Page 97 of Apathy
“You mean the father you killed?” I gritted through my teeth, the flashbacks of that night slowly leering from the darkest parts of my mind.
“Oh, come on, Asher, don’t be hasty. That was, what, twelve years ago?”
“To me it feels like it happened just yesterday, old man.”
Instead of getting pissed off at the nickname, he laughed, the lines around his eyes crinkling as he stared at me.
“I think I’ll like you, kid.” He opened his suit jacket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes from the inner pocket. He took one out and dropped it on the table, right in front of me. “You smoke, don’t you?”
I said nothing, and I hated myself for just sitting here like a little schoolboy, letting him lead this conversation. My parents would be disappointed in me if they could see me now.
Asher Crowell rendered speechless from fear in front of the man he vowed to destroy.
His eyes, a lighter shade than Skylar’s, roamed over my body, going from my head, all over my chest, and back up again, as if he was trying to read me, to see who I really was.
“Take one,” he said as he lit up his own cigarette. “And don’t worry about school rules.” He snickered. “You’ll find out soon that people in this town do what we tell them to do, not the other way around.”
And there it was, the entire truth of Winworth. No secrets, no lies, just fucked-up families behaving as if they owned everybody’s lives.
I lifted the packet of cigarettes from the table, and took one out, lighting it up with my own lighter, letting the smoke coat my insides. Letting it calm me down enough so that I wouldn’t jump over the table at the monster sitting across from me.
“You know,” he started as the smoke circled around him. “When I was told my daughter was dating some new guy, I had to see who you were. Of course, I told her to stop this nonsense, considering that she was a Blackwood and couldn’t date some outsider, but then I got some really interesting information.”
“You mean, you found out my brother and I are both alive and here in town.”
“Oh yes. Imagine my surprise, well, imagine everyone’s surprise when they found out.”
I moved the chair backward and placed my foot on the table. “So, what now? You’re planning to kill us both?”
He dropped the ash from the cigarette to the floor and grinned at me.
“If I wanted to kill you, boy, you would already be dead.” That fear intensified. “But no, that’s not why I’m here.”
“Then why are you here?” I scowled. “Forgive me for the lack of faith, but the last time I saw any of you was the night that changed my life forever.”
“I hear you, but you are still a Crowell. You are still a founding family, and you still deserve to have a spot within The Order.”
An involuntary laugh broke free from my chest, and as he started frowning, I realized that this wasn’t the reaction he expected to get.
“Sorry,” I wheezed. “But… It’s just…” I coughed. “Are you telling me that you want me to join your little order?”
The expression on his face changed so fast, that if I hadn’t been looking at him, I would’ve missed it. He stood up and dropped the cigarette to the floor, extinguishing it with his foot.
“You may laugh now but being a part of The Order gives you opportunities and opens doors you could never even imagine. What happened to your parents was tragic, I agree. But that was in the past, and this is now.” This motherfucking son of a bitch. “You should join us tomorrow. It’s Samhain, one of the holiest nights for us.” I almost shuddered. “And there is a place for you there.”
Tomorrow? Tomorrow was Skylar’s birthday.
“I don’t kn—”
“I’ll wait for you in front of City Hall at eleven tomorrow night. We have something special going on tomorrow, and trust me,” the bastard smirked, “you won’t want to miss this.”
And just like his daughter earlier today, he walked out, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I should be happy. This was exactly what we were working on, what we were hoping to achieve. Then why didn’t I feel happy? Why instead of the happiness I was expecting to feel, did dread settle in my gut?
Maybe because I knew that Judah Blackwood never did anything out of the goodness of his heart. Maybe because I knew that whatever they offered, whatever fairy tale they were trying to sell, would always come with a great cost.
I just had no idea what the purpose of this visit was, but I would be a fool to pass up this opportunity. Being inside The Order was exactly what I needed to take them down once and for all.
