Chapter 31 #2
“Of course you are, but you won’t need that menu.” Angelo smiles, plucking the menu from her hands. We all order water and Angelo walks away from the table, surely to whip us up a meal that is going to be way too much.
Zoe is fighting the urge to look at me, I can tell by the way she’s studying the wood grain on the table, staring at the wallpaper, or even the damn ceiling. I just want her to look at me, to actually look at me.
I sound weak, pathetic. This natural disaster of a woman has embedded herself into my skin, in my blood like a parasite.
The itch to have her to myself, to wreck her, gets stronger as she ignores me.
She won't even try to irritate me anymore, no longer pokes fun at my name, and the only time she has blatantly defied me was when I was making her get in the backseat just an hour ago.
“Can we train this evening?” She asks suddenly, unfortunately the question was aimed at Dean.
“Sounds good. Maybe this time I’ll get you back.” Dean answers, and I see a little gleam in his eye, one that I’ve noticed has gotten brighter and brighter the longer she’s around.
“Not tonight.” My voice comes out angrier than I meant to, and Dean just gives me a questioning look. “Harpy and I have some things we need to discuss so just don’t plan on it.”
“Discuss what, boss?” Hearing the title come out of her mouth again makes my lips curl into a snarl, but I wipe my hand over my mouth to hide it. The movement doesn’t escape Zoe’s attention, and she gives me a smirk-- challenging me.
“Your position in our organization.” I say bluntly, in a tone that leaves no room up for discussion.
Zoe hums, and before she can try to mouth a comeback Angelo returns with massive plates that are covered in pasta and bread.
We eat silently, correction, I eat silently as Dean and Zoe have a conversation amongst themselves. I try to feign indifference, but it’s hard when their conversation turns to a topic that piques my interest: Kahl.
“One of the most common training sessions we had was when he’d put me through a torture trial. Where he’d give me a piece of information that I couldn’t share no matter the cost. Then he’d have me blindfolded, and the invisible man would torture me to get the information out of me.” She explains.
“The Game?” Dean asks, and I shift in my seat, knowing exactly what they’re talking about.
“Yeah, that’s what he called it. How’d you know?” That crease between her eyebrows forms again.
“He did that to me too. Well, all of us except Max.” Dean adds, and a pang of guilt runs through me.
I remember The Game well. It started about a month after Kahl had taken us in, saying it would help us become stronger.
Mentally, physically, and stronger as a unit in general.
However, Kahl never had me strapped to the chair, he had me watch and help if I’d really pissed him off.
It sounds fucked up when we all say he was like a father to us, but in reality, he taught us everything we know.
And we did become a stronger unit. So, in theory, he was right.
But thinking back on it now, knowing what we know, I want to bring him back from the dead just so I can kill him.
I’m sure we went through a lot of the same things that Kahl had put Zoe through, but we had each other at the end of those sessions. She had a cold basement.
I hate myself every single day, because I didn’t protect them. I didn’t protect my brothers. Maybe if I did, Teddy would be a little bit more hinged, Dean would laugh more often, and Brandon wouldn’t feel the need to monopolize every conversation by cracking jokes.
Zoe reaches out her hand and holds Deans. I wince, thinking Dean will shove her off, but he doesn’t. Instead, Dean rubs his thumb over the back of Zoe’s hand, and she gives him a sad smile. “Now I’m even happier that I cut that fucker’s heart out.”
Dean sighs and peels his hand away, settling back against his seat, “Me too.”
Their conversation comes to an end, letting the weight of our pasts settle in the air between us. The silence isn’t tense, but it’s not comfortable either. The air is thick and full of unspoken apologies and confessions.
So, when we finally paid Angelo and stepped out of the restaurant it really felt like a weight was lifted. We all load into the vehicle into our respective seats, no fighting this time, and we are on the road in under a minute.
“So, this gambling room, and this cheater, who has he cheated?” Zoe asks, she directs the question to nobody in particular, so I take the liberty of answering.
“He cheated the house, so he cheated us-- meaning we have another thief on our hands.”
“And we all remember what I said would happen to the next person that stole from us.” I can hear the evil in her voice and hearing that vile nature return to her tone makes my heart race, beating itself against my ribcage like it’s trying to escape.
Oh, I remember what she said alright, ‘If we are to catch anyone else trying to steal from us, I won’t be so kind as to do it quickly next time. This is your only warning.
And I can’t fucking wait.