“Did they hurt you?”
“Yes.”
“Have they hurt you recently?” He met my eyes, and I could tell he already knew the answer.
“Someone comes here once a year as a reminder.”
“Of what?”
I dug my nails into the wooden bench. “That I still belong to them.”
“Them being?”
“The Society.”
“I’ve never heard of them.”
“You weren’t supposed to.”
We remained silent while he processed my words, likely trying to walk the fine line between being professional and being my ex. I didn’t envy him.
“I can help you get the tracker removed.”
“Then I’ll be living my life in fear that they’ll catch me. Their yearly visits sound worse than they are.”
His jaw clenched. “Are you fucking listening to yourself?”
“Cool it.” I gave him a hard look. “You know about this for, what, five minutes? Don’t pretend to be my shrink.”
“It doesn’t take a shrink to know when someone’s lying to himself.”
“Don’t patronize me.”
“I wasn’t trying to. Who comes here once a year? We might be able to track them.”
“The one who came here the other day was called Samuel, but it could’ve been a fake name. They send someone else every few years.” I saw no reason to mention that some left after thecameras stopped rolling, while others stayed until morning to keep the party going.
“Every piece of information you can give me could be crucial,” Hayden said. “Work with me here, Jonah; we might not have much time to find Nick.”
“We have time. They’re not interested in something quick. Once they have you, it’s final.”
“Final? Then why did they let you go?”
I should have been more careful with my words. “It was different for me, but it doesn’t matter now. Nick shouldn’t be in immediate danger based on what I know.”
“It’s still not a guarantee.”
He was right. I crossed my arms and forced out my next words. “When I last spoke with Nick, he mentioned going to the party with an older man.”
“Yes, we questioned him. He claims to have left without Nick, and we have the surveillance footage to back that claim. He’s clean.”
I almost laughed at his choice of words. “Was this man Eliot Fitzgerald?”
Hayden narrowed his eyes and nodded.
I couldn’t have been less surprised.
CHAPTER FIVE
