"The ferry route. That’s where we start."
"You’ve lost your mind. After four hours, he could be anywhere. Hell, he could be close to the state line by now."
"Please. I know he’s not far. I feel it."
"Oh, I see," Bram says dryly. "So you feel it. And based on that, I’m supposed to call a ferry and drag half my staff into this?" He folds his arms. "I’m sorry. I’m not doing it."
"Please, believe me," I say quietly. "I can find him. I know how he thinks. Trust me."
"Trust you?" He snorts. "We don’t know each other. All I know is that you’re trouble. You’re not convincing me."
"Fine," I say flatly. "I didn’t want to do this the ugly way, but you’re forcing me."
I pull my phone out and start the video from the breakfast room, turning the screen toward him right as the tasers come out.
"I can post this on my blog in minutes. It gets millions of views a month. And when that happens, this place gets torn apart. Organizations like Beta Empowerment will swarm it. This is exactly the kind of thing they live for. So either you call the ferry, or I burn this place down with publicity. Right now."
I’m bluffing, but it’s all I’ve got.
Bram’s jaw tightens. His nostrils flare.
"Let’s think," I add coldly. "Head of security. Raped betas. I wonder how the oversight board would feel about someone who knew and didn’t report it."
"You son of a bitch," he growls. "Didn’t I tell you you’re a fucking problem? You really think blackmail is the answer?"
"Blackmailis how this island operates," I shoot back. "Or am I wrong?"
His face turns red with rage.
"If you ever doubted whether this was the right method, just think about what they went through."
He looks away, silent for a long moment.
"Fine," he finally says. "The ferry’s at the small harbor anyway. I can call it back. You get three hours from the moment we reach shore. If you don’t find him, I turn around and leave you there. Officially, you both escaped. Understood?"
"Understood."
He makes the call.
All the other betas are standing around us, listening to our exchange and staring at us with intensity. I can feel their hostility, but what’s new? Besides Bashir and Fred, there’s no one on this island who looks at me favorably. Oh well.
Bram talks on the phone for a moment. The captain complains loudly, but eventually agrees.
"To be clear. I’m not doing this because I’m afraid of your video," Bram adds. "I’m doing it because I didn’t like how Sidorov handled things either. And maybe it’s time this place changed. Let’s move. The ferry will be here in fifty minutes."
"Is it just you and me going?"
"And two of my people."
A moment later, Bram, the two betas, and I leave the building together and head toward their internal parking area, where three quads are waiting. We climb onto one of them without exchanging a word.
I can feel the tension humming through my system. I stay on high alert the entire time, half-expecting them to try to restrain me or take my phone, but nothing like that happens. Wereach the dock and remain seated on the quad, waiting for the ferry to arrive.
The betas chat among themselves for a short while, exchanging comments about something that actually catches my attention.
It turns out that a politician I personally knew, due to his connections with the Ferro family, Mark Ferguson, is in serious trouble. He has been accused of rape and workplace harassment, and his run for state senator is officially over.
I feel a quiet surge of satisfaction hearing that. From my brothers, I know Ferguson was a first-class piece of shit, and even though he stayed close to Anzo and constantly sucked up to him, he never deserved to win.
