Page 66 of Past

"I hate getting messy," Arthur says, wiping his hand on his trouser pocket.

"I don't get this. Why are you so hell bent on punishing Allie?" I ask.

"I need someone to take over, and Allie won't do what I ask without a little encouragement." He sneers at me.

“Is that because my dad wouldn’t follow you? Are you going to kill her when she turns on you, too?” I ask him, and he glares at me.

“Your father was a lunatic but great when he worked for me. He kept all my enemies in line, and I only had to give him whatever he wanted. You look like him, fight like him in The Cage. It’s a shame you won’t work for me. You could have Allie by your side,” Arthurs says.

"You’re fucking crazy." I laugh, and I don't regret it as he nods at the goon behind me, who punches me hard in the face. I black out again.

Chapter 27

Allie

"This is a bad, fucking, idea," Luke mutters from the back seat as Harley drives us up the dirt road in the middle of nowhere.

This is where my dad told me to come to get Tris and Elliot back.Just one text message and a sat nav address.

"Luke, you need to stay in the car, and when you see a chance, you need to take it," Harley says. "I'm walking up with you," Harley tells me and takes my hand, squeezing it once.

I know I look like shit because this past week, I haven't slept unless I've passed out, or eaten unless one of the boys forced me to. I have no idea what my dad was doing with them, or if they’re even alive. My thoughts ran over a million different things that could have happened in a week, and in the end, all I did was crawl up into a ball and cry. I tried calling my mother. I was surprised when she bothered calling me back.

“Mum, Dad has lost it. He has taken Tristan and Elliot, my boyfriend. I need your help,” I say as I answer the phone.

“I can’t help you, come and live with me. Tristan is lost,” my mother answers, her voice completely devoid of any emotion.

“He will kill them both!” I shout at her through the phone. I stand up to walk around Elliot’s room. It feels empty without him here, but I need to be close to him, and this is the only way.

“I know. I should have taken you both, but I couldn’t. I am sorry for that. You father is–” I stop her.

“You’re sorry, now? If you truly are, call Dad. Ask him to give Tristan and Elliot back to me,” I say, my voice sounding shrill even to me.

“I can’t do that. I ran from him for a reason. There isn’t anything he won’t do to get his own way. He killed my parents, your grandparents. Did you know that?” she says, her tone still sounds like I’m talking to a robot instead of my mother. It doesn’t surprise me he killed my grandparents; nothing about my dad is surprising me anymore. It just hurts my heart instead.

“No, I didn’t, and I am sorry for your loss. Apparently I didn’t know anything until recently.”

“Come and live with me. I can keep you away from him. I know things. Things he doesn’t want anyone else knowing,” she mumbles the end part.

“Like what? Tell me, and I can use it against him to get Tris and Elliot back,” I tell her.

“No, I wouldn’t have anything to keep myself safe, then,” she replies.

“Tris is your son! You are basically giving him up,” I shout and then lower my voice. “You know what? It doesn’t surprise me. You’re a heartless monster, just like Dad is. You two were perfect for each other,” I tell her.

“I am sorry, Allie,” she replies.

I throw my phone across the room as I slide to my knees on the floor.

"Shit, Sebastian is calling, we should tell him," Luke says as his phone buzzes, pulling me out of my dark thoughts.

I spent the week at Harley’s with Luke. I just told Izzy I was at home and needed space. Seb and Izzy think Elliot is with me. None of us corrected them because we have been too busy looking for Elliot and Tris. Harley’s contacts just didn’t find anything and we were seconds away from calling the police when I got the text.

"No. He has bigger responsibilities now," Harley says, glancing at Luke and giving him a nod, which Luke seems to understand.

"Whatever happens, you need to persuade your dad to let them go. Do whatever he asks, and we will sort it later or hide you all," Harley says, going over the plan we have come up with on the way over.

"Got it. Be nice and agree to his crazy requests," I mutter.

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