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 an
d 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.
“I love gorillas. Now tell me.”
Lincoln licked his lips and re-adjusted himself in his seat.
“The only information we have in the official ‘Midnight Society’ archives are fairly vague, but from what I’ve read, the entire idea of the Midnight Society originated back when swords were still the weapon of choice. The Midnight Society started off with noble intent, but overtime, their purpose was distorted into what we have now.”
“So, what was its original purpose?”
“Believe it or not, the Midnight Society was meant to be a society of peacekeepers.”
That was the polar opposite to what I’ve seen. In my mind, the Midnight Society was a plague, one that spread only misery and death.
“You’re lying,” I said.
With one hand still on the wheel, Lincoln reached into his pocket and pulled out the pocket watch—or the totem of truth as he liked to call it. He held it in his right hand.
“As long as I’m holding onto this you’ll know I’m telling the truth,” he stated.
I nodded. “Fine, go on.”
“It’s no secret that war is never profitable,” Lincoln continued. “There came a dark period during the Bronze Age where aggressive territorial expansion and declaring war to neighboring kingdoms was the trend amongst the kings. The high ranking nobles hated paying additional war taxes that were unnecessary, especially when it didn’t benefit them. However, it seemed like the cycle of war was endless, where one king invaded another, only to have their lands pillaged by yet another after. The courts of kings were ruled by greed and opportunity, and it was costing everyone money. Finally one man, by the name of Astor Constantine, decided to do something about it. Using his network of influences, he gathered the most powerful, and brilliant nobles—all sick of having their profits eaten by useless wars—and together, they devised a financial plan that allowed for every individual kingdom to prosper beyond their wildest dreams.
“The Kings called a temporary truce and met together with Astor to go over his blueprint for unimaginable wealth. They agreed that Astor Constantine’s plan was brilliant and accepted his proposal, under the agreement there shall be peace between all the kingdoms. What followed was decades of tranquility. Kingdoms thrived as they made trade agreements with one another. Money was spent on developing resources and commodities instead of weapons.
“Everyone was happy. Meanwhile, under the leadership of Astor Constantine, the nobles continued to meet in secret. They called themselves the Midnight Society, given that they met at midnight, concealed by the darkness of the night. It didn’t take long before the focus of the organization shifted from keeping the peace between the Kingdoms, to how the Midnight Society could accumulate more power. For three years, Constantine grew the organization in secret, the Kings all oblivious to the fact that Constantine had recruited the most influential noblemen and army generals into the Midnight Society.
“Constantine had every man of influence and power under his control and by the time the foolish kings made this discovery, it was too late. The balance of power was no longer in their hands. The Midnight Society ruled them all.”
It was an interesting story. “So the Constantines were the first family in power?”
Lincoln nodded.
“When did the Tremaines come into play?”
“Four decades later,” Lincoln said. “Jonas Constantine, the grandchild of Astor Constantine was a complete psychopath. He was nicknamed the ‘Headsman’, because of the number of beheadings he personally performed on other Society members. He was touched by something evil and needed to be stopped. A civil war broke out within the Midnight Society, splitting the faction in half. One side was led by Jonas Constantine, and the other led by Darius Tremaine, a young noble with incredible vision. It was a secret war, often referred to as the War of Midnight that nearly destroyed the organization. However, when the dust finally settled, it was Darius who was left standing.
“There were expectations that when Jonas’ sons grew older, they would try to reclaim their place on the Midnight Society’s throne, thus running the risk of another costly war. The Midnight Society barely survived the War of Midnight. So instead of throwing themselves into the same foolishness as the old Kings had, a democratic voting system was implemented. As long as either a Tremaine or a Constantine wanted the top spot, elections would be held to determine the society’s next leader.”
“That was until Abraham’s daughter was murdered, and the Constantine’s no longer had any heirs,” I noted.
Lincoln nodded.
“So why keep the Midnight Society a secret now? If you guys pretty much run the country, why not come out and announce it?”
“Two reasons,” Lincoln said. “First, if everyone knew about the existence of our exclusive society, they’d want to join it. If we accepted everyone into the Midnight Society, we’d be watering down the power we have.”
“Makes sense,” I said.
“Second, the invisible enemy will always be a greater threat than the one that’s standing right before your eyes. We, Aria, are that invisible enemy.”
I closed my eyes and let it all sink in.
“Satisfied with the answer?” Lincoln asked.
“Was it all true?”
Lincoln held out his right hand, showing me the pocket watch he was still holding onto.
“Then I’m good with it.”
“Splendid.”
There was one more question I still had for Lincoln. “There are only three of us now. Both you and Shadow have lost your position of power. How are you guys planning on resurrecting the Midnight Society?”
Lincoln smiled slyly. “Sinister believes the Midnight Society is dead, and that suits us just fine.” he said. “There are many pieces in play as we speak, and when the time is ready, we’ll strike back.”
“Do you think we’ll win?”
There was hesitation on Lincoln’s part to answer. I looked at his hand, which was still gripping the totem of truth.
“You must be tired. Why don’t you take a nap?” he suggested, avoiding my question altogethe
r.
I shook my head.
With sleep came nightmares. Those scared me a lot more these days than whatever shit Calisto had planned for us.
Chapter Ten
Shadow
Cairo West, son of Brevin West, was an absolute monster. There was no doubt in my mind that I was in for the beating of my life. From the opposite end of the steel caged ring, I saw his dark, oiled muscular frame—an untamed snarling beast.
His arms were the size of tree trunks and his body reminded me of reinforced steel. Cairo’s eyes burned as he recognized me.
“It’s been a long time, Cairo,” I said.
He didn’t say a word. He didn’t need to.
The look on his face said it all.
Your best friend murdered my father.
It was astonishing how Cairo shared so many of Brevin’s features—a stone-cut jawline, refined cheekbones, intense brown eyes, and a neatly trimmed goatee. The only exception was hairstyle. Brevin wore his in long dreads while Cairo shaved it to the skin.
I swore I was looking at a younger version of Brevin.
The crowd devoured the spectacle like rabid dogs, thirsting for us to beat the living shit out of each other in an unsanctioned underground street fight.
My second purpose while in Hong Kong was to find Cairo and Reiko. When Nathan Tse informed me that Cairo was fighting in these illegal cage fights, I knew approaching him was going to be a challenge. He always was hot headed and enjoyed using his fists to solve problems. It made perfect sense that he’d find a way to get paid while enjoying his favorite pastime: tenderizing someone’s face.
Perhaps fighting Cairo in front of a large crowd was the best way to approach him—as crazy as that sounded.
I was now an investment for Nathan. The Triads couldn’t possibly allow Cairo to murder their prized investment in their own establishment. Should things go horribly wrong during the fight, Tse’s men would stop the fight—I hoped. In the meantime, perhaps Cairo would listen to reason while I avoided his fists.
Now the only question was, how the hell could I get through to him?
Cairo snarled at me and licked his lips, like a lion staring down a morsel of food.
Penumbra (The Midnight Society #2) Page 8
