Page 25 of Broken Empire
But why? Why would he want her gone? What did he do to her?
I had no idea what the answer to any of those questions might be. All I knew was that Shay was right all along. The Schöneberg Groupdidhave something to do with my mother’s disappearance, and the DC branch was responsible.
That explained why my father and brothers were totally clueless about it. The different Schöneberg chapters probably communicated on a regular basis, but they wouldn’t inform the other chapters about every single thing they did or every single person they took and killed. That meant Robert could’ve easily done something to my mother without anyone from the New York chapter knowing about it. They probably didn’t know what was happening to Shay right now, either.
Would they care, though? If I told my father and brothers that one of their fellow members had taken the girl I loved, would they help? Or would they be too afraid of getting exposed and going to prison?
I rubbed my jaw and stared into space, mind still whirling over the revelations and questions. It was all so fucking crazy. So fucking sick.
Murray watched me from the head of the table with a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. “It’s completely normal to be shocked at first, Killian. Appalled, even,” he said, clearly assuming my stunned expression was entirely related to the snuff film. “Most initiates react in the exact same way when they discover what we do in our organization. But you’ll get used to it, like we all did, and you’ll come to understand that the power we’ve obtained makes it all worth it.”
I looked around the table, wondering how many of the men and women were actually okay with it and how many only went along with it out of fear of retribution, like my father and Leon.
“Do you have any questions?” Murray asked, still staring at me.
I sat up straight and cleared my throat. This was my chance to figure out where Shay was being kept. I just had to be careful about the way I phrased things so Murray and the others didn’t suspect anything.
“I have a few questions,” I said, nodding slowly. “The people you get… I assume they aren’t taken care of right away?”
“It depends on what the buyer asks for,” he replied. “Some want their black tape immediately. Others prefer for their purchase to be placed in a red room for a few weeks in order to make extra money from dark web netizens.”
“A red room?” I raised my brows. “I thought those things were just an internet myth.”
“I can assure you, they’re very real. We have a whole team of dedicated cyber-specialists in every major city who work on that part of the business for us.”
Of course.That explained the massive computer room Shay and I saw at the Kingsford.
“Where are the people kept?” I asked. “I assume it’s a secure location.”
“They’re kept all over the place, depending on a variety of factors,” Murray said. “But you don’t need to learn all the details about that now. You’ll find out a lot more at your first monthly meeting with us. You’ll be able to meet the other Manhattan members there as well. I’m sure they’re all looking forward to that.”
For fuck’s sake, just give me a fucking straight answer!I raged silently, fists curling into tight balls under the table.
“When’s the meeting?” I asked, summoning all my willpower to keep my tone and expression neutral.
“About two weeks from now. You’ll receive more information then, along with a key that you’ll need to keep safe at all times. That key is used to access our monthly meeting location, and it can also be used at other Schöneberg locations if you ever happen to be traveling.”
“Why do I have to wait so long?” I asked. “Why can’t you just tell me everything now? Isn’t that what this whole initiation thing is for?”
Murray raised a brow, obviously wondering why I was so keen to have everything right away. Hopefully, he’d mistake it for simple enthusiasm.
“We make new initiates take a little time before we dump every single piece of information on them, because we know how overwhelming it can be at first,” he said. “So, until the meeting, you can use the time for personal reflection. Think about what you’ve seen today, the contract you just signed, and everything you want to achieve in your life. We’ll make it happen for you. All we require in return is your loyalty, service, and silence.”
I gritted my teeth.Two fucking weeks.I couldn’t wait that long. Shay could be six feet under by then.
At least I’d taken one step closer to finding her, though.
Now that I knew Robert had taken her to DC to watch that awful movie shoot, I figured the most logical location for her imprisonment was the DC equivalent to the Kingsford. Unfortunately, I had no idea where that building was, and I couldn’t ask anyone here tonight without raising suspicions.
Still, I had to figure something out, and I had to do it soon. Shay’s life literally depended on it.
“Killian?” Murray said, forehead creasing as he awaited my response. “Did you hear what I said?”
I uncurled my fists, took a deep breath, and lifted my chin. “Yeah. It all sounds great,” I said, looking him right in the eye. “I can’t wait.”
9
Shay
