25. Marcus
Marcus
It only took five days for what happened to Amber to become nothing more than a dark and fucked up memory.
Dean and I spent hours trying to figure out what the fuck to do with the body before eventually breaking down and calling the only fixer we could trust in this city to handle our complication discreetly. Colton Kane .
I still hadn’t confronted Dean about what went on in those tunnels with Derek, so I was oblivious to the matter to his knowledge. In all actuality, I saw everything—including the beating that Dean, Derek, and Atlas took once the lights had gone out.
Huge props to Dennison for having night vision enabled on his GoPro.
I spent those heart-wrenching hours with sore teeth from a clenched jaw, unable to do anything more than watch as Adrian tormented my Madison, forcing her to her knees as if she were nothing more than an obedient bitch.
I fisted my hands in my hair, pulling at the strands in aggravation as I watched Adrian wrap himself around her like a snake, covering her mouth with his palm while the other restrained her arms by her sides.
“It seems my girl needs to be retrained.” I could hear his slimy, distorted voice through the earpiece; my hands now balled at my sides, knuckles paling.
The audio wasn’t crystal clear, muffled by the cloak Dennison was wearing, but I could still hear enough to know that I wanted to kill Adrian right where he fucking stood.
My breathing accelerated as I stared at the screen, wishing I was there to protect Madison.
Fuck, I felt so fucking useless just standing here while that sick and twisted motherfucker had his hands all over her.
“Fucking do something!” I roared into the mic and slammed my fists against the metal table.
Dennison didn’t move from his current position—complete radio silence.
Madison shifted slightly, catching my attention once again. I then watched her drive the knife she held through Adrian’s thigh.
“You fucking cunt!” He shouted, releasing his hold on her.
Madison scrambled away from Adrian, clawing at the floor for purchase.
The camera’s night vision was still active, so I knew it had to be dark in the room—near pitch black. She would have had no idea where she was going, feeling her way through the darkness.
“You want to play hard to get?” Adrian’s malicious voice echoed across the room as the torches were re-lit, and he now stood over Madison, who gaped up at him, eyes wide like a deer in headlights. “I’ll play.”
“Fucking run, Mads!” I barked at the screen even though I knew she couldn’t hear me. “FUCK!”
Adrian gripped the hair at the back of Madison’s head, roughly pulling her up to stand before dragging her body across the room to where Dean, Derek, and Atlas were still kneeling; then, he shoved her down to the ground in front of them.
He ripped the knife from his thigh, not even flinching from the pain it would have caused any normal person, and then pointed it directly across the room to where I assumed Chyler and Alexis were being held before dropping it to the dirt by her hands.
I could hear Madison’s cries and whimpers through the earpiece just before the audio abruptly cut off and the video distorted.
The screen suddenly went black, and I gripped the sides of the monitor with my hands, shaking it and shouting—begging for the feed to come back.
Losing control of my rationality, I ripped the monitor off the table, wiring and all, and threw it across the room, seething as the screen shattered when it hit the concrete floor.
“FUCK!!”
Shock and surprise. The last person I thought would ever attempt to contact me was the first name that lit up my phone after I finished my shower.
Peering down at my phone as I dried my hair off with a towel, I saw D Asshole as a missed call with two new text messages. Drake.
The man must be missing me already if he’s finally calling to apologize.
I unlocked my phone to read his texts, expecting his grumpy ass to want nothing more but ask for yet another favor not actually involving me.
D Asshole: I’ve got a favor to ask. Can you meet me at A6?
D Asshole: And before you jump to conclusions, this is regarding you. Not Dean, nor anyone else for that matter.
Drake had managed to catch my attention, and my interest was now piqued as to what kind of favor he needed from me.
I stared at the screen, dragging my tongue along my inner cheek and front of my teeth as I pondered what he might want, given that our last interaction had been less than amicable .
Drake stormed into the room, and I launched myself up from where I had been sitting for the past hour, wondering what the fuck was going on.
“You son-of-a-bitch! You just stood there while he threw Madison around like a piece of fucking trash!” I snarled, storming across the room to get in his face.
From the moment I hurled the monitor across the room, I had been seething with feral rage.
I was fully convinced that Drake and Dennison disconnected the feed on purpose. Whether to get a rise out of me or to hide what they were about to do, it didn’t fucking matter.
What mattered was that they did fucking nothing while Adrian put his hands on the woman I loved.
“Calm the fuck down, kid.” Drake held his hands up to pause my approach. “We got him. Dennison is escorting Adrian to Oak Park as we speak.”
“And Madison?” I rushed out.
Right now, she was the only one I was concerned about—fuck Adrian and the rest of Anathema.
“Fuck if I know.” Drake shrugged like he genuinely didn’t give a shit. “From what I remember, she was wrapped so tightly around Dean it was almost as if they were a thing.” He leveled me with a suspicious look as if I didn’t already know they were fucking together.
“Our relationship is none of your damn business.” I hissed before stepping past him and heading straight toward the exit.
“I don’t know what the fuck you guys are smoking at the CIA, but you and your buddies need to watch your backs when it comes to those women. Madison in particular.”
I stopped dead in my tracks as her name filtered through my ears.
“Why is that?” I asked, not looking back at him but curious to hear what he had to say.
“I know you heard what went on down there. How deeply involved she was with Adrian and the kind of creature he is.” Drake’s voice hardened.
“Madison was groomed to fit everything Adrian wanted in an Empress of his world. She may seem sweet and innocent from the outside, with minor bumps and bruises, but underneath it all, that woman alone could level an entire building and wouldn’t even bat an eye. ”
I didn’t move from where I stood, letting his words sink under my skin as he continued speaking. How the fuck does he know all of this?
“By all means, don’t let me stop you from having a good time, but I’m putting it out there now. Those harpies don’t play the whole ‘fuck around and find out’ game. They get straight to the point, asking questions long after the fact—if they even ask at all.”
I prayed to god that he was wrong and exaggerating the facts.
It was too late for me to turn away now.
I loved Madison and would do whatever it took to stay with her, even if it meant twisting my good-boy morality into something far darker.
Pulling up to the Alpha-Six headquarters, I noticed Drake lazily standing outside, casually resting against the building with his arms and ankles crossed.
He wore the typical moss green SWAT uniform, bulletproof vest, and tactical belt his team was known for. The division logo was patched onto his upper sleeve and the front of the vest, right below his last name.
I never responded to his texts, so he either knew I would show up regardless, or he was waiting outside for an entirely different reason.
I parked my car between the two covered meters before meeting Drake, who stood just outside the main entrance.
As I approached him, he remained firmly planted against the red brick wall, comfortable with his current position and apparently not giving two shits that I had even shown up.
“Well, you have my attention, Drake.” I stopped next to him, shoving my hands into my pockets as I awaited to hear the reason for his summoning.
“I need a favor from you.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair and dragging it down the nape of his neck as he stared mindlessly at the pavement.
“Yeah, I got that from your texts.”
“Don’t give me that snarky attitude of yours, or I’ll change my mind.”
“You haven’t even told me what the favor is. How would I know if I’m even interested in the first place?” I huffed with a sarcastic laugh as I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes, accessing him.
The ball was totally in my court with this proposition.
Drake rubbed the back of his neck before dropping the hand to his side and lifting his eyes to meet mine.
“Look… This isn’t a decision I’m making lightly. There are several team members who I could ask instead—”
“So ask them? Why jump down the list directly to me if they’re more worthy of this request—”
“Because I see the potential in you.” Drake lashed out, interrupting me as I had done to him.
That was rich, coming from him. The man who continued to call me a kid whenever I was in his presence.
If he genuinely saw potential in me, he failed numerous times to show it.
“You don’t even fucking know me—”
“I was you, kid… Back before all of this, I was just like you.” Drake waved his arms out wide, his tone hard with frustration.
“Young, reckless, and unable to give a fuck unless it benefited me in the end.” I don’t know where this sudden change in demeanor came from, but he was now sounding pissed off more than anything.
“That’s not—”
“It’s true, and it’s not a bad thing. You just need to grow the hell up, and I’m about to give you an opportunity to do that right now. ”
The seriousness of his tone caught me off guard and had me scratching my head in curiosity and confusion.
I had only briefly worked with him while Anathema was the common thread, vague being the keyword here.
So I couldn’t figure out why he was so willing to give me a responsibility that should’ve belonged to someone who worked much closer to him, with an established and trustworthy relationship. Someone like Dennison.
“I’m listening…”
Maybe he was right; this would be my chance to participate in something more significant than the CIA alone.
“Without disclosing too many confidential details, I’m needed elsewhere, and I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.” Drake’s voice softened with a sigh as if the reason for his leave had hit its mark closer to home.
He chewed on his bottom lip, contemplation creasing his brows.
“Well, that’s as generalized as you could get. Where are you going?”
“Nevada.”
One word, and with his hesitation, I knew he wouldn’t disclose anything more.
“And what exactly do you need from me?”
“I need you to be my eyes and ears for A6. Keep the team in order while I’m away. I’ll be in frequent contact with you if anything goes awry— ”
“And how the fuck am I expected to do that while working for the CIA?”
So this was his big plan? His huge ask? Make me the babysitter for Alpha-Six while he fucked off to Nevada? Un-fucking-believable. Seriously.
“You’ll manage, I’m sure. Why don’t you ask your CIA buddies for help? They seem pretty open to bending the rules whenever it suits their needs.” Referring to Derek, Atlas, and Dean, no doubt.
“And if I refuse?”
“You won’t. Because you know as well as I do that you want adrenaline-inducing excitement—I’m offering you that long-term.
You do this for me, and you’ll be welcome as an official member of Alpha-Six.
You’ll no longer have to sit behind a screen and watch Dennison do what you’ve always dreamed of doing.
Instead, you’ll be right there, in the action. ”
By his tone, I could discern that he was being sincere with his offer, although I couldn’t help but feel like there was something he wasn’t telling me.
A catch I was missing; fine print that would give him a loophole, telling me to fuck off once he got back from taking care of whatever the fuck was so important.
“Again, the CIA—”
“The CIA works with multiple government entities to perform their daily tasks. You don’t have to change anything except your attitude to do this.
You can let me know your decision within the week.
After that, I leave for Nevada, and the offer is off the table.
” Drake pushed off the wall, turning to reach for the door handle.
“And just for good measure. I’ll even sweeten the deal by offering you a favor in return.
One I know you wouldn’t dare say no to—for Madison’s sake. ”
What could he possibly have to offer Madison?
…
Oh fuck.