46. Cin
Cin
I have to give it to Talon, this is extraordinary. The plane, the destination, the band. My dream band, I’ve been dying to see them live for so long that I feel like I’m dreaming. Only I know it’s real because we’ve had to be careful the past couple of days.
Talon thinks I haven’t noticed, but since they told me about their part of the plan, I’ve made sure to pay more attention. They may think that because I haven’t grilled them all week, that I’ve forgotten they kept things from me. They’re about to realize that I expect them to talk.
The pilot declares we’re allowed to move about the cabin, and I press the button to turn my chair around to face Henry, Banks, Toby, and Gemma. Griffin is in the front seat diagonally from me, and Talon is across from him.
He groans and stands, crossing the space to sit on my left, where Henry and Banks have cards out.
“Someone is going to answer my questions,” I say because they can’t leave. They have to sit here with me for at least an hour. “So, who wants to start? Hmm? What exactly do we know about my father’s whereabouts? What does any of it have to do with Cody, and whose crackpot idea was it to keep me completely in the dark?”
Talon looks at me but doesn’t say anything. Frustration burns up my throat, and I want to punch him in his usually smug little face, lovingly, of course. Henry is uncharacteristically quiet, Banks won’t look at me, and Toby, well, he’s looking at Talon.
Finally, Talon speaks, “I promise to tell you everything, but you have to promise me that you won’t get mad and freeze me out.”
I’m not sure if that's his trauma talking or if it’s his way of warning me that whatever they know is sure to upset me. “Okay. Deal,” I stick out my hand, and he rolls his eyes.
“Mack started looking for Serge when I gave him your name, and in hindsight, I should’ve asked more questions, but now we know why he was so keen… Anyway, when his men told him that Serge was still in prison, he didn’t think much more about it and gave me vague half-answers to all of my questions.”
Banks takes over, “then my dad started digging, and that was like cracking open a gemstone. It’s pretty but sharp on the inside. He combed through all of the court documents of his case. Saw your pictures when you were little,” he cringes at the memory but continues, “I’m sorry for snooping. Dad really needs better passwords, but Talon can be convincing when he wants to be.”
“Then Mack got your mom’s call,” Talon says, gripping my hands in his, scooting to the edge of the couch so his knee touches mine. “When your mom couldn’t find you, she called Mack. Mack called Creed, and they did everything they could to find you.”
“We didn’t even know you were missing until Gemma called me,” Toby interrupts.
“When we saw you the night they brought you home, I knew that whatever Diego searched put Serge’s wheels in motion. Creed and Mack assure me it wasn’t, but I’m not stupid,” Talon scoffs. “Your mom, Creed, Mack, and our dads all dug up everything they could on him, but since he’s been in prison for so long, there wasn’t much. We were told to keep an eye on him regardless. Nothing really came of it but suspicion until you mentioned Cody was messaging you.”
He pauses, “I wasn’t snooping, not on purpose. But I saw the messages he sent you, and the way he worded the ones when you were taken were… off. Like he was texting you for show. Cover. I sent screenshots to Mack, and he started digging into Cody. Turns out, Cody never went to China with his family at all.”
“They left him here and took off to travel. Mack is still trying to chase them down. Before Cody got to Ravard, he’d been traveling across different states for nearly the entire time his family has been abroad, staying out of trouble but leaving one hell of a trail. It’s as if he wanted to be tracked.”
“I don’t understand,” I admit, “if he wants me, why didn’t Cody just come find me? It wouldn’t have been hard to get me to agree to a road trip. I trusted Cody.” Until I didn’t, at least.
“That’s the part we don’t understand either, but Luca found a way to access the prisoner’s call logs, and every week, Serge spoke with Cody for one hour.” Banks adds.
My eyes sweep over the room, and I stop to consider Gemma. She’s been around for almost everything that’s happened. Her headphones cover her ears, and she’s looking out the window, watching the white clouds as we pass them by.
“So Cody and my father have been talking. For how long?”
“We can’t be sure because the logs only go back seven months, but every Thursday at five in the morning, they talked for an hour,” Toby says.
“That is, until you were taken,” Henry adds.
“So, has anyone looked at his phone now?” I ask.
“He must be using a burner to speak to Serge. The prisoner call logs still show an outgoing call every Thursday at five am, but it’s always an unknown and untraceable number.” Talon shakes his head, “we’ve been trying to keep eyes on Cody at all times since we got back from spring break, but either he’s no longer in contact with your father, or he’s waiting until he’s in his room. We haven’t seen him use his phone at all.”
“Okay, so Cody’s a liar and possibly in cahoots with my father to what, kill me?” My hands shake in Talon’s and he rubs soft circles over the backs.
“That’s where we have a difference of opinions,” Toby answers, “I think Serge promised him your hand in marriage.”
The way he said it sounds so archaic, but it makes sense. All the times we’d kiss, he’d always bring up love or the future. It was never just fun for Cody.
“And you,” I look back at Talon, “what do you think?”
“I think your father has promised him a lot of things, but he’s only using him to get to you so he can finish what he started when you were two.”
I can always count on him to give me straight answers when he isn’t using the excuse to keep me safe. Nodding, I sit in the silence, absorbing all of the things they’ve told me.
“There’s one more thing,” Talon says, and my heart stutters in my chest. “We think Cody has been visiting Serge at a lake house we’ve tracked him to after he escaped from prison.”
My mouth pops open, and my eyes go wide.
“Why?” I ask none of them in particular. “Maybe he just enjoys the lake?”
“In the winter?” Talon gives me a look like he knows I’m not stupid enough to believe Cody visits the lake every weekend in the winter because he enjoys it.
“Is that everything?” I eye them all, and they nod, “so I’m guessing Creed, your fathers, my mother, and Mack have all been planning a way to get to Serge without involving us.”
Thinking out loud helps me process. “If he wants me dead, why hasn’t he just had Cody do it for him? Why go through all of this trouble?”
“I’ve been studying his case,” Henry says quietly, “I think it has something to do with a ritual that he wants to perform. The one he couldn’t complete when you were two.”
“A ritual?” I knew what Mama told me, but could he actually be a cult leader? Someone who’s so charismatic he can charm people into believing he’s some messiah? How many followers does he have out there that will be looking for me?
Paranoia sparks in my gut, once again, and suddenly, I’m worried about the concert. My excitement diminishes a smidge, and Talon kneels in front of me.
“Hey,” he places his hands on my knees, “you’re safe; we’re all here. Griffin will be watching, and no one knows where we’re going.”
I let his words sink into my skin and wrap them around my worries. He’s right, and fuck Serge for taking this joy away from me. I nod, and Talon kisses me once, then returns to his seat. Everyone takes a minute, and then it’s back to the six of us chatting and playing card games to pass the time.
The pilot comes over the speakers, requesting that we return to our seats for landing, and my stomach erupts in a wasp nest of excited jitters. I can’t wait to see Young Decay. I’m a fangirl through and through.
Landing goes smoother than I remember. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a jet. When the pilot opens the doors, Griffin goes first, making sure the cars are waiting and everything is clear.
When he pops his head in and gives us the go-ahead, we descend the stairs and head straight for the SUV’s waiting to take us to our hotel. Mack said his and Creed’s father, Conall, would meet us there to introduce us to the few people he trusted most to watch over us while we stayed in the city.
Lights are the first thing I notice, all of the city is aglow with lights shining from windows, street lights, and signs. It’s overstimulation at its finest. Talon twines his fingers in mine the whole ride.
The hotel is swanky, all white marble and gold. The interior is all chandeliers and smiling people milling about. Griffin shakes a man's hand I’ve never seen before and introduces us, his name is Conall.
“It’s nice to see all four of my boys on my turf, Cin,” he greets me, “I wasn’t sure what to expect when my son called me with this type of request.”
“You’re Mack’s father?” I ask, connecting the dots.
He laughs, “and Creed, too, it’s a pleasure.” Turning to Talon, he notices his hand in mine and smirks, “I never thought I’d see the day.”
Talon shakes his head and hugs the man with one arm. All of the boys do the same, and he spots Gemma, “and you must be Gemma.”
Gemma smiles, all of her teeth on display, “that’s me.”
Conall smiles and ushers us into the elevator, speaking to the boys and catching up. They all address him respectfully, even Talon, which makes me think Conall might look like a nice man, but he’s done some things that would turn my stomach.
Two men are revealed when the elevator doors glide open, one with curling red hair and a scar more hellish than mine on his neck. He smiles at us, revealing a perfectly white set of teeth that don’t match his exterior. He’s huge, bulked out, and taller than Talon.
The other is a smaller–though not by much–man with dark brown hair that’s braided and pulled up into a knot. He also smiles, though not as brightly as the red-haired man.
“Cin, this is Kel and Logan. They’ll be here the whole time, so you don’t need to worry about anything except having fun,” Conall introduces us as we step off the elevator.
“Nice to meet ya, lass,” the one with red hair says. His heavy Scottish accent makes me smile. I’ve never met anyone with his dialect, and I’ve met my fair share of people.
“Nice to meet you…” I trail off because I’m not sure which is his name.
“Kel,” he supplies, “this is Logan, don’t expect him to talk much. He’s not fond of using his voice.”
That sounds ominous, and I look to Talon, who’s trying not to laugh.
“Heya little shit,” Kel greets Talon, and they hug in that bro sort of way, followed by the rest of the boys. Logan’s eyes clock every move, but it doesn’t make me uncomfortable.
“I’ll let y’all get situated. You have somewhere to be soon,” Conall winks, and we all thank him. Following Kel and Logan to one of the only two doors on this floor, we wait while they unlock the door and follow them inside.
It’s a suite unlike anything I’ve seen before. Everything is minimally decorated in a tasteful way. I almost don’t want to stay here, fearful that we’ll mess it up.
“The bedrooms are that way,” he points to the right, “everything you should need for the night is here in the kitchen.”
He opens the fridge, which is fully stocked with water, sodas, and a birthday cake complete with my name on it. I turn back to Talon with a gigantic smile on my face, “you have to wait until tonight, but happy birthday, Spice.”