Burn Those Who Burned Me novel Chapter 34

Chapter 34

-Thomas‘ POV:

Thomas arrived at the Ivy around 12:30pm. As he made his way past the reception, he could see the friend that informed Andrew of Damon’s return. Walking over, Thomas began to ask where Damon was. Before he could finish, the man waived his hand in the air.

“First things, first Lockwood, that assistant of yours said I’d be compensated for my information.”

Thoams looked at the man with complete disgust.

“So, you’d sell your friend out for money, how disgraceful.”

The man scoffed.

“Whatever, you want the information, it’s gonna cost you.”

Thomas pulled his checkbook out and wrote the man a check for two thousand dollars. After placing the check in his pocket, he pointed over to the section Damon was sitting with his friends.

“Pleasure doing business with you Lockwood.”

Thomas made his way to the section, hopefully he could find out where Rabena was in time for the ball.

Damon was laughing with his friends Jake and Chris. They had been his best friends since grade school and was upset when he left.

“Man look at you! The west has been good to you! Still pissed at you for leaving us though.”

Chris joked as he gave Damon a soft punch to the arm. Jake chimed in as

well.

“Yeah dude, I can’t believe you ditched us! We’ve really missed you!”

Damon smiled sheepishly at his friends, when he’d decided to leave with Rabena, everything happened so fast he didn’t get the chance to really say goodbye.

“Sorry guys. I had to protect my little sister though.”

Both Chris and Jake knew about the hell Rabena had been through at the hands of Thomas and the Crests, so even though they missed their friend, they completely understood.

“Nah, we understand. I would have done the same thing for my sister. How is Rabena?”

Jake asked as he stuffed fries in his mouth.

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Chapter 34

“She’s doing great actually. She’s really grown up and come into her own. I’ve got to see her in a totally new light. It’s so much I got to catch y’all up on.”

Damon looked at his watch, his last friend Raymond was also supposed to come, but he still hadn’t arrived.

“Hey, wasn’t Raymond supposed to come too?”

Chris looked at his phone.

“Yeah it looks like he just texted me saying something came up. Guess he isn’t coming.”

Damon didn’t mind; he’d never really cared for Raymond. He hung out with him only because of Chris, same for Jake.

“I know that’s your friend Chris, but that dude always seemed shifty to me.”

“Nah, he’s alright. He’s just not much of a people’s person.”

Jake shrugged his shoulders as if to say, ‘whatever you say‘.

Just as Damon was about to say something, he noticed both Jake and Chris look up startled. Curious, he turned around to see what they were staring at. There was Thomas, looking nervously at Damon remembering the last time the two of them were in the same room.

Thomas extended his hand nervously to Damon.

“Long time no see Damon. How’ve you been?”

Damon looked at Thoams’s hand with disgust, no way did he think he was going to be friendly with him after what he did to his sister. Standing slowly, Damon looked down at Thomas.

“What the hell are you doing here Lockwood?”

Thomas felt a slight surge of fear down his spine, he didn’t think Damon would attack him in a public place, but he stepped back just to be cautious.

“I didn’t come to start any trouble Damon. I just wanted to know if you could tell me where Rabena is.”

“Why in the hell would I do that?”

Thomas knew this wouldn’t be easy, still, this was the only chance he had left.

“Look Damon, I know I wasn’t the best to your sister, for that I’m sorry. You have no idea how much I wish I could take back what I did. That’s why-”

Before he could finish, Damon cut him off.

“Exactly what were you wishing you could take back Lockwood? Throwing a marriage certificate in her face and

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Chapter 34

then bailing on her to celebrate her sister’s birthday even though it was her day too? Or how about all the times you picked Danielle’s side over Ruby’s even though she didn’t do anything. Oh, this is a good one, maybe allowing her to catch you fucking Dani in the guest room. You’d like to take that back?”

Jake and Chris stood in shock, they knew things were bad between Thomas and Rabena, but they had no idea it was THIS bad. Thomas was a whole monster.

Suddenly, Damon walked up to Thomas’s face causing his color to drain with fear.

“Or maybe you wanna take back nearly killing my sister by locking her in a hot shed for over three days with no food or water.”

All the color had drained from Thomas’s face at this point. He knew this meeting wouldn’t be easy, but he hadn’t expected it to go this horrible. There was no way Damon would tell him anything after expressing all of Rabena’s grievances. With Damon still staring in Thomas’s face, Jake decided to speak up.

“I’m not sure what your plan was here Lockwood, but whatever it was it’s not going to happen. Why don’t you take your leave and spare yourself any further embarrassment.”

Thomas panicked and looked over at Jake.

“Jake I’m sorry but this doesn’t have anything to do with you. I just want to-”

Jake walked up to Thomas followed by Chris; a crowd of people were now looking in their direction. Chris decided to speak now.

“Lockwood, we’re doing you a favor because unless you want all these people to see you put on your ass, I suggest you leave now.

Realizing he was outnumbered, Thomas decided to take his loss. Holding his head slightly down, Thomas turned to take his leave. Fuming, he called his assistant and told him to put a stop order on the check he wrote out to Raymond. Next he headed over to the Crest estate to inform them they would be going with plan B.

Seething, Thomas knew he had to secure this deal by any means necessary, but he’d also begun to feel guilty about how he’d treated Rabena all these years. He told himself after he secured the deal with MGT he would make it up to her, it was the least he could do for her writing that proposal.

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