22. Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Two
Who thought this was okay?
Hutton
T he blood in my veins rages in agony. I’m barely holding my anger in. We should’ve been more careful. Hell is coming to their doorstep. They’ve messed with the wrong family. Turning to face Matt, I spot the picture Weston drew of ninjas and goats I’d taped to one of the computer modems.
“The FBI will only get in the way,” I say through clenched teeth. “I’ll find whoever is responsible and when I do no government agency will be looking over my shoulder.”
If they think they can hide behind code I created as a type of insult toward me, breach our security by dropping a threat here, and lay a single finger on our kid…they don’t know me.
I was built for destruction. That’s my whole purpose.
Matt pushes the bagged note toward me on the desk in my office. “This is what we’re dealing with. Do you understand they’ve been killing people connected to the Lassiter and Bradford families? Making threats, letting us know they know where to find all of us…work, home. They have your code figured out. What am I missing? You think you’re going to single- handedly stop them without the FBI’s involvement?” The vein in his forehead is sticking out, his jaw tensing and face flushing. “There’s bravery, then there’s stupidity. The more of us working on this, the better.”
Is this why he had to talk to me alone? He’s mistaken if he thinks I’ll comply; I don’t answer to him. Not as a husband to Eden, not as a father to Wes, and definitely not because he is a high-ranking FBI agent.
I’m accountable to Eden and the kids, but I know my wife would approve of any means necessary to return Weston. We have the unique displeasure of learning the hard way - it’s us or them. They believe we’re a danger to society? Then they must be eradicated. Our blood and genes aren’t the problem, it’s us knowing the truth. They aren’t able to profit from our blood or genes. We took down their leader, but there was more to Camp Carroll than Number One.
I have no problem taking the lives of anyone involved in this. The last of the true Realists have no idea the monster they’re unleashing.
Matt is still mulling over my refusal to comply with him when I leave my office, only to find more random people milling around. “Harrison,” I bark. “Get these people out of our home. Now.”
Thoughts appear to be processing, but he’s not moving fast enough for me.
I’m tired of playing nice with agents who have been pointlessly roaming around the property lately. “Listen up, if you aren’t a member of this family or have a badge…get the fuck out.”
Matt mumbles, “There was a better way to do that. So much for the goodwill of our neighbors.”
My words do the trick regardless. Several people scatter toward the front door. I take mental note of each, a possible culprit among them. It was lazy of the agents and officers to allow people inside our home. They were all briefed on the threats. But by all means…come on in. Matt and Keir would know better, but it all happened before they returned from finding Eden.
We need to make our circle smaller.
Much smaller.
Trust. No. One.
Camera footage from overnight into the morning hours only showed Harrison, Bristow, our neighbor cutting down trees at the northeast corner of the property, four passing cars, and various wildlife. No suspect to hunt for. I’ve managed to get plate numbers from the vehicles in case they stopped off camera range and someone returned on foot. “These need to be followed up on.” I hand the list to Matt.
He pockets the paper with a nod. “Does the property west of the vet clinic have any security cameras? The …What’s their name again? The Paulsons?”
“Harrison was checking on it.”
I hear Blaine bitching at Bristow, and I fully support his efforts. We don’t always agree, but I understand the frustration right now.
When I see Eden coming out of the bathroom, we make eye contact from across the room. Moving towards each other with haste, I pick her up in a hug. “I’m going to find every person responsible and make them pay…every one of them.”
They have the worst enemy imaginable.
One who has blood on his hands already.
“Find Weston. Find him first,” she says in a scratchy voice through her tears.
“I will.” In the meantime, I need to ensure they can’t get to her or the other kids. “You need to go into hiding. I know you’re g-”
She cuts me off. “No. We stick together. We stay together here. If they know where we are, they can bring Wes back,” she continues her eyes wide. In a plaintive appeal, she says, “They found us before, they will again. We stay. All of us together.”
She thinks they’ll return Weston?
I don’t. I expect they will use him to torment us, make demands…but if we don’t get to Weston soon, we’ll lose him.