"They aren't my family. They are part of The Existence and aren't worthy to be in the New Time."
A bitter smile flickers on my lips.
"Where's Payton, Ian? Or have you not brought her here yet? That's why you married her, right? You knew she couldn't be compelled to testify against you if you were married.”
Jeremiah – or Ian – stays quiet for a long moment. I know I’m right. I’ll just need to keep him talking long enough for the Bureau to get here.
“How long will it be before she's branded, Ian? Oh, I’m sorry. Jeremiah. Whatever your name is. You know, I knew something was wrong when she talked about you getting married. It wasn't what a mother would do. At least, not one still in control of her mind. Then something she said stuck with me. Peter wouldn't want her to be sad. He would want her to celebrate the future to come. Specifically chosen words, don't you think? Exactly the ones Ruth used to describe the event happening the day Everly died. The same event that brought her to her breaking point three years ago when you let them throw her away to be tortured for six months. I'll admit you chose a poetic date to kill her."
"She had to be sacrificed."
"Why? Because she had the guts to escape? Or because she made all of you look like fools by doing it?"
"She insulted Lucas and tainted the Society. Lucas had taken her as his and brought her into his Circle of Light. She belonged to him. She was a part of The Essence necessary to bring about the New Time. Leaving was an offense to the entire Society. A threat to our future. They sent me for her. She was a wayward sheep, and I was meant to shepherd her back."
"They sent you to hunt her. They erased you out of their records and pretended you didn't exist, so no one could trace you to them. You weren't a shepherd; you were an assassin."
"I wanted to bring her back. The future was waiting for her. She could have had everything. Lucas favored her. She was special to him, and he wanted only what was best for her," Ian says.
"And that means being beaten and starved and raped for months?" I ask. "How is that what's best for her?"
"Everyone has to sacrifice for the coming time. We must purge ourselves of what holds us to The Existence so we can walk into the New Time," he says.
The way he's talking makes my skin crawl. I step closer to him.
"But you couldn't force her back. You couldn't break her again. Not like the first time."
"She thought she was safe being with Michael, untouchable. The Existence had too strong a hold on her. She was damaged and destroyed in the eyes of the Society and of Lucas. It devastated him, but as soon as she committed the unforgivable offense of getting engaged to another man, he knew she was ruined. She had to be given up," he says.
"But by then, you were already using Payton to get close to her. You saw how vulnerable she was and latched onto her right after Everly met Michael. You injected yourself into her life, so she entwined herself with you. You gave her attention and validation, and she gave you access to Everly. I have to admit, making sure the doors were locked from the inside was smart. If you could make it look like a suicide, no one would look twice at you, and you could bring your new lamb to slaughter at Lucas's feet.”
I let that echo in the room for a while, searching for something, anything, in his face. But it’s all a show. I’m just trying to drag it out as long as I can. I have no idea how long has passed since I called Eric, but they can’t be far away now.
“Daniel thought no one knew about the doors connecting the two houses. A little quirk of the design when Michael did renovations. They rarely ever used them. Even Daniel would walk out of his house and go around to the front door rather than go through that passage. But Payton knew about it. She was close with Daniel, and he probably shared it with her. Tell me, Ian. Did she know? Did she know you were going to kill Everly?"
"She didn't need to know."
"But isn't she chosen for the future to come? Shouldn't she shed all that is around her and understand the sacrifices that need to be made?" I ask sarcastically. "What did you tell her? When you had to leave your honeymoon that morning, how did you explain it? You had the timing down well. Fast enough to get to Daniel's house, use Payton's key to get inside knowing full well his cameras only record when he sets them, which he doesn't do during the day, slip through the passage while he was in the shower, kill Everly, set up that whole scene, and then slip back out through Michael's office door so Daniel would never know you were there."
I let out an overly dramatic breath. "Wow. I'm tired just thinking about it. I’m guessing you caught up with her in the bathroom, just like Daniel did. That’s why there’s no sign of a struggle in the bedroom. And whatever drug you just used to cheat me out of our lovely road trip together… I know of several that are undetectable in standard toxicology reports. But I promise I’ll make sure her body is properly tested.”
"It's a nice puzzle you worked out for yourself, but you'll never be able to prove it," Ian says.
"Oh, but I can. At least, the prosecutors will be able to. You see, I know something you don't."
"What?" he asks, his voice arrogant.
"You aren't special, Ian. You think you're one of the favorites, destined for a place at Lucas's right hand and an eternity of pleasure. But you are disposable. They'll work the last drop of use out of you, then throw you away just like they do the others in your rank. Now that you've eliminated Everly for them, that time will likely be coming soon."
"You don't know what you're talking about," he says through gritted teeth.
"Don't I? What's on your wrist?"
He glances down at the inside of his left wrist.
"It's a tattoo, isn't it?" I scoff. "The Society didn't think twice about scrubbing you from their presence so no one could trace you back to them if you got caught. They told you to change the way you dressed, go back to your actual name, and leave your bracelet behind. But you just couldn't bear to not have that connection, the link to the only thing that gave you any validation. You had the symbol inside your bracelet tattooed to your wrist, just where it would be if you were still wearing it. Or if it was burned into you. It’s incredible when you think about it. They have so much hold over you; you couldn’t even see what you were doing. See, that's the thing. It's not the first time I've seen that symbol. I didn't realize it when I first came here. I didn't make the connection the first time I saw your tattoo. It was Daniel who reminded me. Everly wore a ring when she was here, and they would heat it up, so it burned her. They do the same to the men they're in the process of grinding down to a pulp. I investigated a case with eleven bodies found scattered around one area. All men. All beaten and starved. All with burns around their wrists. One had that symbol still clear on his skin. They're going to process you the same way, Ian. You're nothing to them. Just a tool."
He takes a step closer to me, his hands twitching at his sides, a mask of rage taking over his face.
"It’s a compelling story. Too bad you won’t have a chance to tell anyone.”
Chapter Forty
I have only a few seconds to decide exactly how to play this. I could rush him, but he would likely just slip back through the door and lock me in. I could try to taunt him and get him in further, but he could easily just decide that winning the argument would be leaving me here to rot. Or, I could go for the third option, slapping him hard across the face, and seeing if he decides to get violent.
As Ian opens his mouth to speak, I open-hand slap him hard across his mouth, paint-brushing him backward a step.