“Let’s get dinner tonight. Devin has business to attend to, so it will only be the two of us. Say Manny’s at nine?” Nathaniel Johnson doesn’t wait for an answer, he’s already deemed it set just because he willed it. Nodding, I don’t bother to respond verbally. He’s nearly out the door, off to do The Society’s bidding.
“Julianna, can you make the reservations for Manny’s?” I ask the older woman who is looking at the door close behind my father. I always wondered why she stayed, why she gave up her entire life to raise me. I suppose Nathaniel is the reason. Nodding at me, she walks out and sets about gathering the misplaced items along the way to the kitchen. Spending the rest of my day catching up on school papers, and calls for my father’s security business, I groan in frustration at the amount of work Devin left undone. It’s not like him, normally he’s meticulous, something or someone is keeping him from it.
Deciding to arrive early, I set on my way to the restaurant, the drive only lasting a few minutes. As I toss my keys to the valet, I hear Quinn’s laugh from across the street. I know her every sound, and as I look for her, I see Devin hop into his car. Looking around for Quinn, I take in the name of the building Devin just left. Internally I’m seething, I know the chances she would fuck Devin are slim, and yet I’m concerned that she has.
Sitting through the dinner with my father, my eyes continue to wander towards the hotel entrance searching for any sign of them. “Sebastian, are you listening? I’m laying out your future right in front of you and your not bothering to act as if you are present. Maybe you need a reminder of who we are.” Getting the hostess to bring the check, I watch my father slap a few hundred-dollar bills on the table to cover the meal and provide a hefty tip. “My driver will come back for your car later,” it’s a statement, my father doesn’t ask when he wants something.
Sliding into the back seat, I place myself behind the passenger seat where the driver is now that my father is driving. It was a safety measure we were taught as children, always in the back in order to watch out for those that would do us harm. The Society was always threatened by outside forces, and the best defense is to see the attack coming straight for you. The drive takes us just outside of the city limits, to the abandoned buildings and railroad station that hadn’t been used in years.
“Stay here Marcus,” my father commands as he motions me to get out. Following him inside the ratty structure, I look around vaguely remembering this place. I’ve been here before, when mother was still around, it haunted my dreams as a child. Entering the room behind him, I look towards the center of the room where there a man tied a chair, his mouth stuffed with a dirty rag. Leaning against the wall, I wait for my father to tell me what we are doing here. “Vincent here, decided he wanted a piece of the pie. He didn’t want to pay for it though, he thought he could steal from the Montgomery family,” he goes on to explain. I know the punishment for theft against our families, it’s not jail time or even something as simple as community service. It’s death. “Handle it,” he commands as he walks out of the room, “make it hurt. Don’t come out until you do.”
Chapter Seven
Quinn
I felt dirty after my night with Devin. The guilt eating away at me as the days pass. I haven’t spoken to Sebastian since the day when he chose to walk out. He’s always been my only choice. Hell, I’ve loved him since I was ten. I just wanted to be his first choice not his last. Walking into the kitchen, I see Silvia crying silently, my mother no doubt the reason. I’d cry every time she made me feel like shit too, if I still cared what she thought of me.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Raynor. Your mother is waiting for you in the sunroom,” Silvia tells me, the smile on her face not meeting her eyes. Plastering on a fake smile, I take the outstretched bottle of water and the cheese stick from her, “Wonderful.” I know she can pick up on the sarcasm in my tone, she knows me better than either of my parents, and sometimes I think she knows me better than myself. My sandals click against the hardwood floor as I enter the sunroom, my uncle Randolph getting up from his seat beside her in order to grab another drink from the bar. “Afternoon, Penelope. Or do you go by Quinn now?” he questions.
“Quinn, please. Only a select few people call me Penelope, mostly only Sebastian,” I reply, taking my seat across from them. Nodding, he sits down, “Well, that’s understandable. It’s only a few months before the wedding after all.”
The reminder of our upcoming wedding sends a pang I'd hurt through my body. I have to make things right with Sebastian, they wouldn’t say it out loud, but our choices aren’t are own. They chose for us years ago, a business deal sealed with blood. If we can’t follow their rules we aren’t of any use, like others of The Society found out over the years, useless people don’t survive. “Quinn, I would assume that Sebastian will be arriving to pick you up in a few hours. I wanted to let you know that when you get back, I won’t be here. Your father needs me to handle business dealings in Manchester,” my mother acts as if it’s a shock for her not to be around. Confused, I nod and rise from the chair, “I need to get ready if that’s all you needed.”
Spending
