Ella hikes a thumb at me. “What he said, but way nicer.”
He rolls his eyes and leans forward, bracing his forearms on his knees.
“As head of IT, it’s my job to scan all the media files sent to our servers. It’s a security measure in a long list of protocols to protect our operations. A few years back, we received a massive encrypted media dump from an unknown entity. At first, I couldn’t figure out how they got it past our firewalls—it was like nothing I’d ever seen before.”
He pauses, his gaze flicking to Ella, then back to the screens surrounding us, as if seeking refuge in the familiar glow of the monitors.
“I debated opening it for a long time, but…I couldn’t risk not taking the threat seriously. I had to know what was inside the drive.”
I lean forward and match his stance, tension rippling through me.
“What threat?” I ask, my voice colder than I’ve ever heard it. Something is coming. Something bad. I can fucking feel it.
Oliver hesitates, then looks directly at Ella. His voice drops to a near whisper. “It just said, ‘Never forget we have eyes everywhere.’”
A cold shiver runs down my spine, and I can see my girl’s face pale as the words sink in. I clench my fists, trying to keep my anger in check.
“And what was in the drive, Oliver?” Ella’s voice is barely audible as she asks, her eyes locked on him.
Oliver’s expression tightens, and he swallows hard before answering. “Every heartbreaking moment that you, your men, and your family have experienced.”
Ella flinches like she’s been slapped, and I feel a growl rumbling in my chest. “What does that mean? What did you see?” The question comes out more like a demand, the anger barely contained.
Visions of every devastating, sick and depraved thing the six of us have experienced at the hands of madmen ricochet through my brain like a twisted movie. My heart races so hard, the room starts to spin.
No.
Hell no.
Sweat breaks out along the edge of my temples and I feel seconds from passing out.
Please don’t let him say it. Please.
Oliver meets my gaze, his eyes full of a regret that makes my stomach churn.
“Everything,” he says, his voice heavy with the weight of what he’s seen. “Every loss, every betrayal, every moment of pain and fear. The abuse Gage and Maddox suffered. The worst moment of Nyxon’s life.” His throat bobs. “Stone in the cage. The sick things his parents made him do. And—” He breaks off and Ella shoots to her feet, stepping away.
“No.”
There’s so much pain, so much devastation in that one word, that I lose my grip on reality entirely. I silently beg him not to say it. Not to add to the traumas we’ve been through.
A part of me remembers a camera. There were times I questioned what Eric was doing with it, my young mind not grasping the weight of the situation. I was never as innocent as I deserved to be, but I still didn’t understand.
Now, I understand far too much.
Oliver’s lips part, and I can tell he’s genuinely devastated by the bomb sitting on his tongue. I tense, bracing for it, but the impact of his words still take me by surprise.
“And everything you two went through.”
“And you’ve seen it?” I choke out. He nods once. “All of it?”
Oliver shakes his head. “No. I couldn’t stomach all of it. I know enough to validate the legitimacy of the videos. They’re all real, originals. As for copies, I can’t know if they exist.”
“And did—” she breaks off, stepping further away. “Did anyone else see them?”
His jaw pops as he slowly rises to his feet.
“No, princess.” I’m shocked by the vehemence in his tone. Ella’s eyes snap to his. “No one else saw them. I was alone. I relayed enough information to Madeline for her to understand the weight of the threat, but that’s it. They’re hidden and I’veadded encryptions, so no one else can view them without my coding. You’re safe.”
