29. Alexis #2
“What do you want me to say, Lex? She was just as big of a piece of shit as Charlotte in the end. It doesn’t surprise me that she would have worked for Adrian.
Abigail hated Charlotte and would do everything she could to see her fail.
Both of them apparently have an affinity for bullets to the head.
” She chuckled at the last part as if this was all some sort of twisted joke to her.
“It doesn’t bother you that she was working for Adrian?” I questioned.
“No, it doesn’t. Anathema competed with us every chance they got, stealing clients and accepting low-end rates.” Chyler huffed.
“How is it you knew about Anathema and I didn’t? Madison even seemed to know who they were.” I gave her a confused look. How could they have kept this from me for so long?
“Lex… Here’s the thing you need to understand, and you’ve already witnessed what they are capable of firsthand.
We kept this from you because of the temptation.
They promise power, control, and corruption.
Madison and I never told you of their existence as a means to protect you.
” She placed a hand on my shoulder, her voice softening .
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I shrugged her off of me. I wasn’t a child and didn’t need to be coddled like one. Just because they were both older than me didn’t mean they needed to treat me any differently.
Chyler sighed, tapping the gun to her forehead in agitation.
“They’ve been trying to recruit us for a while, but we’ve always denied them. Any time a letter would show up, we would burn it before you even had a chance to see it.”
“You say years, but Madison seems to have not known that Adrian was their leader,” I added.
“Adrian wasn’t the founder of Anathema. He likes to think he is because he brought them to a level of pitch black from where they originally stood. His corruption bled out over the time he took control.”
“How do you know all of this? Any of this?” I gawked, shocked that I had been this naive and blind to what was happening right in front of me all these years. Here, I thought I knew everything, but now I realize that I knew absolutely nothing.
“Look, we don’t have time for this. We can discuss everything later after we take care of Adrian.”
“No!” I shouted, stomping my foot. If they were going to treat me like a toddler, then I would act like one. “Tell me, right now. Did Madison know who Adrian was all along? What he was doing?”
Chyler gritted her teeth with a sigh, dropping her head and running a hand through her long strands .
“Yes. She knew what he was doing with Anathema, and that is why she had agreed to marry him in the first place. Madison was planning to join him in leading this fucked up cult with false promises. But that is her story to share with you, not mine, so if we are done here. We have an asshole to take care of.”
I sucked in a deep breath and nodded. I’ll have to take my questions directly to Madison after all this was over—if she ever mentally recovers from the trauma Adrian put her through yet again.
Following closely behind her, we turned another corner and found Adrian up against a wall, held at gunpoint with a sly grin on his face.
“Alexis and Chyler, how nice of you to join us; Sergeant Drake was just indulging me in all the details about how he rescued you back there.” His voice was a purr.
“Shut up, you sadistic fuck.” Chyler shouted, holding her gun up with the barrel aimed directly at his head as we approached them.
“Chyler, you shoot him, and you’ll be leaving here in cuffs.” Sergeant Drake threatened, not removing his eyes from Adrian as he held him at gunpoint with his rifle.
“You really want to mess with me right now, Sergeant? After all we’ve been through over the years?” Chyler gave him a sweet yet venomous smile.
“No, I don’t, but if I have to go back up to the ground level empty-handed, it’s my balls in a vice.” He ground out.
“Always such a dirty boy. Your wife must be pleased with you.” She chuckled, lowering her gun.
“Fine. You can take him, but I swear to god. If he manages to get out of your custody or whatever prison you will be locking him up in, you’ll have a lot more to worry about than simply your balls in a vice.
” Chyler’s quick shift in demeanor made me take a step back.
I could feel the threat in her words; she wasn’t playing games with him.
Honestly, I was shocked that she gave up shooting Adrian that easily.
“We’ve been on his ass for a long while. He’s not going anywhere.” Sergeant Drake reassured her as he stepped towards Adrian, pulling his cuffs from his belt.
“Easy on the suit; it’s worth more than your paycheck, Sergeant.” Adrian hissed as Drake turned him around, roughly shoving him up against the wall and handcuffing his wrists behind his back.
“What does it matter? Your new suit will be orange in the morning.” Drake chuckled, tightening the cuffs more than usual. “Hell, you look like my size, too; I might just keep this suit for myself as a parting gift.”
“You think a set of bars and a cement room are going to stop me from doing this all over again?” Adrian laughed as Drake jerked him to face us. “Keep me from Madis—” I gripped his chin tightly in my hand, making sure to dig my nails into his flawless skin.
“Say her name again. I fucking dare you.” I hissed, my eyes shooting daggers directly into his.
“I’ll always find a way back to Madison. She’s mine, Alexis. I fucking own her, and she knows it.” He whispered at me in a hiss.
Chyler stepped up, gripping his shoulders and driving her knee hard enough into his gut that he curled inward and grunted .
“If I find out you’ve even left your fucking cell to breathe fresh air, just once, I’ll kill you myself. Consequences be damned.” Chyler seethed before cracking him in his temple with her fist. At the same time, another SWAT officer ran in from around the corner, panting heavily.
“Sarg… The CIA agents… want a word with you.” He breathed out, attempting to catch his breath.
Drake shoved Adrian into the other officer’s hands.
“Here, take him to the surface, and do not let him out of your sight. Not even for a second. Do you understand?” He commanded, and the officer before him nodded, grabbing hold of Adrian’s arm.
“Understood, Sarg.” He gestured a salute before exiting the passage with Adrian in tow.
“Sounds like the boys from the CIA are waiting for us. Shall we?” He sighed, securing his rifle behind him and heading back the way we came.
Chyler and I glanced at each other, and I couldn’t help the look of resentment that burned in my eyes.
I was pissed off at Madison and Chyler. The two of them left me in the dark for so long and then left me altogether these last eight months.
I thought we were sisters and they cared about me. Now I wasn’t so sure anymore.
Breathing out a sigh, I didn’t say a word to her as I turned to follow Sergeant Drake. Whatever she had to say to me didn’t matter. I wasn’t ready for her apology, if she even had one.