“He was eight years old, Jay,” I grind out through gritted teeth. “He had a family. Two mothers, three brothers and a sister. He was loved. He was brought up in a good home by parents who loved him. And they stole him in a fucking grocery store and sold him to the skin trade and used him as a fucking sacrifice.”
Jay stays quiet, seeming to realize his standard feel-better responses are moot.
I was there.
And I did nothing to stop it.
I open my mouth, ready to go on another tangent when another call comes through. I glance at the phone and a feral snarl takes over my face.
“I have to go,” I snap, hanging up the phone on Jay and immediately answering the call.
“Daniel. So nice to hear from you,” I greet. Like a blanket being thrown over a fire, my tone is cool and collected.
“Zack, sorry to call so unexpectedly. I wanted to ask something of you.”
I lean back in my chair, rolling my neck, the muscles cracking loudly. My eyes never stray from the computer screen displaying the picture of the little boy who was killed in the last video.
I’ll never forget him, but gluing my eyes to his face reminds me that there’s more out there in the same situation. And right now, that reminder is the only thing keeping me from going ballistic.
I need my wits. If I lose it now, I’ll ruin what I’ve been working so hard for.
“What can I do for you?”
“Consider it a preliminary initiation. We have our hearts set on what we'll be having for dinner this Saturday, and it’s really special. We want to make sure this goes off without a hitch, so Friday, we decided to have ourselves an appetizer, if you will.”
My brows crease, and a pit of dread forms in my stomach, like the sky opening up and releasing a torrential downpour on a drowning city.
“Without a hitch?” I repeat, my tone dropping.
“Don’t take it personally. Most men who are initiated have been around for years. We're all taking a gamble here, so my superiors thought it best we have dinner beforehand.”
The Society is testing me. My mind is already racing with how I’m going to prevent a child from dying in front of my face without killing them all.
“Is that so?” I say, my tone intrigued.
“All I ask is Friday night, you meet me at a dinner party I’m hosting.”
Friday is two days from now.
My head spins as I try to figure out what Dan is planning. It’s something evil, I know that much.
“What’s the purpose of this appetizer?”
If Dan has a problem with my questioning, he doesn’t make it known. And frankly, I don’t give a fuck.
Feeling the urge come over me, I switch my screen to a live feed of security cameras I have set up around Addie’s property. She’s home, and Daya's car is still parked outside of her house.
Later, I’ll have to go over more training with her. I’ve gone over several things she should do if ever kidnapped but I want to make sure Addie is fully prepared. Not because I plan on ever letting her be taken, but because I’m a realistic and logical person and understand that I can’t control everything.
I’ve been in this business far too long to know better. Getting taken can happen in a single second, when you’re doing the most mundane thing that every single person does every day. Walking to their car. Walking in or out of a store. Putting gas in your car. Going on a walk in a park. And some even force bait to knock on your door and ask for help.
“Well, to get our fill before the main event, of course. We have the perfect appetizer picked out just for you. One that resembles your own meals at home. It’s safe to say you’ll join me, yeah?”
My fists tighten until I hear the bones crack. The appetizer is a little girl. One that apparently looks similar to the girl who was in the picture I showed him at Savior's. He went out and handpicked a girl based on what he thinks I like.
I’m past the sickening feeling that stirs in the gut and makes you want to vomit—I’m seeing red now. The red of his blood, leaking from his throat as I slice into it. The red flowing from his mouth as he slowly suffocates. I see so much red.
“Of course,” I say breezily. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Make sure the men are watching over Addie while I’m gone,” I remind Jay, tightening the tie around my neck.
It feels like a goddamn noose, and playing nice with these men tonight is the proverbial bucket being kicked out from beneath my feet.
Socializing with some of the most depraved men to ever live certainly feels like hanging myself from the ceiling rafters. They deserve to die, and instead I’ll be drinking expensive whiskey with them and imagining all the ways I'm going to slaughter each and every one of them.