Page 64 of They Will Fall

The car comes to a stop as I approach the driver’s side door. Dad rolls down the window and I fold my arms and lean into the open window.

“Where the hell is she?” His tone is laced with both anger and eagerness. Of course his first words are abouther, instead of asking if I’m okay, or if I’m safe.Sheis useful to him; whereas, I am not.

Selfish fucking prick.

I reach through the window, my expectant eyes never leaving his as I hit the button to unlock the other doors. Without a word, I circle the car and pull open the passenger side door, then I plop down on the seat.

“Head east,” I tell him. “We need to park the car and walk.”

His fingers white-knuckle the steering wheel and his teeth grind. “Where the fuck is she, Maddox?”

“I told you I’d take you to her, but we can’t drive. We need to ditch the car somewhere safe and walk.”

“It’s three o’clock in the fucking morning and you wanna go on a goddamn hike?”

Fighting the urge to lash out, I draw in a deep breath and hold my composure. “It’s a short walk.”

Dad slams the car into drive and whips a sharp turn, traveling the opposite way he just came.

While he’s distracted by the drive, and his anger issues, my eyes dance around the car, looking for any proof that Riley was in here. It’s possible he didn’t even use his own car to kidnap her, but I find myself looking anyway.

There’s nothing out of the ordinary, except something that keeps rolling into my feet. I reach down and pick it up nonchalantly, taking care not to draw attention. It’s hard to see what it is, but the buttons on the side and the speaker on the front lead me to believe it’s a recorder.

I sit up and casually slide the object into my pocket. If by some chance it is a recorder, it may come in handy when I get his confession. Could use my phone, but it’ll be more of a slap in the face when I use his own device to bring him down.

A minute later, the warehouse comes into view. “Take a left.”

“What the hell is this place?”

“Just do it.” He’s really grating on my nerves, but if I don’t keep it together, I’m sure to raise suspicion. I’m never disrespectful to my dad, but I’m finding it really hard not to be right now. Knowing what he did to Riley, and possibly Lev’s family, has me ready to end him now. If only I didn’t need answers first…

Without even flicking the blinker, he turns down the gravel driveway to the warehouse.

“Drive around the back,” I tell him.“There’s a pole barn back there.”

The car bounces over mounds and rocks, making its way down the beaten path, Dad huffing and puffing the entire way.

He steers the car to a stop in front of the pole barn and I hop out, instructing him to stay as I open the door. Once it's high enough for him to get in, I wave him through, directing him to park right next to the car I keep here.

A second later, he’s growling as he slams his car door shut. “This better be worth it, boy.”

“It will be,” I assure him. “I’ve got her secured somewhere and she’s willing to confess everything.”

I grab a couple flashlights off the mantle in the barn, handing him one.We walk out and I pull the door down, hiding the vehicles inside.

It’s a good twenty-minute walk to the cabin where Riley and I were a couple days ago, and it’s not a pleasant one. During our short hike, my father doesn’t hesitate to tell me what a screwup I am. How I’m the worst Guardian in The Society, and how I will basically fail at everything I try to accomplish.

What he doesn’t know is, those words don’t hurt me anymore. He’s worthless in my mind, a piece of shit player in a fucked-up game. My respect for him went out the window the second he laid his hands on my girl. It only got worse when I found out he hurt people I loved—and children, at that.

So instead of lowering myself to his level, I don't respond. I just take it all in, knowing that before long, he’s going to eat his words.

I slow my steps as we approach the cabin and Dad gives me a sideways glance. “This is it?”

I nod. “Yep. She’s inside.”

He picks up his pace, heading straight for the front door of the cabin.

“That girl has been a fucking thorn in my side. Running and hiding while I have the whole goddamn Society on her ass. This ends now.”

---