Everyone turns to Elias, the guys glaring at him as my brows pinch in confusion. “What cameras?”
He winces before rubbing the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden. His eyes meet mine as he explains, “Your house was covered in cameras. Robert had eyes everywhere.”
My eyes widen in shock. “Even in my room? What about the bathrooms?”
“Not the bathrooms, but there was one in your room, yes.”
“Chyort poberi!” I curse angrily in Russian.
Elias’s lip twitches as something akin to pride shines in his eyes. “Still cussing in other languages, huh?”
Jagger signs so quickly I’m only able to pick up a fewwords, but Elias watches him with brows pinched until he’s done. Then he lets out a deep breath and nods.
“Wait… Can you read sign language?” I ask in surprise.
“You aren’t the only one who likes to study other languages.”
“But why ASL?”
“When I knew that I needed their help with your rescue, I figured I'd better learn how to communicate with him. Writing something down when we’re in the middle of a high-speed chase or fighting off enemies isn't exactly ideal.”
My heart warms in surprise. He might not have been doing it because he cared about Jagger, but it was because he wanted to communicate with him. The thought makes me smile at him in appreciation.
Jagger signs,“Explain.”Elias rolls his eyes before continuing his story.
“Okay, yes. I hacked into the cameras and have been watching Wren for years.” His beseeching eyes dart to me. “I swear I never watched you undress or anything like that.”
“But someone else did,” I guess, my gut clenching with unease.
“I can’t be sure. From what I gathered, nobody was sitting watching your feed. I think it was more of a precaution, to know you were in there and make sure you weren’t doing anything he’d object to, like talking on a hidden cell.”
The thought of my privacy being invaded like that, for my whole life, makes me want to hurl. I lean against Dex, and he immediately encircles his arms around me, kissing the top of my head.
“You’re not there anymore,” Dex whispers against my head. He’s right. Thank goodness I escaped when I did.
“Okay,” I say as I try to push those thoughts behind me. “What happened next? You still haven’t explained how you’re here right now.”
He nods, his eyebrows pinch as he glances between Dex and me in confusion.
“I saw you writing letters. It took me a little while to figure out who you were writing to. But I saw how your face would light up when you received one. The only time you ever smiled anymore was when you were reading or writing those letters. I knew how important they were to you. Can’t say I wasn’t shocked when I found out it was four men in prison, all convicted of murder.”
“They’re all innocent,” I blurt out, needing to defend them.
Dex squeezes me a little tighter as Pete laughs. “I’d hardly call us innocent.”
“Neither would I,” Elias agrees, his eyes cutting to Pete. “I did my research. I wasn’t about to send Wren off with anyone who would be a threat to her.”
“And what made you think we weren’t?” Sly asks.
“I dug into your backgrounds. I even found evidence of the men you killed, the ones you weren’t convicted for. But I know every person you hurt was either one of Robert’s men, or were let off from serious crimes on technicalities.” The SUV suddenly fills with tension, and I feel Dex stiffen. If Elias found evidence on them, they could be in even more danger. Wouldn’t they all be considered serial killers?
“What evidence?” Sly asks, sounding like he’s wound so tight he might explode at any second.
“I’ll keep that under my hat for now, considering you don’t trust me yet,” Elias tells him before turning back to me.
“I happened to be watching you when you found thenote about being sold. I had no idea Robert was going that far.”
“Couldn’t you guys put him away for buying weapons? That note had all the details,” Pete asks.
