Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 130512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Maddy stabbed Sabrina only a few days ago. Garrett just arrived at Fallen Crest, being there to help in the future care for his second daughter. An agreement was made that we wouldn’t go to the police as long as she would be committed to a certain deconditioning facility. We’d done our research. I’d gone to Zeke to ask for his assistance in verifying that this particular facility did what they said they did. That there was no secret abuse happening. That the reputation truly was stellar, which the facility broadcasted as their company line.
It was. Zeke validated everything.
After my meeting with Zeke, and after I needed to give him enough information about The System and why we needed Sabrina’s treatment to be hush-hush, he’d taken the initiative to look into the secret society. The amount of information he unearthed on the members was astounding.
He handed it over to me, on that thumb drive, and told me to use it as collateral.
I’d asked him at the time, “Why are you giving me this?”
“It’s my apology. To you. To your family. For bringing Kai Bennett to you personally.” A darker emotion flickered over his face. His mouth strained before he shoved it away. “It took me a while to understand why you tortured me, but I understand now.”
“I wanted to make sure I got the real truth from you. If I’d just asked, I couldn’t know if it was true or if you were telling me what I wanted to hear. You stalked me and my family. You crossed the line of normal boundaries and because we don’t know you, it made us uneasy. We have a right to feel that way.”
His entire face flinched before he shut that down. He spoke, monotone, “You tortured me to break me. You wanted to destroy the image I had of you.” His jaw clenched. “It worked, but I don’t think it worked in the way you wanted. I see the real you now. I see the darkness inside of you. So yeah. In a way, the torture achieved what you wanted, but it also didn’t. I know now what you’re capable of doing.”
The way he was looking at me, I didn’t think I’d need to worry anymore about stalking. I was choosing to focus on the matter at hand. “This is for Kai Bennett?”
He clipped his head in a nod. “Yes.” So brisk.
He was business-oriented. Professional. My brother cared about the guy. I had to hurt him to push him back, but how he was currently treating me was how it should’ve been from the start. Where we were strangers because we didn’t know each other.
We were starting on the first line again. Where we went from here, who knew but I felt that he’d proceed with caution. Just like I always fucking did.
I said to Kai now, “It’s a gift from the hacker, and an apology for going where he shouldn’t have gone.”
I had a feeling I amused him, but there was no reaction from him. There was no reason to give me that feeling. Nonetheless, I still felt like I had.
He put the thumb drive in his pocket. “We’ll go through it. I’m assuming you’re hoping I’ll go after whoever’s on here in place of seeking retribution against your wife’s little sister?”
The casual way he said all of that put me on edge. “They’re the real threat. Not a brainwashed little girl.”
A hint of a grin appeared again, but faded just as quick. “Don’t insult my intelligence, Mason. I’m quite aware how dangerous that ‘little girl’ is, along with the other one you’re really protecting.”
My body went cold.
He studied me again. The wall he kept in place fell away, but it only showed a sense of curiosity more than anything else. “You didn’t have to lie, say the thumb drive was an apology from your hacker. I’m assuming it was actually meant to be an apology to you, not me. He already sent an apology. If you speak to your hacker, you can tell him that my wife appreciated the information he sent our way. The people she worked with do good in this world. He helped them a great deal. Though, if your hacker ever invades any account that belongs to my family in the future, I might not kill him as quickly as I would’ve before, but I won’t hesitate to send the FBI to his front doorstep. I don’t think Mrs. Allen would appreciate that.” He dipped his head to me. “With that said, have a good life, Mason. It seemed you had a good father. I am sorry for how he passed away.”
I felt off-balance, learning that he knew Zeke’s identity, but his guard opened the back door.
He dipped inside, and the three SUVs pulled away just as smooth as they arrived.