Page 7 of They Will Fall

“With good reason.” Stanley scoffs. “That bastard got what he deserved and I can pretty much guarantee his wife and girls were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

I watch as Austin's face twists with rage. He steps forward, his long fingers lunging at Stanley's neck. Once he's got a good grip, he seethes, “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

I quickly return my back to the building. Is this really happening right now? Two Elders going at it, over what? A murder that took place years ago?

And how fucking ironic that I’m here witnessing this shit unfold. A devilish smile creeps across my face at the realization that we’re only as fucked up as our predecessors.

Like father, like son.

If only I knew mine.

I bet he’s a badass motherfucker. I imagine him as someone who parts a crowd when he enters a room. Or someone that stacks the bodies of his enemies—much like I do.

In reality, my father’s a fucking coward who ran away when times got tough, but if I dwell on that, I can’t help but feel that his cowardice is embedded in my veins. It's so damn difficult to accept that I'm related to a man who couldn't stand up and face his problems.

Peering around the corner again, I listen to the string of insults coming from both men.

“Now is not the time for this,” Marta gripes, using her body as a wedge between Austin and Stanley. “Donald did what he had to do. You of all people should know how serious we have to take our assignments. It’s nothing personal.”

Donald is Lev’s dad. Just the mention of his name sends chills down my spine. Donald and his wife, Becca, were hands down the kindest people in the world. Everyone loved them, which is another reason their murders came as such a shock to our small town of Glendale.

The words coming from Marta come as no surprise. I didn’t know it at the time, but Lev’s dad was a Punisher, just like Lev is. It’s very common for sons of The Society to take on the same position as their fathers. In fact, it’s extremely odd for them not to. Needless to say, my male ancestors are all Sleuths. I can only ascertain that Donald was killed out of revenge for a punishment he enacted.

“But what happened to him is more than personal,” Austin snaps, giving Stanley a shove and freeing him from his vise grip. “Donald was a good man, and now all that’s left of that family is my good-for-nothing nephew. And for you to open your fucking mouth and say he got what he deserved.” He jabs his middle finger in the air, directed at Stanley. “Fuck you.”

What a fucking lying scoundrel. He’s standing there defending his brother when he’s been drugging his brother’s son, just so he can take all his damn money.

It’s taking everything in me not to round this corner and end Austin Pemberley myself. If anyone is good for nothing, it’s that abusive narcissist.

“Donald was a good man, but Helen Foster was a good woman. And we all know what happened to her.”

My lungs restrict at the mention of my mom's name. I hold my breath, and my eyes dart from person to person, searching for clues. My heart pounds as if it's trying to break through my rib cage.

To this day, I still don’t know who took my mom’s life, but with any luck, one of these assholes will throw a name out.

I know it was a member of The Society. A Punisher, perhaps? I’ve lived with the guilt of her death my entire life, knowing it was because I killed that man in our home. The Elders sealed the case, and she told me she got off scot-free after pleading self-defense. But he was still a member, and I took his life. Even if she did take the blame. When she went missing a few days later, I knew exactly why.

All because of me.

It’s the number one reason I will reign over The Society one day. Why I will call the shots and I will punish everyone who wronged my family by taking my mom’s life and forcing my dad away.

The Sleuth will become The Punisher.

“What’s Helen have to do with this?” Marta asks, as oblivious as I am.

There’s a beat of silence before Austin speaks up. “I never mentioned it because it wasn’t necessary, but Donald is the one that was assigned to her case. It was the last case he had before his life was cut short. So myself, and others, have naturally assumed his demise was a revenge tactic for her death.”

My muscles tense and I hold my breath as if the air has been stolen from me. My vision blurs and my head fogs up. His words echo in my mind, and I fight to make sense of his shocking revelation.

Donald Pemberley—Lev’s dad—killed my mom?

How is this even possible? Does Lev know? Did he have time to even figure this one out? At the time, Lev didn’t even know his dad was a Punisher, so I can’t imagine he’s aware.

But Donald? No way! The man was a saint.

I guess all saints have a past, but still. This doesn’t make any sense.

I’m not sure what this means for Lev and me now. I don’t know how I’ll confront this, or if I even should. My mom is gone. Donald is gone. Years of plotting my own revenge on the man who took her life has just come to an abrupt stop.

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