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He nods and takes a seat on the sofa next to me.
Tristen looks at all of us before letting out a long breath. “My father is part of an organization. A secret society, you could say. He threatened me today with my initiation into the society.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Kayce scrunches his face and lets out a chuckle. “Your dad wants you to join his secret club? Is it like a poker night or something? Is there a secret handshake and stuff too? Do you post a ‘no girls allowed’ sign on the club tree house?”
I let out a sigh. “I’m pretty sure this is much more serious than that, Kayce. Otherwise, Tristan wouldn’t look like someone stole his puppy.”
“He always looks like someone stole his puppy. It’s his permanent asshole face.” Kayce throws a hand toward Tristan as if to prove his point. He opens his mouth again, but I hold up my hand in his direction and turn my attention toward Tristan.
“Why does he want you as part of it? What does this… society do?”
Tristan clears his throat. “Nothing good. They are made up of politicians, corporate billionaires, people of power. The fact that I am even telling you this isn’t good. For any of us. But at this point, what choice do I have? He owns me.Theyown me.”
“But why does he want you in it?” I ask again.
“Because it’s my birthright or some shit like that. I was supposed to follow in his footsteps. Take my place among the elite.” He shrugs.
“Just tell him no,” Asher offers up.
“I can’t and yet I did.”
“And?” Asher presses.
“He threatened my career. Said I would never be able to play again. I’d fail a drug test or whatever. He would even go so far as to injure me to a point where I would never be able to play again.”
“He can’t do that,” I argue.
Tristan lets out a small chuckle. “He can and he will.”
“So, let’s go to the cops or to John. We can’t just sit around and let you be part of this death club.” Kayce shakes his head and jumps to his feet. “He can’t just threaten to take away your career, your life.”
Tristan shrugs. “He can, actually.”
“Calm down, Kayce.” Asher motions for Kayce to sit. “If this ‘society’ is as influential as Tristan is saying, chances are there are people in there that make sure it stays under the radar.”
“That’s the thing.” Tristan clears his throat. “This isn’t a small society; the Black Skull Society is a very large group of people all over this country. The power it wields, the influence it has, it’s not to be fucked with.”
Fear creeps down my spine. My memory of the trouble from the Luciano Mafia family and the problems they caused us in our Darkwood days comes to mind. I suddenly feel nauseous. The web they strung was so deep into the school, and the city.
I had no clue about it until I was knee deep in the shit. I shake my head and try to clear the thoughts of my nightmare and look up at Tristan.
“Then what the fuck are you gonna do?” I ask him.
“What choice do I have? It’s why I’m telling you all about this. I don’t have a choice in this matter. This has been in the works since high school. My life will belong to them, and if I want to continue to play ball, I need to play their game.”
“How did this society come about? How did your father get involved in it?” Kayce asks.
“As far as I know, their origins come from a dark and clandestine group from the medieval era. They were hidden deep within the catacombs of Europe. Originally formed by a cult of disillusioned nobles, occultists, and outcasts, their belief in the devil’s power as a force of liberation has evolved into a global network of corrupted elites.”
“I’m sorry, did you say they believe in the devil’s power?” Asher’s eyes widen.
Tristan nods. “The Black Skull Society believes that Satan represents true freedom, liberation from moral and societal constraints.”
“Are you quoting from their recruitment flyer?” Kayce scrunches his face.
“It’s drilled into us.” He shrugs.
“Okay, but then what do they want? What is their end goal?” I frown, wondering why and how this is even possible. How something from so long ago could still be around to wreak havoc on lives. How come they weren’t stopped centuries ago?