. How long for? When did it start?
So many questions, no answers. It fucking sucked big time.
Running my fingers through my hair, I tried to get my thoughts on something else. Counting sheep. Thinking about football. Sex. Anything to help me sleep, but nothing.
I rolled over in bed as I heard a slight knock at my door.
Checking the time on my clock beside my bed, I saw it was a little after two in the morning. I’d gone to bed at midnight, and for the past two hours, I’d done nothing but think.
I was exhausted, but my brain had other ideas.
“Come in,” I said.
I’d already turned the lamp on by the time the door opened.
Sian stood inside my room, closing the door softly. “Hey,” she said.
“Hey.”
She wore a large white shirt and a pair of shorts. They were boring as fuck, but I saw the hard press of her nipples against the shirt, and my dick was more than happy with the sight.
My flaccid dick was suddenly at attention. All I wanted to do was climb out of bed and go to her, but then she’d see the evidence of my arousal, and well, I didn’t know how she’d view my stiff prick at a time like this.
“Is everything okay?” I could kick myself. Was this what guys said to girls who visited them at night? I’d never been interested in why a girl visited me late at night in the past. It was usually for sex, and I didn’t exactly care for small talk. We’d fuck, she’d leave, I’d sleep. End of story.
This was different. Sian wasn’t some quick fuck. She meant something.
I hated The Society at that moment. Was this what they did? Give us someone precious to us only to take her away when they had their fun?
They weren’t funny. In fact, I found them so fucking evil at that point I wanted to turn my back on them.
Only, I couldn’t.
I hadn’t taken the initiation under duress like Sian. There was no way out for me.
What would I do if she chose to leave us?
I had no answers for any of these.
She tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “You know I’m thinking I need to get this straightened. Knowing Chloe cut it, I don’t know, it makes me want to change it up.”
“I can take you somewhere or we can have someone come here.”
“Either works for me.” She had her hands together and rubbed them, almost nervously.
“Sian, what’s wrong?”
“I … I don’t want to sleep alone tonight. I will understand if you don’t want my company.”
I pulled back the blanket to show her there was plenty of room. I wasn’t turning down an option of having Sian in my bed, close to me. Not happening.
“Are you sure?”
“Sian, get your ass in. I’m not going to tell you again,” I said.
This made her laugh. “You’re so bossy.”
“Well, I like to get what I want.”
She climbed into bed, and it was big enough for there to be a space between us, which I didn’t like. All I wanted to do was reach out to her, to draw her closer. I kept my hands to myself, instead, keeping my needs locked up tight.
“How are you?” I asked.
Today had been a huge deal. For ten months, we’d found nothing. Walking around blind, waiting for something to happen. Now we had proof of Fred’s beating, Heather’s death, and a phone call from her mother confirming Drew’s death hadn’t been an accident or due to natural causes. It was a lot to take in.
“Numb right now. I guess I’m going to feel something very soon. How could I not? Those closest to me have been hurt.”
I couldn’t resist reaching out to touch her. Cupping her face, I stared into her eyes, hoping she saw the truth of my words. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” I couldn’t. There was no way this world would be a better place without her.
Sian covered my hand with hers and turned her head to kiss my palm. “I know you will try. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. We don’t know what the future is going to hold.”
“You’re going to leave soon?” I asked.
She’d mentioned going to college. About living the life Heather wanted as well as her own, but so far, that hadn’t happened. I’d follow her anywhere if I could.
“No, not yet,” she said.
“You’re not?”
“Heather did this for a reason. It could be to do with The Society or her feelings for me, but I’m going to see that through before I go to college. I don’t want to keep looking over my shoulder to see when he’s going to strike again.” She shrugged. “He’ll come back. You know that,” I said.
“Your dad?”
She nodded.
“Yeah, I know he’s going to come back. We’ll all be ready for him when he does.” I wasn’t going to let her get hurt by him.
“What if he kills my mom?” I asked.