7. EXPOSED #2
Luna and Jules exchange a concerned look, but they don’t press. “And why the hell is Hudson here with Enzo?” Jules asks. “None of our research showed those two were connected.”
“Yeah, but with a man on the inside, there wouldn’t be a record, would there? They probably had Hudson in play before we even arrived in DC. Only way it could have worked,” Luna says with her arms crossed, clearly unnerved. Her fingers tap against her arm.
“What do we do?” I ask.
Luna sighs. “We might get away with telling them the bare minimum.”
“Excuse me? Bare minimum of what? The operation we’ve been working on for over a decade? What are you even talking about? You think we can trust them?” I huff.
Luna and Jules exchange a glance. “Maybe,” they say together.
They’ve lost their damned minds. “Are you kidding me? They saw the boards, they’re probably memorizing them right now. The names, the intel. You think those men just walk away from that? You know they won’t.”
Jules exhales, rubbing her temples. “Look, I’m not talking full disclosure, obviously.
I’m saying strategic honesty. Enzo is not involved in trafficking.
We’ve confirmed it a hundred times. He moved their business away from sex work when his parents died.
And it’s widely known that he doesn’t take hits on women or children.
He’s not our enemy. If he knows why these men were targeted, he might let it go. ”
Luna agrees. “Hudson worked in anti-trafficking prior to his promotion to organized crime.”
I laugh, short and bitter. “So, what? That makes them heroes or something? Jesus.”
“Focus,” Jules warns.
“I am focused. You two are talking about trusting three men who’ve seen us unmasked. Just the fact that they’ve seen us together is a huge fucking problem. And you want to hand them a partial confession and hope they…what? Walk away?”
“Control,” Jules says evenly. “We decide what story they get. And we control their next steps. They don't want to be exposed any more than we do.”
“Pippa, we seriously can’t kill them,” Luna adds. “I wasn’t just saying that.”
“We’ve killed much more dangerous men than them,” I retort. I can’t believe they are considering sharing anything about our plans with these men. Am I in an alternate reality right now? Did I jump timelines? I am beginning to feel fucking unhinged.
Luna steps closer. “Yes, we’ve killed predators, Pippa. Would you really be okay crossing the line into taking out innocent people from our real lives?”
“No man is truly innocent.” I scoff.
Luna continues, “If we give them nothing, they’ll dig on their own. They won’t let this go.”
“She’s right,” Jules agrees. “We tell them enough to stop them from asking questions. And then we keep them out of our way.”
“What if I whip up some sort of memory-blocking toxin?” I ask, looking around my lab, grasping at straws.
Jules and Luna just look at me with blank stares.
I take a deep, cleansing breath. “Fine. But the second they start sniffing around, we disappear. No hesitation. If we can’t take them out, we protect ourselves. We have protocol on this for a reason.”
“We go with the Regina Phalange protocol,” Luna affirms, voice steady.
“No personal links. No family ties. No mention of Maribel,” I confirm.
“Or Dad,” Jules adds.
“Never Dad. To anyone,” I whisper.
Jules glances between us, grounding us again. “We share just enough. Nothing more.”
“Then you’d better lead, Jules. You’ll sell it best.” I’m too amped up to figure out the right role to play in this scenario.
We all square our shoulders and start toward the men waiting at the table.
“We’ll tell you what you need to know,” Jules says as we approach. “And nothing else.”
Hudson leans back in his chair. He wears a facade of easy charm, but his eyes are razor sharp. “That’s a good start, because I’ve got a shit ton of questions.”
“Don’t we all,” Luna shoots back.
Jules continues, “Those names on the wall aren’t what you think.”
Enzo tilts his head. “Oh? So, it’s not a hit list? One that includes a mark that looks a hell of a lot like President Magnus Troy.”
“Then maybe you should stop assuming and listen,” Luna cuts in. She’s calm, but I know her pulse is pounding. She hates confrontation.
He meets her stare, seemingly both wary and impressed. “I’m listening.”
“We’re not about to explain our entire operation,” Jules begins. “You stumbled into something that wasn’t meant for you. And now we have to make sure everyone walks away intact.”
Enzo leans forward. “Meaning?”
“Meaning,” she says evenly, “we’ll give you enough context to understand why you can’t interfere. Nothing more.”
Luna adds, “We don’t owe you anything—least of all trust—but we’re offering clarity. Take it or leave it.”
Hudson glances between us, his grin absent now. “Guess we’ll take it.”
No one moves for a long beat. Finally, Jules gestures for us to sit. We take our places across from the men, the whiteboards of names and red thread looming behind us like a confession on their own.
For the first time in a decade, we’re not the only ones who know what lives inside these walls. As the words start to come, slow and deliberate, I can feel the ground shifting beneath us.
Something tells me that once the cracks form, we won’t be able to close them.