Penumbra (The Midnight Society #2) (7 page)

Nathan thought for a moment before replying. “I have your word that once our account is in complete control of the Triads, no one will be able to gain access to it? Not even the Midnight Society?”

I nodded. “You have my word. The Triads will be freed from the Midnight Society and the Revenants. You will have your own empire, one that is untouchable.”

Nathan shrugged his shoulders, and then extended his hand towards me. “You made an offer that’s hard to refuse,” he said.

Nathan’s handshake had the strength of a vice grip. He was trying to display his alpha male dominance in our business arrangement. Luckily, I had a pretty firm handshake of my own. I pulled him forward towards me, taking him off balance for a split second.

He released his grip immediately, his face displaying mild annoyance.

Nathan cleared his throat and took a step back. “Once I see evidence that the Triad’s account has been freed from the Revenant’s control, I will arrange a meeting with Elena Zhao and deliver her straight to you,” he said coolly.

He walked away from the toy vendor and made his way to the rows of tables selling sweaters, scarves, and other assortments of clothing.

I walked beside him—never behind, which was a sign of weakness.

“Why are you so keen on speaking to Elena, if I might be so bold to ask?” Nathan said.

“She knows where my sister is,” I replied.

Nathan smiled. “Calisto has been quite the enigma since the Revenants replaced the Midnight Society at the top of the food chain. We call her the Velvet Ghost, looking divine whenever someone manages to catch a glimpse of her. Those moments are few and far between,” he said. “She has the uncanny ability to disappear into the thin air.”

“She knows I’m looking for her,” I said.

“There’s nothing more tragic than siblings fighting.”

“There’s nothing more annoying than someone prying into my personal life.” I looked at Nathan coldly. “You concentrate on keeping your part of the bargain: Elena Zhao, in a room, alone with me.”

Nathan shrugged. “As long as the Triad’s aren’t affected by the fall out of your family dispute, that’s fine with me.”

“They won’t. You’ll have enough money and influence by that time to hold your own against any of us.” I paused, just before adding, “There was that one other thing I asked of Tsung when I contacted him.”

“Yes,” Nathan nodded. “He made mention of it.”

“Where is he?” I asked.

“I have to admit, I was surprised that you would to speak with him so soon, especially after his father’s recent and unfortunate expiration.”

“Once again, that’s my own personal business,” I said. “Do you know where he is or not?”

Nathan nodded. “The Triad runs an underground fighting club, the Dragon’s Teeth,” he said. “He’s a star attraction there, known as the Black Devil.”

I raised a brow.

“Ever since his father’s death, he’s beaten all my fighters into a bloody mess,” Nathan sighed. “I’m losing quite a bit on the gambling aspect of my business. No one wants to bet against him, though secretly everyone wants to see him lose.”

“Why’s that?” I asked. “Wouldn’t people want to cheer for such a dominating fighter?”

Nathan laughed. “Do you know what I had to do to get the Triad to accept me even though I’m half Chinese? Imagine what lengths a black man must do to win them over.”

“I see your point.”

Nathan rubbed his hands together. “I think it’s time for me to call it a night. I dislike the cold,” he said. “Consider the information regarding Cairo West a gift, to celebrate our new business arrangement. I will tell my men to give you full access into the Dragon’s Teeth. While there, I suggest using another name. No need for Elena to suspect you’re in Hong Kong.”

I nodded. “Much appreciated.”

“However, I must advise you to reconsider going there,” Nathan said. “He’ll most likely kill you the second he sees you.”

“I’ll take my chances,” I replied.

“You don’t understand,” Nathan said. “He’s earned his name. I’ve watched him tear three men apart in the span of seconds. In the ring, Cairo West truly is the Devil.”

#

Chapter Eight

Shadow

I stood outside the alleyway of the fight club, my cellphone pressed up against my ear.

“How’s she doing?” I asked. I swallowed hard as I remembered the look of hurt on Aria’s face when I had brushed her off after having sex on the kitchen table. It was a dick move—I knew that—but it was the right thing to do. I was sure of it. No good would come from her loving a man like me.

“Why don’t you ask her yourself, you jerk,” Lincoln replied.

“Where is she now?”

“Sleeping.” Lincoln whispered. “She saw me having sex with Juno by the way.”

I grinned. “Well that’s not awkward at all,” I said. “You couldn’t keep it in your pants for all of ten minutes?”

“I didn’t make the first move,” Lincoln protested. I could tell he was smiling. “And don’t go changing the subject. You need to talk to Aria. You’re ripping her heart out.”

“I can’t,” I said.

I’m falling in love with you.
I closed my eyes and remembered how those words just rolled off my tongue so easily. I was happy then—or at least I thought I was.

Every time I thought of Calisto pulling the strings attached to my heart and my head, playing me like a marionette, a bright light flashed against the back of my eyes and I felt as if my head were engulfed in flames.

Did I truly love Aria? Or was it all part of my programming? I didn’t know if I’d ever figure out that answer. Because of that, she deserved better than me. She deserved someone who could give her the love she needed, someone who could protect her and keep her safe. I failed at all those things. 

I cursed Calisto for what she did, especially since I had loved my sister more than any other.

She was my twin.

She was the only family I had.

And she was psychotic.

“Give Aria the truth,” Lincoln said, pulling my thoughts back into the conversation. “If it’s over, then say it’s over. Give her that much.”

“How about you let me deal with my own relationship,” I retaliated.

“What are you scared of?”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Lincoln said. “What are you scared of?”

I was scared that by being with me, Calisto placed a bulls-eye on Aria’s forehead and that she’d suffer the same fate as Abraham, Lucien, Brevin, Donald, and James.

I was scared of what other ideas Calisto had poisoned my mind with. Who knows what the extent of Calisto’s brainwashing was? Until I figured out what parasites were crawling inside my head, I couldn’t be trusted. I wouldn’t be able to protect Aria from Calisto, nor from me.

“Well?” Lincoln asked impatiently from the other end of the phone.

I could have given Lincoln any of those answers. Instead, I replied, “Nothing. I’m scared of nothing.”

There was an exasperated sigh.

“Do you still love her?”

I did. Whether the love was real or artificial was a different story.

I wanted to hold Aria in my arms again and kiss her. It had been so long since I felt the warmth of a human touch. I had lived without it for years before, but since I felt it again—felt Aria’s warmth—it was a struggle to live without it. I wanted to turn back time and relive that night in Cambodia, where we danced in the streets and spent the night naked, wrapped in each other’s arms. I wanted to freeze that moment and live within it forever.

I swallowed hard. It was too dangerous for her to be with me—now and perhaps forever. Cambodia was just a foolish fantasy, a temporary escape from reality.

My existence now involved finding my sister and putting an end to her insanity. I needed to avenge Mom and Dad. It was the only way I could protect Aria from Calisto’s harm.

“Look Shadow, I’m going to give you some words of advice, and these will probably be the most important words you’ll ever hear from me,” Lincoln said.

“Okay,” I replied.

“Stop being a bitch.”

Refreshingly blunt as always.

“Keep Aria safe,” I replied.

There was a long pause. “I guess that’s the closest I’m going to get to an admission that you still love her.”

I paused, taking time to gather my thoughts. “I spoke to Nathan Tse. He promises me that he can deliver me Elena Zhao, Calisto’s current right hand,” I finally said.

“Who the hell is Nathan?” Lincoln asked.

“New leader of the Triad.”

“What happened to Fat Tsung?”

“He lost his footing at the top of the mountain,” I replied. “Nathan is younger, smarter, and more assertive. He’ll deliver Elena to me once they have complete control of their money with no Midnight Society interference.”

“First step of the plan complete then,” Lincoln said.

I watched as the steel red door to the Dragon’s Tooth opened, and a couple of seedy looking men came out for a smoke in the alleyway. I had to cut my conversation short.

“How are things on your end?” I asked.

“We both had makeovers,” Lincoln said. “When I see you again, I’ll show you my tats.”

“No thanks.”

“Aria looks different now as well,” Lincoln said. “She reminds me of a cross between Carey Mulligan and Emma Stone; very cute. You’d probably want to hit it.”

“Look,” I sighed. “Don’t say anything to her. While I sort all this out, I need to distance myself from her. She needs to stay far away from me.”

“Liar,” Lincoln said. “You’re guilty of manhandling Aria, in the kitchen, with your dick in your hands. What did you call that?”

“A moment of weakness, Professor Plum,” I replied. “During these two weeks, just try to keep me out of conversations. The more she forgets about me, the better.”

“Why?” Lincoln asked. “Are you forgetting about her?”

No. She lingered in my mind like the embers of a flame.

“When are you going to drop this?” I replied.

“When you stop being a selfish prick.”

“Just do as I say. That’s an order.”

Lincoln laughed. “Like I ever listened to you in the first place.”

I noticed the two men in the alleyway had turned their attention towards me.

“I have to go,” I said.

“Danger?”

“Maybe,” I replied. “I’m about to see Cairo West.”

There was a long pause.

And then Lincoln spoke, but the cheerfulness in his voice had faded into remorse. “Tell him I’m sorry,” he said.

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I shot and killed his dad.”

“No you didn’t,” I said, my voice overcome with anger. When was he going to stop blaming himself for their deaths? “Calisto did, and don’t you ever forget that.”

Another pause.

“Just tell him sorry anyways,” Lincoln said.

“Fine,” I replied, though I had no intention to. Lincoln did nothing wrong.

The two men flicked their cigarettes onto the ground approached me. “I have to run. Remember say nothing to Aria about me.”

I hung up and shoved my phone back into my pocket.

“Who are you?” one of them asked, his hand reaching into his leather jacket.

“Nathan Tse granted me access to enter into the Dragon’s Teeth.
You can check with him.”

The man turned to his friend. There was a nod of confirmation.

He turned his attention back to me.

“What do you want?” the thug asked.

“I’m here to fight the Black Devil,” I replied. “I’m here to fight Cairo West.”

#

Chapter Nine

Aria

The muffled sounds of a woman’s voice, screaming from inside the trunk of our car, eventually woke me. It was a change from my usual panicked awakenings, when my nightmares reached the point where the flames engulfed Justin.

I gathered myself and rubbed my eyes with my hands.

More muffled howls were coming from the trunk of the car.

I peeked through the air hole, punched through the fabric of the backseat of the car. Kara was inside, blindfolded, and struggling.

Still groggy from the dream, I moved with the speed of a baby seal on dry land. I opened the door of the car and stepped out for some fresh air.

The
new
Lincoln—covered in tattoos, piercings in both ears, and sporting the close-cropped hair-cut I gave him—was standing a few feet away from the car, a cellphone pressed against his ear. I managed to make out the words “Just tell him I’m sorry anyways,” just before the conversation ended.

He placed the phone back in his pocket and looked up at the darkening sky, painted with the afterglow of dusk. I turned my attention to the sky as well, marveling at the shades of purple and orange for a moment, before finally walking over to him.

“That was Shadow wasn’t it?” I asked.

Lincoln turned to me and nodded.

“Did he say anything about me?”

He smiled. “Shadow still thinks about you, though he tries to deny it,” Lincoln said. “From the sounds of his voice, I think he misses you.”

“I see,” I said as I lowered my head and stared at the dirt beneath my feet.

After a moment of silence, I looked up again, successfully fighting off urges to cry, and tilted my head towards the car.

“Kara’s getting restless.”

Lincoln looked around his surroundings and nodded.

“How about here?” he asked.

“You want to dump Kara here?”

“Seems like a good as place as any?”

I shook my head. Lincoln had detoured off the highway, driving aimlessly on the desert planes for over an hour, just before I nodded off. Lord knows how much further he drove while I slept.

Leaving Kara out here was a death sentence.

“She’ll die,” I said.

Lincoln sighed. “She’s lucky she’s even getting this chance,” he said. “Remember the motto of the Midnight Society? We don’t forgive, nor forget our enemies.”

“The Midnight Society’s dead,” I stated. “It’s only us now.”

I could tell that my words were like a slap in his face. He opened his mouth, ready for retaliation, but then closed it.

He took a deep breath, shut his eyes and gathered himself. “As long as Shadow and I are both still breathing, the Midnight Society is not dead,” he said. “It’s just undergoing a restructuring.”

I shook my head, “Fine. Whatever.”

Did this stupid clubhouse really mean that much to them? You’d think after watching the deaths of everyone close to them—close to me—it was enough turn them off the idea of secret societies altogether.

It certainly did for me.

“We’ll leave her here,” Lincoln stated. “We’ll give her enough supplies for a few days. Whether she can find her way back home will be up to her.”

I followed him back to the car. He opened up the glove box and handed me a plastic bag.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“Balaclavas,” he replied, “To conceal our identity.”

“I hate to break it to you Lincoln, but Kara has already seen us,” I pointed out.

Lincoln grinned. “She’s seen Lincoln and Aria,” he stated. “But she hasn’t seen Jesse and Lucy.”

He was referring to our makeovers and our new personas. I had to admit, he had a point. With the tattoos, new-haircut, and the shades of the blonde facial hair he was growing, Lincoln looked like a different person.

I could barely recognize myself in the mirror either, with my red hair and light complexion from the makeup job.

I opened the plastic bag and saw two ski masks inside, one pink and one black.

I took the black one.

“That one is mine,” Lincoln said, as I handed him back the plastic bag with the other ski mask inside.

“Black’s my color,” I said.

“Yes, but it’s mine also.”

I cracked a smile. “Be a gentleman,” I replied.

“I thought I told you before, I’m no gentleman.”

“What’s the matter? Not confident you can pull off pink?”

Lincoln sighed. “You’re always being difficult,” he said. Finally giving in, he grabbed the pink ski mask, shrugged and pulled it over his head.

I started laughing. He looked ridiculous, like a Pepto-bismal criminal. 

“Well, I’m glad
someone’s
getting some enjoyment out of this,” he said, a smile peeking through the mask.

I wanted to respond, but continued giggling.

It felt good to laugh again.

I pulled the black mask over my head and steadied myself, preparing for the rather grim task at hand—leaving Kara in the middle of nowhere and letting her fend for herself. It was hard for me to forget the kindness she showed me when we first met. I tried to remember that she had a hand in Calisto’s master plan.

She played a part in Justin’s death.

Lincoln walked over to the trunk and opened it.

Kara, muffled by the gag in her mouth, began to panic and scream as he lifted her up from underneath her armpits and dragged her out of the trunk, tossing her onto the ground.

He pulled the gag from out of her mouth and removed the blindfold covering her eyes. He left her hands and feet bound by the duct tape.

“I think it’ll be a beautiful night tonight,” Lincoln said. “Perfect for sleeping out under the stars, don’t you think?”

Kara blinked twice before her eyes finally focused in on him.

She gave him a bewildered look. “Lincoln?”

“Hi,” he replied.

“What the fuck…” she began to mutter, her words a blended mixture of fear and confusion as she stared at his pink mask.

“Sadly Kara, this is where our little journey comes to an end,” Lincoln said.

“Why are you wearing that pink mask? I already know what you both look like.”

Lincoln shrugged. “My face was getting cold.”

“Are you going to kill me?” Kara cried. “I already told you everything I know.”

“You’re lucky,” Lincoln said. “Your story checked out, which is why instead of digging a six foot hole right now, I’m taking you camping.”

He opened the back seat door of the car and pulled out a large back pack, a couple of steel poles, and a large tarp.

“I think you’ll have all the supplies you need,” Lincoln said. “Food and water for at least five days—unless you decide to gorge—a tent and some blankets to keep you warm.”

“Where is this place?” Kara asked.

“Narnia,” he replied as he began rummaging through his own back pack. “Ah,” he said as he pulled out a Swiss Army knife and tossed it within Kara’s reach. “That should help with the duct tape.”

“You can’t leave me here,” Kara said. “I’ll die.”

Lincoln ignored her. “The Big Dipper points north,” he said. “I suggest following it.”

“Did you hear me?” Kara said. “I’ll die out here.”

Lincoln shook his head. “Stay positive. I’ve looked into it. From this very spot, it should take you four days to find your way back into civilization. You have five days’ worth of food and water. The rest is really up to you.”

I felt pity as I watched Kara break out into a whimper first, which turned into a full-on cry.

Lincoln turned and looked at me. “Are you ready?” he asked.

I nodded.

We both entered into the car and drove off, leaving Kara behind us. We left the desert just as the darkness chased away the brightness of the purple sky.

#

“I’m tired,” I stated as I sat in the passenger seat of the prehistoric Oldsmobile, listening to faint sounds of jazz push through the static of the FM radio.

“Go to sleep then,” Lincoln said.

“No, that’s not what I mean,” I said, flatly. “I’m tired of this bullshit that Shadow’s putting me through.”

“Oh?”

“It’s not fair that he’s treating me like this,” I said. “If it’s over between us, I want him to tell me it’s over so I can prepare myself to move on. If he still loves me, I want him to tell me that, so I can welcome the thought of returning to some semblance of life with him when all this is over.”

“Just be—”

I interrupted Lincoln before he could finish his sentence. “I’m done being patient with him. Shadow doing a hit and run on my vagina was the final straw.”

“He wouldn’t have done it if he didn’t love you.”

“Do you love Juno?” I asked.

“No.”

“You nailed her anyways,” I pointed out.

“That was different. I’m a degenerate. Shadow’s not like me.”

I paused. “No…he’s not.”

“So that’s it then with Shadow?” Lincoln asked.

I nodded confidently. However, my mouth squeaked out the unintended words of, “I don’t know.”

Lincoln looked at me incredulously. “Uh-huh. Sounds like a classic case of heart and head disagreeing with one another.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “It’s all so fucked up.”

There was a brief moment of silence. “I can’t disagree with you there,” Lincoln finally said.

“The more I think about the foundation of our relationship, the more I realize how flawed it was,” I continued.

“You’re overanalyzing things.”

“Shadow was brainwashed into falling in love with me,” I explained. “I was at an emotional low point in my life. My best friend—my only friend—told me he didn’t want to see me anymore. My dad passed away a couple of years ago, and I still haven’t completely gotten over that. I was just so damned alone. And then suddenly, in comes tall, dark, and handsome. Shadow came at me with his six pack abs, chiseled face, and that sexy, dangerous mystery that seems to intoxicate us vulnerable girls. The next thing I knew, we were tongue-wrestling in the middle of the streets of Cambodia while the Backstreet Boys crooned in the background.”

“A classic,” Lincoln grinned.

“I fell in love way too fast,” I said. “The more I think about it, the more I realize that it just wasn’t natural. I was in a vulnerable place at the time. It was like I was rebounding.”

Lincoln sighed. “Love doesn’t follow any timeline. Sometimes, it just happens.”

“Do you think Shadow would have fallen in love with me, if Calisto didn’t fuck with his mind?”

Lincoln shrugged. “It’s not my place to say. The only one who knows for sure is Shadow.”

I nodded. “Maybe this time apart is good for us,” I said. “He can work out his ‘I’m an angry brooding man’ bullshit, and I can figure out what I want to do with whatever pieces of life I have left.”

The static from the radio was beginning to wear on my nerves and I switched it off.

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my head. “Hey, I still have two questions I get to ask you regarding the Midnight Society,” I said, referring to the agreement we made on the plane ride over to Cambodia. I was going to sweet talk Calisto into falling for Lincoln in return for answers to any three questions I asked. I still had two questions left.

Lincoln raised a brow. “You’re kidding right?”

“Why would I be?”

“Seeing as how the object of my affections forced me to murder my friends…” he paused and cleared his throat, “…and then called me a cockroach. I think the terms of our agreement have changed significantly.”

I shook my head. “A deal is still a deal,” I replied. “I kept my end of the bargain. Not my fault that the object of your affections turned out to be a complete megalomaniac psycho bitch. Besides, the Midnight Society is just you, Shadow, and I now. I’m one-third of this enterprise. I deserve some answers.”

Lincoln’s baby blue eyes remained glued to the road as he leaned back in his seat. I stared at the profile of his face and was amazed by how much his appearance had changed over the past few days. He went from the suave suit-and-tie business guy to a rough, tattooed bad-boy that was every father’s (with daughters) worst nightmare.

He was a chameleon, changing—no, evolving into what he needed to be.

My entire empire was built on the concept of trickery,
Lincoln had told me. I believed him.

“So what do you want to know?” he asked.

Finally, some answers!

My mind raced with the hundreds of questions, buried in the back of my mind like diamonds in a mine. I needed to unearth the biggest one and get the best bang for my buck.

“How did The Midnight Society all start?” I asked.

“You love tackling the nine-hundred pound gorilla, don’t you?” Lincoln pointed out.