“She’d given them a ride as a helping hand, because that was the kind of person Mum was. She’d taken them to the graduation party…he broke in, got hold of the information he needed, along with the confirmation that they were responsible for her going missing.”
My stomach knots at the realisation as I breathe his name. “Saint.”
“When he got back to his hotel, he found out what they did to her from a recording, along with countless others.” He sighs, staring down at the picture as his face softens. “Dad said he was glad she wasn’t conscious for any of it.”
A tear slips from my cheek. I’m not able to fathom what it would be like to witness a recording of such a sick misdeed being done to the person you love.
It’s unfathomable.
It’s hard enough living with the broken memory of what they did to you, but the fact they recorded it, for their own sick pleasure…
Bile rises up my throat.
“That was when he decided he needed to be here permanently. Changed our surnames legally before we emigrated, so we could stay under the radar. After a year of searching, the chances decreased on finding her alive.”
I stare at him in disbelief. I’ve always thought Blackwood was Saint’s surname, and the fact his father changed it, along with uphauling their entire lives…
No family should ever have to do that.
“He’d asked students about Sumus, and no one had ever heard the name outside of Latin classes, only that there were rumours of an elite bunch of families able to join a club for some powerful career benefits, but you and I both know that’s surface level.”
“Is this what he’s been doing this entire time he’s been here?” I ask, my voice husky as I fight the emotion in my throat.
He bobs his head. “The entire sixteen years here has been spent finding out everything possible and building an underground entity for me. You’d be surprised by the connections you make through his line of work, and if Dad’s good at one thing, it’s networking.”
“How did he find out about Omnia?” I ask.
I can’t remember seeing anything about them in the Archives.
“It was Dawson and me, actually. A couple weeks before I left”—he eyes me, treading over our breakup like broken glass—“we went to the Archives to get into their network. When he cracked it, we foundhundredsof videos. They not only need to do a heinous act to prove their loyalty on graduation, but the ones taken weeks after, they’re more like a ritual. They had to name their conquest, provide the proof, and they weregranted their lifelong benefits of joining Omnia.” He sticks the photo back on the wall between us, his hands sliding down the concrete. “That’s when I found the confirmation we needed for closure on Mum.”
“I’m so sorry, Saint,” I whisper, and I react on instinct, walking forward to wrap my arms around his waist.
He grips me to him, his chin resting on top of my head, hand stroking down the hair along my back.
My chest feels like someone’s clawing their way out. Having to witness all those acts taking place, and for what?
Power?
Control?
Who the hell needs to destroy someone so badly in order to want that?
Sniffing, I squeeze him a little tighter. “They sound like a fucking cult.”
Rituals. Video evidence. Eternal benefits.
How the hell have they gotten away with this for so long?
Saint’s thumb rubs back and forth against my nape, and his touch is instantly soothing. “You could say that. Their members don’t even realise they’re being controlled; their silence is demanded through blackmail they willingly hand over for greed. They get a kick from what they do.”
I remember him saying Clarke had a hidden CCTV feed in his home; not only did it keep a constant eye on him, it also catapulted me into their world.
Saint pulls back from me, looking down at me through hooded eyes. “Omnia runs this entire state, Indie. They’re rooted into the system. From justice, all the way down to the police, it’s weaved to serve them. They won’t let anyone get in their way of stopping what they have. You’ll find those people are either a part of it or paid well enough to help them stay hidden.”
Ice breezes against my skin, and I think of all the women that have come to harm, and it looks as though Regina and I barely managed to get away, if it wasn’t for Saint, Rex and Jenna.
Anger bubbles away inside me, at what happened to me and my friends, to Saint’s mom.
