Chapter 11

Blue Rose, Alabama

Steffan

I gently shake a snake off my boot. It hisses and then slithers away. Everyone around me is speaking at the same time and it's like fucking nails on a chalkboard. They're all looking to me for answers and guidance. A part of me knows I can do this, it's what I was born and bred to do. I'm confident I can be the leader they need me to be… someday. I'm still in my fucking twenties. What do I know? There are days I could conquer the damn world, but days like today I'm exhausted and confused. Moments like this prove I'm not ready. Three missing people. Surrounded by constant death. Fatherhood.

What the fuck. What the ever-loving fuck. The urge to scream is so strong, but I won't. They're depending on me. The elders, my brothers, pledges, Taylor, my unborn child, Chanda, Lee, and Kali are all depending on me. I'll stand here and remain stoic. Unfazed. Because I can do this. I'm Steffan Carmichael. The future of The Illicit.

The body that's lying in a pool of blood in the den of the mansion is our fraternity faculty adviser, who is also an elder of The Illicit, and my uncle on my mother's side. It fits with the killer's target audience. There are snakes slithering all over him. His throat and wrists are slit.

"It's a copycat," Soren speaks around the cigarette hanging from his lips.

"And how do you know that?"

He takes a deep drag before pulling the cig from his mouth. Holding it between his pointer and middle finger, he points to the body. "Wrong kind of snakes for one thing. Different knife used. Smaller blade."

"Why copycat the killer?"

"Distraction."

Distraction from… "Taylor. We left Taylor."

Soren is already calling Taylor. Nothing. He tries Jose. "Pick up, fucker. Pick up. Answer the damn phone! Son of a bitch!" Soren walks over and kicks a chair onto its side. Cursing under his breath as he picks up books and throws them across the room. Everyone watches with wide eyes and takes two steps back from my twin. "We fell for it. We fucking fell for it and left her!" He picks up another wooden chair and throws it at the window.

Not her. God, please no. I pace the room as I try calling Taylor again. And again. I try calling Jose's phone number again. And again. Each ring feels like a cement block landing in my stomach. I call our tech guys and ask them to see if they can track Jose's and Taylor's phones. They, too, come up empty. The phones must be turned off.

Keep it together, I remind myself. I have to keep a strong face. Losing my temper won't solve anything. It takes me two times of clearing my throat before I can speak into the phone, "Get footage from the hospital. Now. I'll be downstairs in two minutes to watch it. Have it ready."

This can't be happening. We don't know if it's the same people who took Lee. Hell, we don't even know who took him. Is it Amir Concord? The killer? Are they one in the same? We have no answers, but plenty more questions.

"This fraternity. Bullshit made-up society." Soren turns to face me, his chest rapidly rising and falling. "All of it is bullshit. It's ruining our lives, brother. Why? Why did we leave Taylor to come here? Tell me! Do you give a shit about him? Do you honestly care that he's dead? Because I don't."

"Would you even have noticed his absence?"

He releases a manic laugh. "No. No, I wouldn't have. Because. I. Don't. Give. A. Shit."

"That's the problem! The Illicit is what provides for you, for all of us."

"They provided all right. A life of misery!"

"I'm done arguing with you. You had your chance to get out, but you came back."

"Do you wish I hadn't?"

"Of course not. But you have to accept some responsibility."

"I've given these assholes enough. I'm not going to lose Taylor. If she doesn't turn up in this mansion in the next couple of minutes…" He growls in frustration and digs his hands into his hair. He drops his hands and his eyes bore into mine. They're lethal and full of rage. Soren's voice is laced with venom as he seethes, "If she's been taken because we were here dealing with this bullshit, everyone is going to pay."

He means it. All rational and sensible parts of Soren have left. A part of me wants him to get it out of his system. I always knew he'd burn the world, might as well get it over with.