I straighten up in my chair, eyes narrowing at him. It’s the first time he’s said anything else past the ‘I don’t know’, and I’m not trusting him just yet, not now that he’s starting to crack. I could play the bad cop, but that would just make him go back into silence, and I can’t have that.
“What does he even want with her?”
“That girl almost ruined his life by giving his name in court. My life, too. Is it really surprising that he’d want her gone?”
I fist my hand, ready to knock his teeth out. Blair didn’t ruin their lives; they ruined hers. The motherfuckers abused her to no end, and although this sick, twisted bastard was only getting offon watching and never touched her, he’s not innocent in any of this. My blood boils at the mere thought of Blair going through the same thing right in this moment, after I promised to protect her.
I failed.
I failed so fucking badly.
“He wants her dead,’’ I say, slowly.
“Not dead, no. Did you truly think he picked her out of many other women he could’ve picked just because she was pretty?” Nelson scoffs. “Of course not. He picked her deliberately.’’
“Why did he pick her?”
“To get back at her father.’’
My mind starts reeling, and I pause when I finally understand. Not her stepfather, but her biological father, Alexander. There are no ties between Simmons and Hawke, and I’m trying to comprehend why the fuck he’d use a child in his schemes, then remember that Simmons is a sick, perverted motherfucker.
“What’s the deal between Hawke and Simmons?”
That’s when Nelson seems to realize he’s spoken too much and stops speaking altogether. With a deep breath, I leave the basement, leaving him tied up, with the gag ball back in his mouth.
At least now, I have something to go on. Too many thoughts are running through my head, too many for me to make any sense of. I did a thorough background check on her father, and not once did I come across him and Paul knowing each other, much less having any sort of bad blood.
I pull my phone out and quickly send Mom a message, letting her know of the further developments. She responds with a thumbs-up emoji, and I know that she’s on her way to speak with Nelson herself. Probably, this will be his last time speaking, because now that he opened his mouth, she’ll force information out of him better than I ever could, then kill him in the most brutal way shecan think of.
My face is in my hands, and Aria’s sitting next to me. She’s not saying a word, and I’m thankful she’s letting me have a minute of silence. She’s worried about Blair, too. Although we’re encouraging that she should continue with her day-to-day activities and let us focus on finding Blair, she’s spending more time with us, trying to help. I’ll appreciate my little sister for that for the rest of my life.
And with a deep breath, I head to the top floor of the base, which we have converted into an official meeting room, with all of Lucas’ equipment. Aria follows silently behind me, still as silent as before.
Inside are Lucas and Niko, both immersed in something on the screen that I can’t see from where I’m standing, and on the leather chair is Ekaterina, sipping on her whiskey at nine in the morning, looking rather bored with the entire thing.
I don’t trust her, and she’s fucking scary.
Mom says that Kaya owes her a favor, which is now being cashed in. It was only after Ekaterina officially started working with us that I realized how much we’re lacking in equipment. She had this entire floor turned into a top-tier tech room in less than two days. From everything Lucas needs to hack and track the movements of Simmons and the other two bastards to small bugs that we’re planning on sending X to plant around. They’re extremely thin and small, less than an inch in size, but they work wonderfully.
Lucas turns in his chair and looks at me as I slump into an empty chair. Aria lingers around, eyes on Kaya. I think she’s fascinated by the girl, and every so often, my sister would stare, though Kaya doesn’t seem bothered by it at all.
“X has made contact.’’
My eyes snap to Lucas as he speaks, and I lean in alittle. “Go on.’’
All we knew was that X had successfully infiltrated Simmons’ circle. It’s been radio silent for the past four months, and the only indication that he was even alive were small signs he was sending. He’d text his mother; the poor woman thinks he’s on some sort of vacation.
“It’s not much,’” Lucas sighs, turning back to face his computer, fixing the glasses that rest on the bridge of his nose. “He just sent a one-word text.’’
“What’s the word?”
“Alive.’’
I suck in a sharp intake of breath. “Who is he referring to? Himself, or Blair?”
Across from us, Kaya snorts. When I glare, she glares back, tilting her head to the side. Her brow twitches a little, and I can only believe it’s in annoyance. She sighs, dramatically, might I add, then straightens up in her seat.
“It’s obvious he meant Blair,” she draws out. “Because it’s pretty fucking clear he’s alive if he’s messaging you, is it not?”
