Chapter 36 #2
My eyebrows jump upward to my hairline. “You’re the one who gave Anthony whatever intel he has?”
“Yes, now move and let us in,” Jerri huffs, losing her patience.
Harlow sneezes and whines but moves when I do, allowing the older councillor and Jerri inside. I hear a few of our other guests gasp and protest at their appearance at our cabin as I close the door behind them and walk back into the lounge.
Anthony is standing when I enter, basically telling everyone what Charles told me at the door.
“Jerri came to me earlier and told me to gather people I trust here tonight because she and Charles need to talk to us. Apparently there’s some shit we need to know; not just so we can find and save Ollie and Rhys, but also keep Haven safe from the Scourge and Lodge. ”
Theo catches my eye from his more upright position on the sofa, silently asking me if I’m okay with this.
I shrug back. We should at least hear them out.
Although I trust Charles about as far as I can throw him—which, considering he’s solidly built despite being an older man, isn’t very far—and Jerri even less.
Theo relents with a sigh. “Fine. Let’s hear it.” He waves the councillor and Jerri forwards and motions for them to stand in front of the crackling fireplace. Charles does while Jerri hangs back.
I retake my spot against the wall, the damn untouched whisky still in hand and Harlow by my side.
She huffs and leans heavily against my leg, prompting me to reach down and stroke the soft fur on the top of her head.
It helps ground me even as frustration continues to bubble inside me.
Whatever these two have to say had better be good because I’m slowly losing it over our lack of progress in trying to find Rhys and Ollie.
Charles clears his throat, and I silently thank the universe that he’s the one speaking, not Jerri.
“I had Jerri approach Anthony this morning because we came across some troubling news.” He hesitates for a moment.
“As some of you may know, there are several hidden exits built into the wall that only a select few people know about. Those people being councillors, certain security team members and Rhys, Theo and Alex. Jerri discovered this morning that the Scourge used one of these exits to gain entry into Haven.”
My body goes cold at his words and Theo and I lock eyes. Both of us know exactly what he’s about the say before he says it.
“The exit that was used is only known by councillors.”
You can hear a pin drop in the deafening silence that follows those harrowing words. Everyone stares at Charles with sickening shock and horror; faces pale, eyes wide and mouths open.
Anthony is the first to speak. “You’re saying that our own fucking leadership has betrayed us?”
Charles grimaces and nods. “It appears that way, yes.”
“Who?” The word is torn from my throat. It’s the only question I need an answer to.
I don’t care about why or how or when. I only need to know which piece of shit I’m going to hunt down and torture until they tell me where the love of my life and my best friend are.
That’s the only thing that matters to me right now.
Harlow growls in agreement, feeding off my aggression.
Charles blanches at the savage rage in my tone and Harlow’s snarl. “I-I don’t know. I only realised this after inspecting the exit Jerri found.”
Harriet leaps from her husband’s lap and rounds on Charles with a fierce expression. She may be half a foot shorter than the man, but she’s still terrifying. “How the fuck do we know it isn’t you?” she demands, poking him in the chest.
Charles steps back and rubs the spot where she poked him with a wince. “If it were me, why would I set this meeting up and tell you what I know?”
“Because Jerri knew, and we’d find out eventually. This way, you can try to control the narrative and throw off suspicion,” Theo says drily from the sofa. “Don’t try to act like you’re not intelligent enough to come up with a plan like that. You were a politician before the world went to shit.”
“Not a very good one,” Charles mumbles before sighing.
“I know there’s nothing I can say or do to convince you I’m not the traitor and would never betray us to a repulsive and violent gang like the Scourge.
I just hope that you catch whoever it is before things get even worse.
” He rakes a hand through his short grey hair, looking so much older and wearier than he did when he first arrived.
Even though my fury is riding me hard, I’m inclined to believe him.
While Theo is right that this could be a ploy for Charles to throw suspicion off himself, I don’t think it is.
Charles has, from the very beginning, pushed for Haven to be better and safer for everyone here, and while he’s prickly and grumpy—much like Rhys—his heart has always been in the right place.
I’ve seen him work harder and longer than any of the other councillors, even if his priorities aren’t always in the right place.
Judging from the look Theo and I share, he’s coming to the same conclusion I am; Charles may not be our guy. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to fully trust him.
“Alright, we’ll take this under consideration, Charles,” Theo says, sounding far calmer than I feel right now. “But this doesn’t mean we’re automatically believing what you say.”
The older man inclines his head. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. Thank you for hearing me out. I’ll leave you to discuss this without me.” He strides out of the room, everyone watching him with tense suspicion.
“I’m out, too. I hope you guys find the bastard who did this and bring Ollie and Rhys back safely,” Jerri says, sounding almost sincere as she pushes away from the corner of the room and follows Charles.
It’s only when the door closes behind them that the tension deflates, and everyone relaxes. Harriet goes back to sit in her husband’s lap while Anthony jumps up and refills everyone’s empty glasses with more whisky.
“Who do you think is our main suspect?” Theo asks the room before taking a sip of his whisky.
I’m pretty sure he’s not supposed to be drinking with the meds he’s on, but I’m not about to stop him. He’s coping in any way that he can, just like I am. At least his way doesn’t lead to bloodshed and broken bones.
“Adam has to be up there, right?” Anthony asks as he takes back his seat on the floor. “He’s the newest member of the Council, and he’s from the Lodge. He’d be the most likely to have contacts with the gang beforehand.”
Anthony has a point. Out of the four councillors, Adam is the only one with ties outside of Haven. The other three have been here since its inception.
Theo nods slowly as he considers it. “Maybe.” He turns his attention to Tobias and Rachel. “Did either of you hear anything about Haven during your time with the Scourge?”
They both shake their heads.
“They never really spoke about their business, at least not around me,” Tobias says grimly. “They were too busy beating the shit out of me.”
His wife tenses in his lap and sucks in a sharp breath at his casual mention of abuse.
Seeing her distress, he wraps her up in his arms and murmurs something in her ear while stroking her back.
The scene is sickeningly sweet and only makes the ache in my chest worse, as every fibre of my being wants to hold and comfort Ollie.
I swallow around the lump in my throat and look away.
“They didn’t say anything about Haven around me, either,” Rachel says softly. Ever since her father was bitten, she’s been quiet and subdued. The boisterous, outgoing woman is gone, leaving behind a shell of a woman. I hope for her sake that Andy makes it.
“I don’t understand why we can’t just grab all of them and force the traitor to reveal themselves,” Harriet snarls, a thunderous expression on her face. Behind her, Matt shakes his head, but there’s a glint in his eyes that tells me he’s not as opposed to the idea as he seems.
I grunt in agreement. That would make things much easier.
Theo rolls his eyes. “Because the entire community will turn on us the moment they realise we tortured innocent people, regardless of finding the traitor. I don’t know about you, but I enjoy having a safe place to live where I don’t have to worry about food, water, safety and shelter.
” He shoots Harriet a stern look before directing it at me.
Personally, I don’t bloody care. As long as I have Ollie safe in my arms, we can live anywhere. Maybe we could find a new settlement to live; I’m pretty sure there’s one tucked into the mountains of Snowdonia we could go to. With our skills, we’d be welcomed with open arms.
“Alex, no,” Theo snaps, apparently able to read my thoughts from my facial expression. “We’re not harming innocent people in case they’re guilty.”
I huff, but remain silent. He might rule that out, but I won’t. I’ve all but committed myself to becoming a monster as long as Ollie and Rhys are safe.
Theo’s eyes narrow and his jaw clenches.
“Alright, so we’ll focus on Adam as our main suspect,” Anthony says as his eyes flick between me and Theo.
“I don’t think we should rule out the other three,” my best friend says, tearing his glare from me to Anthony. “Or completely go off Charles and Jerri’s information. We should investigate where the Scourge came from ourselves and go from there.”
Everyone murmurs in agreement, with only me and Harriet not responding. Never would have thought I’d be the one most like Harriet, but here we are.
I knock back the whisky from my glass, grimacing at the burn, and place the empty glass on the nearest table. “I’m going to look now,” I say and leave the cabin, ignoring Theo’s calls for me to stay.
Harlow follows, pressing against my legs as we stalk through the dark woods. Now that I have something to direct all of this restless energy and rage at, I won’t rest until I uncover who took my girl and make them pay.
And then I’m bringing her back alive and safe.