“Cause I’m stronger than you. I tried to save that girl. From what you orchestrated.”
“Tell yourself that, Darek. But I’ve owned you all along. From the moment we met. You remember that, don’t you? How your old man called you a pussy and left you to walk all the way to camp. Or maybe it was the minute I took you into my group, invited you into my house, and branded you into my family. The minute I went back and saw what you’d done to her, and from the moment I covered your tracks, I’ve owned you.”
Darek’s eyes burned with anger. His collar grew hot, and his hands balled into fists. The gaps in his memory of that night might have been huge, but he knew the truth was in there somewhere. He’d find it. Find it and learn the truth. He didn’t act alone. That much, he knew for sure, but he was going to humor the guy. “Is that why you called me down here, to enlighten me?”
Bay laughed. “Your mind is so weak, you’re starting to doubt yourself.” He looked at the others and then turned back to face Darek. “Do you see how easy it is for me to manipulate you? Now, I want you to make sure that nothing is linked back to Virginia. I don’t care if you have to sabotage your career, but this doesn’t fucking go any further. And I meant what I said. If you try to put this on any one of us, I’ll make sure that the story is told my way. You believed it. What makes you think they won’t? Especially when I have ten other people telling them the same story.”
Darek wasn’t as weak as he thought. He’d been weak once, that night, but never again.
Bay walked over and poured himself another drink. “So, detective, tell us what you know.”
“The police department down in Virginia is sending my partner all of their evidence, and it’s being looked over. I’ve tried to steer her away, but she’s determined.”
“Determined, huh? Does she have some sort of agenda?”
“No, she’s just a gung-ho agent for the FBI who is doing her job.” He wished he hadn’t brought Lizzy up.
“Is she attractive?” Bay asked.
Darek’s face burned red, and his nostrils went to pumping again.
“I’m going to take that reaction as a yes.” He turned and gave Darek a sly grin. “Have you fucked her yet? Oh, wait. You’re married, aren’t you? Loyal?”
“She left me.”
Bay laughed, and some of the others joined in. “That’s pathetic. Maybe your father was right, and you are a pussy.”
“I wanted to leave,” Darek said.
“Ah, wanted the all-clear to fuck the new pretty partner?” Bay turned and gave him a sideward glance. Darek didn’t know how the motherfucker dissected people the way he did, but he hated him for it. And he hated himself not being as good at it.
“So?” Darek asked.
“So? Haven’t you learned anything by watching me?”
Darek knew Bay wanted him to fuck Lizzy and persuade her to stop pursuing the leads, but Bay didn’t know she wasn’t easily manipulated. If she was, he would have already kissed her by now.
“I’ll do what I can,” Darek said.
“Just remember, if anyone comes gunning for us, you’re going to take the most heat, hero.”
Darek nodded. “Let’s hope that whoever is fucking with me won’t come after the rest of us. That’s something you really need to think about.”
Tad’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“This might be a serial killer,” Darek said. “It’s not for certain, but we can’t find our top suspect, and we think he’s dead. Murdered by whoever carved up that girl.”
“The guy just ran off somewhere,” Bay said.
“No, he left some unfinished business. Risky shit.”
He had Bay’s attention now. He walked over to the window and stared out into the night lights.
“The first victim was a girl,” Bay said. “She isn’t connected to any of us. I, for one, didn’t know her. Did any of you?” He glanced around at the others.
Tad gave him a pointed look. “Hello? Yes, I knew her.”
“Oh, right,” Bay said. “So, if this guy is dead, then what the fuck does he have to do with any of us?”
“We’ve got a dead young girl and a possibly-dead older man,” Darek said.
“How old of a man?” Tad asked.
“Victor Barnes,” Darek said. “Owner of Victory Tattoos. He was in his forties. What’s on your mind?”
“Victory, as in Camp Victory?” Alan asked before walking over to the bar to pour himself another drink. “I agree with Darek. That’s some fucked up coincidence. First the zodiac symbols, you got a young girl as a victim, and the word ‘Victory’?”
“And don’t forget the secret message,” Darek said. “’The beginning of your end’ was the message carved into her back.”
“Fuck, the beginning of our ends?” Alan asked.
Logan shrugged. “Maybe it’s code or something.”
“There’s more if you want to hear it,” Darek said.
Bay stayed at the window, but the others crowded around Darek. Logan poured him a drink and handed it over. “Spill it. Everything.”
“Thanks. The tattoo was done in phases. The Sagittarius symbol was done last. That’s my sign.”
Logan cleared his throat. “So? You think they’re coming after you? Maybe all of this is intended for you? Someone might have seen you dump the girl. Someone who knows you have that sign on your arm.”
“I’m not sure. It’s possible, but the reason I thought it was one of you guys, or possibly one of the others, is you guys are the only ones who know I was added to the group last. There’s no way anyone could know that if they weren’t there.”
“So, either we are the next victims, or one of us is a killer,” Tad said, wrapping his arms around himself.
Darek shrugged. “Maybe both.”
Bay called from the window. “Well, whatever it is, I say bring it on.”
22
Darek
Darek was exhausted from the head fuck that was Bay Collins. The man shook him up, and he hated that someone could influence him so much. For a moment, just a split second, he was that young boy again, wanting to fit in.
Bay had welcomed him into the group that first day, and on the fifth night of camp, once everyone had gotten to know him, he showed his father he wasn’t a pussy. A pussy wouldn’t be a part of the coolest group in camp; a pussy wouldn’t bite down on a stick and take the pain of a searing hot brand. He’d bitten that stick so hard, he thought he heard his jaw snap, but he was determined not to flinch, and for that, he ended up with the nicest looking brand in the group. And lucky him, his was an arrow. It could symbolize many things. He’d been proud of his brand, and he took the healing like a champ, too.