Page 17 (1/2)

“You’re not going to find her without rest”

My dad looked at me, and as I stared back, I saw the loneliness The bone-clawing sadness instilled in hi on by a thread, desperate

“She is still alive,” I said

“Son, it has been ten months The woman I love, who I have always loved, she has been in hell for nineteen years That kind of … I won’t stop until I bring her home and then…”

He didn’t finish what he was saying

“Then what?”

“Then she will get to live whatever life she wants I will remove Alexander from her life She and Sian can … they will find some level of peace”

“Sian’sher up”

Lucas laughed “Oh, Gideon, I know I raised you to be a spoiled brat To go after what you want and to take it The world will not bon for you and give you anything, but in our world, there are rules”

“There are rules out there”

“You boys were initiated That’s never going to change Sian’s initiation is in question,” Lucas said

“What? Why?”

“In light of what Alexander did, Sian will have to make a choice She can live without The Society Walk away from it completely”

“But that means us,” I said

Lucas nodded “Yes When all of this is over and Alexander has been dealt with, she will be given a choice One that only she can make”

“I … no,” I said “That isn’t fair” I sounded like a child to my own ears

“Life isn’t fair” Lucas laughed “You know on the day of the accident with Joan, ith Alexander that day None of us knee suddenly passed out” Lucas sla toward the“It was hi clearly now He told us we all needed to celebrate and he’d been brewing this drink for just the occasion An already opened bottle of chane I didn’t question it at the ti happy, so was Joan We were e in life” My dad rubbed at his eyes “After that drink, it was like we’d gone into a nightmare”

“You didn’t suspect him?” I asked

“He was our friend” Lucas shook his head “There’s nothing I can do now”

“You can, you can bring him in Free Joan and Sian Free ether, but you’re not happy Neither of you are That can’t be good for you both” I loved my parents, but I knew they weren’t happy and hadn’t been in a long time

“It sounds sihter Clean and clear”

“It is”

“Joan has to uarantee she’ll want anything to do with us Nothing is”