Chapter 35 #3
“He wanted your support. He needed the votes. He also did everything he could to get them, including planting dangerous criminals into the streets and concocting the same poison used in this mass attack.” Damien pauses, allowing the information to sink in for those on the outside of it all.
“Senator John Avery orchestrated this plan, using these criminals to carry it out in hopes to use its depravity to earn your favor. His bill, as innocent as it seems, paves the way for him to earn millions, while leaving you vulnerable—using you, the people, as leverage. Fedor Popov…” Damien begins to list them.
“Dranan Hugo, Gianna DeLuca, and Alessio Saconne are all wanted criminals. They have been on INTERPOL’s radar for years, wanted for heinous acts like human, drug, and gun trafficking, terrorism, and many more.
” A list of their crimes scrolls down the screen, lasting much longer than it should.
“They are not only enemies of the country, but of the world…of humanity. They have wreaked havoc for decades, destroying life after life, and promoting nothing but darkness and terror.” Large red Xs cover their faces, and then they fade away. “We stopped them.”
I look back up to Damien, meeting his piercing eyes through the glass. That ‘we’ was most definitely meant for me, and I can’t help but grin at the acknowledgement.
“This information is now in the hands of every Law Enforcement Agency in the world, including INTERPOL, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and the Central Intelligence Agency, along with proof of Senator John Avery’s involvement in their crimes.
Unfortunately, it won’t stop here. This is where I ask for your help.
Demand retribution. Call for action. Scream for justice.
This cannot go unpunished, because it won’t be long before this happens again. ”
Damien steps closer to the camera, thankfully still concealed. His eyes are glued to the lens, reaching through space and time to stare his enemy down.
“I know you’re watching this, Avery. I know you can hear me.
Heed this warning.” His jaw tenses, but he forces himself to continue despite the hatred running through his veins.
“We are coming for you. We are all coming for you, and if the government turns a blind eye to your crimes, then I will find you. Your corruption ends today…” He inhales deeply.
“But we will never stop.” He takes one menacing step closer. “We’ll be seeing you.”
The feed cuts out, and the only thing I hear next is their collective sighs from the studio.
“You’ve officially gone viral, D,” Adrien declares. “People are blowing up the comments and shares. We were up to five million live viewers, and the playbacks are already in the thousands.”
Beeping rings out from Carter’s computer, making him snap towards us.
“You just received a notification!” he shouts, looking right at Victoria.
She frantically scrounges around her bag until she pulls out her phone, and then her face turns white as a sheet.
I move to read what it says over her shoulder, but Zeke’s firm hand on my arm stops me.
He jerks the phone out of her hand and reads it, then drops it in my palm.
. His fingers curl around her arm so tightly that they dig in, and her eyes widen as he shoves his face within inches of hers.
“This doesn’t change a fucking thing,” he seethes, practically hissing through his teeth.
I push my way between them, somehow pulling it off before Damien can reach us, and then I look up at my brother like I barely recognize him.
I have never seen him act this way, and while I know he has some resentment towards Victoria, this seems completely out of line.
“What the hell has gotten into you?” I poke his chest, and he moves his heated stare to me. There’s so much fire behind his green eyes that it rattles me. I don’t back down, though, knowing my brother would never hurt me.
“Why the fuck are you standing up for her?!” he yells at me, making me flinch.
“She’s not the enemy here, Zeke.”
“Since fucking when?! Huh?! She’s a God damn Avery!
You might be too hormonal and love-sick to see clearly, but I’m not letting this bitch walk free, and she’s definitely not sticking around here!
Get out of your stupid peace bubble for five God damn minutes and see that we still have a major problem here!
” He leans towards me, like he’ll actually try and step around me to get to her.
“Zeke!” Damien yells, emerging from the shadows and grasping him by the shirt. “Get it together! Avery will get his!”
“What about her?!” he screams again and points towards Victoria with a shaky finger.
Small cries draw my attention downward, and I watch as Elizabeth grasps onto Victoria’s leg in fear.
Tears fall down her small cheeks, twisting my gut.
I jerk back to Zeke, barely catching his remorseful eyes before they glaze over with hatred another time, and move to Victoria once again.
He shoves Damien off with a strong grunt and storms away, walking with such force that his boots echo against the floor.
“Zeke…” I try to call after him, but he doesn’t stop.
“What the hell has gotten into him?” Alex asks, already stepping after him.
“Just calm him down and figure it out,” Damien demands and turns to me. “Are you okay?”
I nod softly.
“I’m fine.” I pat his chest and turn to Victoria and Elizabeth. “What about you two?”
“We’re okay,” Victoria answers and looks down at Elizabeth, who clearly doesn’t agree with Victoria’s statement.
She’s looking up at the three of us with a curious and hurt stare, like she never actually thought that Zeke of all people could be aggressive.
Damien leans down to talk to her, keeping one arm around my hips as I avert my gaze and read the message.
Unknown
We will take your silence as repayment. Failure to uphold your end will result in reactivation of your targeted status. We WILL be watching.
“I imagine that talk with the Feds is going to come a lot sooner than we were expecting,” Victoria whispers to me as she clings to Elizabeth.
“We’ll figure it out. They’ll have to find you first.” I hand her the phone back. “I think the first thing we should do is get rid of that thing. That text either means they think they know where you are, or they already know you’re here, and both are bad options.”
Before Victoria can pocket the phone, Damien plucks it from her hands and turns to Carter simultaneously.
“You got everything off of this?”
“Yeah,” Carter replies. “All the media and text files are downloaded and stored.”
Another cramp hits me out of nowhere, making me shift on my toes. I try to play it off by adjusting my leggings, but Damien’s free hand moves to trace the underside of my belly with comforting pressure.
“Good. Get rid of it.” Damien tosses it to him, then looks at me with a creased forehead. “Come on. Chris should be here with dinner soon, and I want you to relax before the guys pile into the cafeteria.”
He leads us towards the kitchen, but I look back and visually trace my brother’s steps.
I don’t see him at the end of the hall, but it’s clear that he and Alex are in a heated argument, given Alex’s flailing hands and red face as he faces another doorway.
Whatever they’re saying, they’re sure to be quiet about it.
It pisses me off. If something is going on with Zeke, then I want to know about it.
I want to help him. Why can’t he just let me?
I’m used to his attitude and hateful remarks, but this is different.
He seemed genuinely angry at me, too. Pain explodes through my body just at the thought, because I don’t understand why.