Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
Wren
Bonnie and Clyde - Dutch Melrose, HARRY WAS HERE
I 'm rushing down the stairs two at a time because I have no time to lose. None. Not a second.
"Hunter, for fuck's sake," Achilles hisses as soon as I show up in the living room. "For someone so obsessed with control, you seem to have lost all of it. Or is it your rationality you left somewhere behind?"
"I can't explain. I can never explain. Let's not." I'm already by the door, putting my shoes on. I still have blood on my hands. I'm not showered. I'm wearing yesterday's clothes.
"What are you going to do now that the Circle is showing up at our door?" he asks, tone low, making sure they don't hear us. "They're running out of members because of you, Wren. I told you not to kill them all."
"Yes. Yes. I heard you. Listen, while they talk to me, I need you to call Xi. I need someone outside of the Circle to help me get rid of Dustin. The Circle is just going to give me a big slap on the wrist, but after that, I need to clean up my mess."
Because that's what it is. Peach's mess is my mess. Through thick and thin, I’ll be there for her.
"A slap on the wrist? You think?" he snaps sarcastically. "I'd go with killing you, maybe."
I shake my head. "They need me. They won't kill me. At least not this time. But if bodies keep piling up, they might."
"So stop. Killing. People. "
"Here's the thing I understood today. As long as we're part of the Circle and Peach is at the mercy of those men, the bodies will keep piling up."
Because my girlfriend is a serial killer, which I'll keep to myself for now.
His jaw tightens. "Wren, I need you to see the way you don't make any sense. Please."
"I am making sense. No body, no crime. Ever heard of that? I need someone who will make Dustin disappear. I don't care how, as long as it's not linked to me. That's something Xi could help with."
"Yes, I'm sure he can't wait to help you after you threatened his girlfriend yesterday."
I stop, turning to him and taking a deep breath. "I did not threaten Alex. She's my friend. I said I'd find out where she lives." I shake my head. "Xi's just too sensitive," I mumble.
He looks at me, deadpan. Lost for words.
"I'll call Xi. You need all the help you can get, you fucking maniac."
He disappears upstairs, and I open the door to Eugene Duval, my dad, and two bodyguards.
"Zeus," I say politely. "Dad." I eye the two guards who could crush my skull with their bare hands. "Gentlemen."
"We need to talk," Duval says as he walks in without waiting for an invitation.
My dad doesn't bother with any acknowledgement.
I close the door behind them, then follow them to the living room as the bodyguards stand behind the couch while the two men sit down.
"You're killing our own, Wren," Duval says slowly, as if I was too stupid to understand until now.
I refuse to sit, preferring to look down on them. So I cross my arms and stay a safe distance away.
"You wanted a reaper, you got one."
"You cannot kill within the Circle without consequences. We have laws in place. It's important to respect them, or it would be anarchy in our society."
I smile softly at them.
"You've always known what happens when I snap. I warned you when you came to collect your favor that if I joined the Circle, it wouldn't change who I am. You made me join anyway, labeled me as Thanatos. Now I snapped, and people died. That's consequences."
My eyes dart to my dad. His constant disgust when he looks at me has stopped having an effect a long time ago. Next to him, Duval purses his lips.
"Listen," he says, keeping his calm. "Nothing bad is going to happen to you as of now. You're right; we wanted you for the things you can do, risk included. That’s why we didn’t say anything until now."
My father doesn't look like he agrees with this, but no matter how powerful he is, he’s not the president of the Silent Circle.
"But this can't continue, and we must get to the bottom of why you're killing members who have done nothing wrong. Unless you'd like to tell us why?"
"I don't know. I don't remember. Never do."
My dad narrows his eyes at me, as if he can read me clearer like this. After all, he made me the monster that I am, didn't he?
"It wouldn't have anything to do with Penelope, would it?"
I shrug. "I don't remember, Dad."
"Monty, it's okay." Duval puts a placating hand on his friend's shoulder. "When Dustin McCarthy wakes up, we'll talk to him and clear things up. Until then, Wren, you are forbidden to enter the temple, participate in any event with the Circle, and cannot ask for favors from other members."
"Oh no," I deadpan. "What will I do? Enjoy a normal college experience? How boring."
Duval stands, arranging the jacket of his suit, and my father follows.
"For now, this is a warning, Wren," Zeus says. "But if Dustin shares information you withheld from us, or if you do anything to him before he can talk, you’ll be treated like any other man who betrayed the Circle. Traitors do not live."
"Sounds about right. Good thing I'm no traitor."
Ignoring my sarcastic answer, Duval walks past, but my dad stops right in front of me, his piercing eyes seeing through any mask I'm capable of putting up.
"Where's Penelope?"
"Getting ready. It's election day. She has to go to Stoneview to be with her dad."
He lets out an unconvinced humph and takes a step back, but this time, I'm the one who stops him with a hand on his shoulder.
"I know you're the one who invited her to the initiations. I know you said you had plans for her." I force a bright smile, which I have no doubt he knows is the most threatening thing you can see on my face.
"You want to hate me? Hate me all you want. Have Peach in the Circle to keep me in check? Go for it. Hurt me, too. Because you've done that my entire life. But hurt her ? Oh, Dad…" I laugh softly. "There is only one thing that matters to me, and it’s keeping a smile on Penelope’s face. If that smile even falters because of you…there will be nowhere for any of you to hide."
He's getting red from the anger rising in his body, and I wonder if he's going to hit me. Because it's instinctive for him. So I step closer, so close to him, I can almost hear his heartbeat.
"If anything happens to her, I won't care about any of your threats. Because I promise you, the entire world will go down in flames, and you with it."
I let them leave after that. There's nothing else to say; the message is clear. And even though my dad hates being threatened, I'm safe. At least until they talk to Dustin McCarthy. I need to get this sorted.
Achilles walks back into the living room, phone in hand. "Xi is on his way. He's taking you to see someone who can help."
"You convinced him?" I ask, surprised he was able to take something seriously for more than two seconds.
"Wren, please. Have more faith in me. I'm a sweet talker. It doesn't only work on women."
I cock an eyebrow. "Alex convinced him, didn't she?"
"Yep. Let's go." He gives me my coat and grabs his.
That woman truly is an amazing friend.
Xi parks his truck in front of a Stoneview mansion. I drove past here a few times, but never really took notice of it.
Before leaving, all I told Peach was to get ready and go to her dads’. She'll be safe in a place where they probably have at least five journalists that will be roaming around all day for the elections. The most important thing is her safety, and I'm ready to deal with all kinds of wrong people to make sure she's unharmed.
"So, this guy," I say. "He lives in Stoneview. And you are sure he's not linked to the Circle?"
"Positive," Xi responds, observing at the main gate. He opens his window and presses the intercom. "He knows of them. But he would never work with them."
"And he can make people disappear?"
"That's his favorite pastime."
" This is a private residence ," a man says through the interphone. He sounds more like a bodyguard than a butler.
"Tell your boss Xi is here," my friend throws back.
" Hold on ."
Xi closes his window and turns to me. "Listen. This guy is no joke. He owns the North Shore and married Kayla King, the girl who used to be the head of the Kings Crew."
"Was that your gang or the gang that kicked your ass, I can never remember," Achilles asks from the back seat.
Xi looks at him through the mirror. "I was part of NSC." That's all we'll get as far as who kicked whose ass.
"Initially, Nate comes from the Cosa Nostra. He was meant to become the head of one of the families, the Biancos. Except he went rogue instead, got rid of his boss, and did his own thing. He united the North Shore when we were at war. He built his own army. And now every-fucking-one eats from the palm of his hand. The Italians, the Irish, the fucking Russians."
I smile to myself. "Perfect. This is exactly what I need."
"Yeah, okay. Before you scream victory. My help stops here, got it? As much as she wanted me to help because it’s for you, Alex doesn’t like me involved in this kind of shit. I promised her I would bring you here, and that’s it. I don't break her trust. Ever. The man is a complete psychopath, and whether he ends up helping you or not is not my problem."
"How do you even know the guy if he's married to the head of the opposite gang?" Achilles asks as the gate finally opens. That's a good sign.
"First of all, no more opposite gangs. Secondly, his wife's brother is engaged to my stepsister."
There's a long silence, Achilles and I eyeing each other, my friend mouthing the fuck?
We don't get to ask what he means, exactly, because Xi is already driving forward and up a driveway that snakes through the woods. We're in the hills, the part of Stoneview that has the best views. My family house is around here. So is Achilles's, Alex’s and Chris Murray's. Most of the other houses are in the main town.
Xi parks by the front door, and I'm not even surprised to find two armed men on either side of it. Looks about right. The door opens before we reach it, and a man I'm assuming is Nathan White is standing in the doorway.
At first glance, there's nothing threatening about him. He's tall but not that big, more on the lean side. He's handsome, a small blond bun tied at the back of his head, with unthreatening features. He’s not really the kind of guy I would think is dangerous.
Standing there in a dark blue suit, his hands rest casually in the pockets of his pants. He's not scowling at us, not broody. He actually looks welcoming enough that I wonder if he’s a right hand rather than Nate.
But it's when I notice that his suit matches his eyes behind the black-rimmed glasses that everything falls into place. Those eyes are empty. Xi said he was a psychopath, but I imagined it as more of an expression. This… This is death in one look. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that it makes the man terrifying.
He observes us as we approach, Xi at the front and Achilles and I behind him.
"Dean told me Xi is here," Nate says as we approach. He cocks his head to the side. "But funnily enough, he didn't mention you had two friends with you. And Dean isn't known to be a liar, so I'm going to guess you kept this little secret from him."
Xi shrugs. "You weren't going to let me in if I said I was with two people."
"Well, my family lives here. Put two and two together." His tone makes the simple words feel like a death sentence.
"They're harmless. But they need help."
"Harmless?" Nate observes Achilles and me, so unimpressed, a lesser man would melt into a puddle of tears on the spot.
"This one looks like he enjoys mind-fucking people." He nudges his chin toward Achilles, then adds, "I've seen you somewhere."
"Dance class," Achilles replies casually. And I can't control the surprise on my face as I look at my friend. "Long story," he tells me.
"Right," Nate confirms. "And this one is obviously a murderer. It's written on his face."
Fucking hell, he’s weirdly accurate.
"You a mind reader now, are you?" Xi grumbles. "Can we come in or not?"
Nate looks at the three of us one by one.
"You can come in." He steps to the side, and we're all about to walk in when he raises a finger. It's enough to stop all of us. "I was having a celebratory lunch with my family, Xi." He says his name, but his eyes are on me, the murderer . "Having strangers near me when they're here puts me on edge." When he smiles at me, I know that kind of smile. "No funny moves."
By the time we're in his office, the others have relaxed, but the clock is still ticking, and I need Dustin gone.
"How can I help?" Nate asks as he sits down at his desk. "And before you answer, think of what you can offer me in exchange."
I stay standing, Achilles already sitting down on a couch on the opposite side of the room, and Xi near the door.
"Then before I answer your question, tell me what you want," I say. "Because I'll give you anything."
Licking his lips with excitement, he smiles widely. "Is this for a woman? It sounds like it's for a woman."
I nod, not wanting to look too desperate and become entertainment for him, but at the same time…I am fucking desperate.
"Listen, time is running out. Said woman killed members of the Silent Circle, and one of them is not so dead. We’re currently waiting to see if he’ll wake up at Silver Falls Hospital. If he does and tells anyone she's the one who did it, I'll lose her."
I can hear Achilles shifting in his seat, understanding Peach is the real reaper. Not me.
"Then kill him," Nate answers with the voice of someone helping me choose a flavor of ice cream.
"I can't." I’m getting impatient and trying my best not to sound forceful. "If his death is linked back to me, they'll kill me. See, if I save my girlfriend from the Circle, I'd like to be alive to enjoy her company. Not six feet under."
He cocks his head to the side as he observes me. "Makes sense. Alright, you want me to make sure he doesn’t talk. Do we just want to scare him? Do we want him far away? Another state? Another country? Dead?"
"I don't care. As long as he can't talk."
"Sounds like he should die. Where will you be? You want somewhere public, have an alibi."
"I'll be here, in Stoneview, at the mayoral election party."
"Good," he answers, and I'm sure if he could portray emotions, he'd sound impressed. "Make sure they take plenty of pictures of you. The whole night. But especially between seven and eight p.m. when I send someone to get rid of…?"
"Dustin McCarthy." I can almost taste the relief on my tongue, but I have to confirm. "So, you'll do it?"
"I can do it."
"But will you?" I insist.
"We haven't concluded what you'll be offering in return."
My jaw tightens. I crack my neck, left, right. In the next heartbeat, a calm spreads throughout my body. This isn't good.
I hear Achilles standing up behind me, catching on to what's happening. "Don't make him snap. For the love of God, no more deaths, please ."
I agree with him. I don't want to snap. I don't want to put everyone at risk, but I need to hear someone is going to help me protect the woman I love.
"I told you, Nathan. You can have anything. I'm a Shadow," I finally say. "You can have one favor from me. For free. Anytime."
He leans back, his index finger pushing his black, square glasses up his nose. "See, now you got yourself a deal."
The office door opens, and a woman walks in, brow furrowed and green eyes glaring daggers at Nate.
"Little sunflower," he says with what I'm sure could be fondness. "Start thinking of your biggest dream, a Shadow from the Silent Circle owes us."
She crosses her arms over her chest, her gaze narrowing. "My biggest dream is for my husband to stay at the table while we celebrate someone I consider a sister getting into her dream college."
Nate shakes his head. "No, I'm afraid even a Shadow can't make that happen. Nyx talks too much, I'm sorry. The girl is already bleeding us dry because she pulls at your heartstrings. And you want me to sit through an entire lunch with her. That's torture."
"Nathan White, you rich, stingy asshole, get your ass back to that table. Now."
He huffs as he gets up. "Gentlemen. The boss has spoken. It's time for you to go."
I nod, following everyone out of the office. We walk through a hallway, and a woman comes out of the kitchen, holding a cake, two little girls trotting after her. One is holding a cake server, and the other one a bowl of strawberries. Those kids aren’t only identical, but also a perfect mix of Nate and his wife.
The woman stops as she sees us, her mouth dropping open, her eyes stuck on Achilles. Her half-blonde, half-black hair is in a messy bun, bi-color fringe falling into her eyes and making her blink.
"You're Achilles Duval," she gasps. "Oh my god." Balancing the cake platter on one hand, she undoes her bun, arranging her hair this way and that.
"Fuck, Nyx, that's the boy you can't shut up ab?—"
"Kay," she hisses under her breath. "Shutupohmygodshutup," she mumbles, turning beet red.
I huff, throwing my head back. As if I don't have better things to do than this. "Achilles," I groan. "How…even? You make them fall in love from a distance now?"
I’ve never seen this woman in my life, and I can tell she doesn't go to SFU. It's unfortunate to say, but no one looks like her in our little bubble. None of us are original, just carbon copies of the same styles.
The pause is awkward for them, but unbearable for me. I have life-or-death things happening, and I'm stuck in this limbo of a moment because Achilles has fangirls all over the tri-state area.
"I'm Nyx," she attempts to tell him. She clearly has no idea what she's getting herself into. "I…I love you—I mean, not you ." She chuckles awkwardly. "Violin. You play the violin. I play the violin. You're so good."
This is painful to watch.
"And, uh, we met once. That dance class?"
What fucking dance class?
I pinch the bridge of my nose, unable to go through this any longer.
"Okay?" Achilles says casually, being his absolute asshole self and not giving a shit.
"Not helping, Achilles," I groan.
This isn't the first time it’s happened. My friend might be studying medicine, but he's known for playing the violin in famous concerts all over Maryland and its neighboring states. And in case his face and body weren't enough to have everyone falling for him, they also all think that him being a musical genius means he has a lot of cute feelings inside him. What feelings? The man doesn't even own a heart.
The moment is finally cut short by one of the little girls running to me, hugging my leg so hard the cake server digs into me.
"Daddy, that's my husband! My husband, like you and Mommy."
What. Is. Happening.
"What's your name?" she asks in her little voice, giant midnight blue eyes looking up at me. "Your name. Your name, what is it?" My God, is she on coke?
"Uh…" I look at her mom. "Wren."
"Wren and Lia sitting in a tree…" she starts singing. The second she does, the other girl drops her strawberries, running to me and hugging my other leg.
Kayla bursts out laughing. "They have this weird thing at the moment, wanting to imitate us, and I made the mistake of explaining that their daddy is my husband. Now they're looking for a husband."
" Livie, no! " Lia shrieks. She starts hitting her sister on the shoulder. "I found him first! Mommy!"
I feel Nate near me before I can even try to get them off me. He squats next to his girls, smiling at them.
"Girls, why don't you step away from the man before Daddy puts him six feet under."
"What's sick fix under?" Lia asks.
"That's what will happen to anyone who touches my daughters. Now step back," he carries on in a fake light voice.
"Nate," Kayla snaps at him. "Stop this right now."
They detach from him, the quiet one going in his arms as Lia goes to her mom.
"Livie dropped the stow…staw…straws-berries," Lia explains to Kayla.
"You're going to pick up the strawberries," Nate says to the one in his arms. She smiles, shakes her head, and buries herself in the crook of his neck. That's enough to make him change his mind.
"Nyx, pick up the strawberries."
"Got it." She seems happy to have something to busy herself with.
"Right, so, now I have to kill you," Nate tells me calmly.
"Nate. Enough," Kayla jumps back in.
From the corner of my eye, I can see the whole situation is very amusing to Xi and Achilles.
"Daddy, I love him!" Lia screams.
"No, you don't," he tells her. "Little sunflower," he says to Kay. "He touched them." He's talking like he's waiting for authorization to kill me, and I'm not exactly loving this conversation.
" They touched him ," she explains slowly.
"What is your point here?" he deadpans.
She huffs. "Nyx, can you take the girls back to the dining room, please? So our guests can leave."
"Yes, please," I mutter. "I'm on a deadline here."
Nyx does as she's told, and a minute later, we're crossing the marble entrance hall, Xi and Achilles at the front, me in the middle, and Nate and his wife right behind me. I can feel his eyes burning a hole into the back of my head. I didn't check if he had a gun. Should I be worried?
I look down at my phone. I've got a message from Peach, telling me she made it to her dads' safely. At least one of us is making progress. I can't believe I'm still in this house. I swipe the message away, leaving nothing but my phone background, which is a picture of her.
"Holy shit," Kayla says, and I feel her much closer than I thought she was. She points at my phone. "For a second, I thought that was Lucky."
"Who's Lucky?" I ask.
"Nate, look," she says lightly. "Doesn't that girl look exactly like Lucky?"
Nate leans over my phone, his eyebrows raising in surprise. "Exactly like her. Is that your girl? The one you said killed members of the Circle? Because if she's related to Lucky, it would explain where her insanity comes from."
He says it like it doesn't matter. Because it doesn't matter to him, but I stop walking, my hand falling to my side and my heart racing.
"Who's Lucky?" I ask again.
Nate waves a hand. "No one for you to worry about."
"How old is she?" I insist. "Is she old enough to be a mom? A mom to this woman?" I ask as I point at my phone.
Of course, I read the death certificate for Peach's mom. But it's clear her parents were trying not to be found. What if they're playing dead? Changed their names. What if…shit. What if her mom is alive? I could make it up to her, finally bring her some good news.
I keep pointing at my phone as Kayla and Nate exchange a look like I'm fucking insane. I am. I'm insane enough to try to bring a dead woman back to life to make my girlfriend happy.
"Peach is twenty-two," I finally say, already losing hope.
"You're weird," Nate says in a flat tone. "I like it."
Kayla rolls her eyes, taking my phone from my hand and observing the picture again.
"I mean, yeah, they look exactly the same. But Lucky doesn't have any kids. And if she did before we knew her, she's what, thirty-one, thirty-two? She couldn't have a twenty-two-year-old daughter."
I nod. Of course, it would have been insane. Her mom is dead. I read it myself.
"Lucky's a weird name," Achilles comments to himself as I take my phone back. "Who names their kid Lucky ?"
"Says the guy named Achilles," Xi mumbles as we start walking to the door again.
"Her real name is Lana Anderson," Kayla explains. "She's an enforcer in the Cosa Nostra. For the Luciano family. And they call her Lucky Strike. Lucky for short. It fits her, too, because she was born in the Irish Mafia. Her dad is their leader, Keith Anderson. Then the mom got shot, died, and he lost the fucking will to live. Lucky got put with nuns, and by the time she got out, her dad had focused his entire business on sex trafficking. She didn't want to go back to that, and the Lucianos welcomed her. That woman's had it rough; no wonder she's a psychopath."
I can't breathe.
I can't even react.
Anderson. That's Peach's biological name. Keith Anderson is her dad, according to her birth certificate.
Kayla keeps walking and talking, but I'm frozen on the spot.
"Oh my god," I murmur. "She's not Peach's mom. She's her sister."
"Lucky has a sister?" Kayla gasps.
"She does… I-I think so. Fuck. This is crazy." I run a hand through my hair, unable to believe what I'm hearing. "This… She probably doesn't even know about Peach. Where can I find her? Lucky?"
"Okay, time-out," Nate jumps back in. "If you know what's good for you, nowhere. Lucky, whether she's aware of a secret sister or not, is not someone who’s going to care about it. She won't. She's ill. Insane. Truly incapable of feeling anything. Trust me."
But I can't stop my brain from overworking. "The dad," I blurt out. "Keith. Is he still alive?"
"Did you miss the part where Kay mentioned sex trafficking? Is that who you want to lead your girlfriend to? Because that's what he does, and a lot of his good friends are in the Silent Circle. So I wouldn't get too close to him if I were you."
My heart sinks so low I feel sick. Because I know exactly who in the Circle is involved in sex trafficking.
"Fuck," I finally say.
"Uh, Wren," Achilles calls out. "We have a problem."
A problem? We have a million fucking problems, and I feel my sanity slipping from my grasp. The monster is knocking on the bars of his cage, growling and wanting blood, and I'm here, trying to keep it together when the world around me is falling apart.
"What is it?" I ask with a calm absolutely no one should believe in.
"Chris just messaged. Dustin is awake."
My head snaps to Nate again. "We're out of time."
Thinking for a second, he runs his tongue across his teeth. I can see he's weighing the pros and the cons. Should he make an effort? Am I worth it? But mainly, am I someone you want in your corner or that you don't feel would be a threat as an enemy?
He comes to his own conclusions, whatever they are, and says, "Go to the election party. That kind of thing starts early. Show yourself there. I'll send someone to the hospital now. Hopefully, they'll make it before he talks."