Everything is hitting me all at once, but I can’t let it show. I cannot allow these people to see me as a weakling; because the truth is, I’m the woman of the man who they consider God himself. Arlo deserves better than a little scaredy-cat to lead in his stead. I clasp my hands together on my lap under the table, my knuckles turning white. Whether it’s from the pressure fromwhich I’m gripping myself, or the coldness that I’m feeling all of a sudden, I can’t tell.
“Arlo’s not here today,” I say, keeping my voice as flat and as calm as possible. Thus far, I’ve managed just fine. For the first time, I’m looking at everyone individually, not letting the fear show. Although, I probably reek of it. “So I am here in his place.”
“What’s the plan?”
Freya’s voice is like a soothing lullaby to my wrecked nerves. She’s sitting next to her wife, Jewel, holding her hand tightly. Something glimmers in her eye, and it provides a sense of security. With Aria and Arlo out of the picture for the day, having someone on my side is a confidence boost I desperately needed.
“Hudson De Santis is dead,” I announce through a lump that’s preventing me from speaking for a moment. The tears slowly start forming in my eyes, but I swallow them back. This isn’t the time nor place.
My eyes flick over to Niko, and I can’t describe the expression on his face. It’s half-pain, but more than that, it’s pure and utter disbelief. He doesn’t believe me; not that I can blame him. The words taste bitter on my tongue, and a wave of nausea bubbles in my throat.
“And… Paul Simmons has escaped prison.”
Lucas all but jumps out of his chair, eyes narrowing at me. “What the fuck did you just say?”
“Do I need to repeat myself? What part of that statement did you not understand?” I snap.
My anger is starting to show, and there’s nothing I can do to hold it back. It’s been there all this time, but with Arlo by my side, I was able to keep it at bay. Now that I’m all alone, there’sno one to prevent me from bursting at the seams. Lucas’ loud voice starts to annoy me, but somehow, I manage to swallow the rage and remain calm.
It’s almost scary. I’m angry — furious, yet it’s not showing. It’s all simmering just below the surface, close to bursting out and yet, my face remains passive, stoic almost. I’ve never been one who can keep my emotions on the inside successfully, and I’m not sure how to act.
Lucas slumps back into the chair, staring at me in shock. His lips are parted, ever so slightly, and when he runs his hand over his face, I can see his eyes turning red, and a streak of tears running down his cheeks.
“Fuck,” he groans, then snaps out of it. “How did it happen?”
“Arlo’s trying to figure it out now,” I respond, swallowing the unease. “I have the footage. We’re all about to watch it together and see what the hell happened.”
“Does it have audio?” Jewel asks, bringing my attention to her.
I shake my head. “Unfortunately not.”
“I can read lips,” she shrugs. “It might help.”
“Alright, good,” I suck in a sharp breath. “Where’s Raven? I need him with me today.”
“He said he’d be a bit late,” Cove says, speaking for the first time today. “Arlo put him on a mission a few days ago, but he’s coming.”
I nod. “Good. Niko… are you going to be okay watching this?”
Niko is brought out of the daze he slipped into, eyes darting to mine. They’re blank. There’s no sorrow, no anger, nothing. As if he was able to flip the switch to his humanity off and within a moment, he becomes the stoic soldier he was raised to be.
“I’ll be fine.” he utters, no hint of emotion at all.
With a deep breath, I rise from the chair, ignoring the way my knees threaten to give out with the weight of everything I am holding. I make my way toward the big computer behind Lucas, inserting the flash drive and finding the video. Arlo got it mere moments after he found out his father was killed, and he immediately handed it over to me.
Hudson is dead.
The words are still foreign, and the fact is refusing to register in my brain. When I return to my chair, it’s like I’m glued to it. I can’t move a single muscle, my entire body is paralyzed. It’s Freya who presses the start button, with everyone turning to look at the monitor.
Jewel is the closest one to the screen, eyes narrowed while she stares at the video.
It’s in black and white, though everything is visible. There Hudson sits, on the bed, reading a book. A pair of glasses rest on top of his nose, his brows slightly narrowed in concentration. From what I can tell, it’s a historical book of sorts, but the camera is too far away for me to be able to get a clear shot of exactly what he’s reading.
The entire wall is filled with images of him and Noelle. It’s grainy from my point of view, but I would recognize those two faces anywhere. Every couple of seconds, he glances at the wall, and something akin to pain flashes his eyes.
Then, with a deep sigh, he takes his glasses off, sets them aside on top of the book, and stands up to stretch. That’s when the door of his cell opens, and my heart starts racing inside of my chest.
I’m about to see how Hudson died.
