20. Chapter 20
It was Wednesday when I stepped into the coffee shop, and I knew instantly Thomas wasn’t at work, unable to sense his presence even before stepping foot up to the counter.
That was three days now of not showing up, and it was pissing me off.
I had called him several times, too, and I never called.
I always preferred to reach out with text.
Calls required too much talking. But he hadn’t responded at all, and he was always responsive.
I gave him the benefit of the doubt because the last time he didn’t show up for work, he’d been sick. But three days were long enough. I was fucking over it.
We texted each other the other night after the museum, and everything had been fine. Then silence. I didn’t like to be ignored.
But a little thought niggled that something happened to him. It was possible, but it didn’t seem likely, even with his loser father.
I left the coffee shop without my drink and pastry, got into my car parked in the garage at The District, and peeled out, driving way too fast toward Thomas’s house.
There was going to be hell to pay if he was avoiding me. We were blood-bound. He was mine for good. No one else would ever match him. But that niggling in the back of my mind grew stronger the closer I got, telling me something was very wrong.
When I pulled up to the house and parked the car across the street, that foreboding was off the charts. Even from here, the home felt… off. I couldn’t pinpoint why. It looked the same. Nothing had changed outwardly.
I got out and knocked on the front door.
“Go away!” his father yelled on the other side.
“Open the door, Mr. Lauder.”
“Go away!” His voice was shrill and panicky. There was definitely something wrong. I was now on high alert.
I tested the door, but it was locked, so I walked around to the back again, through the chain-link gate, and into the backyard, which was filled with dead grass and shrubs. The home and yard had probably been cared for up until Thomas’s mother’s death.
When I killed my parents, I never asked what happened to my old home. All Sid told me was that it had been taken care of, and I suddenly had a lot more money in my bank account, which he had set up for me. Presumably, he sold it, but I wasn’t sure how. I’d left behind carnage and a lot of blood.
I stopped in my tracks and looked down at the dead grass to find a used and empty syringe. I squatted and carefully picked it up. It wasn’t unusual to find drug paraphernalia in a neighborhood such as this, but in their backyard? Perhaps. Still, it felt all wrong. I dropped it where it lay.
I approached the back door and tried that, too, but it was locked.
Nothing was going to stop me from getting into that house.
I rammed my elbow through the window of the kitchen door, shattering it, and reached in to unlock it.
“Leave me alone!” Mr. Lauder yelled. “I-I have a gun!”
“No, you don’t.”
I found him sitting on the sofa, a beer can sitting on the coffee table. It was too early for drinking. His eyes were large and full of panic and fear. His hair was greasy, and he hadn’t shaved in a while, sporting a short and scraggly beard.
“I told you to l-leave me alone!”
“Where’s Thomas?”
“He’s not here.”
“Clearly. Answer my question.”
“I-I don’t know where he is.”
I was fucking over this as my mind started to see only red. Blood red. All my instincts screamed at me that something had happened to Thomas, and somehow, this prick was involved. I hadn’t originally thought it likely, but now I was certain of it.
“Where is he?!” I boomed.
Mr. Lauder jumped from my outburst before his head fell into his hands and let loose a guttural sob.
“I don’t have fucking time for your tears. Tell me where Thomas is. Now! Or I’m going to start inflicting pain. ”
He lifted his head, his thick brows furrowed in confusion. “Wh-who are you? Every time I see you, you’re different. At first, you were so polite and kind, then you started threatening me. Now, you come in here and break into my house!”
I ignored his question, jumped the coffee table, landed on him, and drew a blade to his throat. The man reeked of sour sweat and beer. “You disgust me. Something happened to Thomas, and you know what. Tell me now, or I’ll start cutting.”
His bloodshot eyes watered, and his lip trembled. “Th-they’ll kill me and my kids. They said I can’t tell anyone.”
“You should be more worried about what I’m going to do to you. Thomas belongs to me . If anything has happened to him, there’s going to be hell to pay. That’s not a threat. That’s a promise.”
He stared into my eyes, testing me, testing the truth of my words. Then he sagged. “C-can you save my kids?”
“Yes.”
Mr. Lauder jutted his chin at the coffee table. “There. It’s a ransom note.”
This was all his fault, and he needed to pay.
If I didn’t need to find Thomas so quickly, or if he wouldn’t be angry with me if I killed his father, I would’ve done so already.
I removed the blade from his throat, climbed off him, and grabbed the note to read.
That was the only reason for me holding back as much as I itched to make him suffer.
After reading it, I set the paper down and glared at the man, using all the self-control I never thought possible to keep from killing him. Still, the rage consumed me enough that my heart beat too heavily in my chest, and I couldn’t stop stimming my fingers .
A half million dollars. As if Mr. Fucking Lauder had that much money.
He would never be able to pay that off, leaving Thomas in the hands of those thugs, who would probably put him to ‘ good use ’ to repay their investment in his father.
I knew all too well what men like that enjoyed doing to their victims.
I swore to fucking god, if one of them touched Thomas…
I began to pace the small living room. “This is all your fucking fault! Your addiction has come to collapse all around you, and subsequently, me ! You’ve taken Thomas from me!”
One hand twirled the dagger while the other kept tapping fingers.
“I know…” he sobbed. “I know.”
“You know? You know ?! And still you gamble!” I rushed at him again, and he scrambled away from me, but I was faster.
My knife was at his throat again, and my hands trembled and itched to sink the sharp blade into his skin.
“You’re a waste of a human. You blow through money that can feed Thomas, you sell all your belongings and theirs, and you lose your job.
You’ve forced Thomas to adapt and take his time away from me.
And I’ve been forced to cover for you financially. ”
“Y-you gave him money?”
I growled. “Money you will never see.”
“But… you can pay off the kidnappers, right?”
“I’m not giving you a fucking dime.”
“But…”
The man was fucking hopeless. Beyond reason.
“I give you money and you’ll just bet with it—and lose. Oh, no. I’m going to get Thomas back. ”
“They’ll kill my kids if anyone intervenes! No! Please… just loan me the money.”
“Do you really think they will return them if you pay? Your kids are as good as gone if I don’t intervene. They won’t kill them yet. They’re too valuable. But I have my ways to get to them.”
“W-who are you?” he asked again.
“Someone to fear.”
“Y-you won’t hurt my kids, right?”
That was the only thing that calmed me down because I was seconds away from slicing his jugular.
“Thomas is mine. Why would I hurt him?”
“Annie?”
“Annie belongs to Thomas. Therefore, Annie also belongs to me. They are no longer yours. It’s clear you cannot take care of them, but I will.”
My heart was racing like never before. Sure, I was this volatile when Sid left The District and left me behind for Dalton, but now Thomas was in danger, and he was mine more than Sid ever was.
This was retribution.
I planned to slaughter all who got in my way.
“Who are you to pay to get them back? I want names.”
“G-Gregory Ivanov. He… he works the races. A friend of a friend set me up to get loans. The last one was for one hundred thousand. I was so sure I was going to win! They promised me the horse would win, and I could easily make a mil.”
“You disgust me. They lied to you. They set you up because they want you so indebted to them you’ll do anything to keep from getting killed. They own you.”
I stood and smoothed out my sweater, putting on my mask of outward calmness, which wasn’t easy at the moment.
“This is how it’s going to go, Mr. Lauder.
I’m going to save Thomas and Annie, then they’re going to come live with me.
Meanwhile, you’ll get your shit together.
Get a job, go to therapy, or do whatever you need to do, because you will never go near them again until then. ”
For the first time since I got there, he showed anger.
It was a quick shift, making me curious about why he had changed.
He always seemed like a weak, simpering fool.
He wiped his wet face and glared at me. “Now wait a minute. I appreciate your help, but you do not get to keep my kids. That’s illegal. Annie is a minor!”
“I can and I will. I have my ways. Fix your shit.”
With that, I left before my control slipped, and I did end up killing him.
When I reached my car and got in, I was suddenly hit with a burst of rage. I screamed and slammed my hands against the steering wheel. My mind was rebelling, fighting in different directions, making it hard to focus.
Everyone fucking took from me! Mother took my innocence and mind. Father took my trust. Then Thomas was taken. My person. All I wanted to do was slaughter, but I had no information on this Gregory Ivanov.
Adrenaline pumped through me, and it was hard to fucking concentrate. While I fed off anger because it was one of those rare moments I just really felt , I couldn’t let it rule me, or else I wouldn’t find my Thomas.
With a few deep breaths, I calmed down just enough to focus, but I was still fuming. Then I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to The District’s encrypted group chat .
Me: We need a meeting.
Sully: Awfully demanding so early in the morning.
Malik: Ignore Sullivan. What is the meeting for,
Easton?
Sully: Hey!
Dante: I’m already here.
Sid: What’s happened? You never call for a meeting.
Me: I can’t say here. Meet me in the conference room.
We need everyone.
Dalton: Sid and I will be there soon.
Malik: Khai and Maverick are not here. I will reach out
to them.
Layla: Ugh, what time is it? I’ll be there shortly.
Coffee first.
I turned off my phone, tossed it onto the passenger seat, and peeled out to head to work.
I needed my family.