“Any news on Victoria’s sister?” I deter.
“Well, the address she gave us is legit. It’s one of her father’s homes, and there’s a heavy guard presence there, but we haven’t been able to confirm Elizabeth’s whereabouts. If she’s in that house, they’re good about hiding her.”
“What do the guards look like?” I inquire, wondering if we can link them to the Society. That would possibly give us another connection.
“They didn’t have any visible tattoos in the footage Dani retrieved. Trust me, I thought of that, too. If they have the tattoo or the brand, we couldn’t see it in the pictures.”
“Well, what about Saconne?” I throw my free arm outward in frustration., getting frustrated. “Tell me we’ve foundsomething.” Carter shakes his head tightly, and I slouch defeatedly against the wall.
“Nothing yet. I remember you telling me about the pilot John found a few weeks ago, so, I’ve been checking flight logs at all of the independent airports. But even if Saconne managed to get on one of those planes, we’d never know. That’s how people and goods get smuggled all the time, those cargo manifests are forged constantly.”
“And I take it the Senator is living his best life in the political limelight?”
He matches my attitude with a similar nod.
“You would be correct. He’s up in D.C., but he’s always around cameras, bodyguards, and other politicians. There’s no way we could get close enough to question him, and anything we can try to pin on him still only has Victoria’s name listed.”
“We’re missing something…” I shake my head and pace the area in front of our bedroom door.
Knowing our safe space is just within reach breaks my heart. I can’t change the past. It’s impossible to erase everything that’s happened to us, but it’s not impossible to protect us from the future—to ensure that this never happens to us again. Damien said all I had to do was ask him to stop, and he would. He promised to hand it all over if that’s what I wanted. While it isn’t, it might just be the only way that I can keep him safe—keep our baby girl safe.
“Is it horrible of me to think that maybe…” I hesitate, knowing what kind of door my words would open. “I don’t know…”
“We just stop?” Carter finishes for me, sending a relief through my bones, and I meet his gaze once again.
“Yeah…”
“Not at all, Ash. I’ve thought about that, too…” he admits regrettably. “What we’re dealing with issomuch bigger than we ever anticipated. D’s home now, and I’m not going to lie to you, I’m terrified to lose someone else…” He takes a deep breath and pushes his fingers through his blonde locks, clearly conflicted. “But then I think of who we’ve already lost: Henry, Jeremey, Darren, Bradley,fuck, even Ezra. I think about what all of this has done to us. Everything that we’ve been through, and everything that Damien endured… It all has to meansomething. We can’t have gone through all of this for nothing. Damien started DH to help people, tosavepeople. That’s what we all signed up for, and if we quit now, there’s no telling who else will die.”
When I think over the last six months, it’s filled with so much conflict—not just the physical type, but the emotional, too. There has been so much happiness, and yet, so much despair. We’ve gained so much, and sometimes, it feels like we lost just the same. I think of what we could’ve stopped, but then I imaginewhat would’ve happened if we didn’t intervene. Avery would’ve utilized his plans regardless, and so many more people would’ve lost their lives.
Before I even met Damien, I admired what he does. Even then, I knew of the evil that walked this earth. Time and time again, I watched as people stood by, allowing heinous acts to happen, and all it would’ve taken to stop it was one phone call. One step. All it needed was a little bit of courage, and this city—this world—could be an entirely different place.
But it isn’t.
Damien has always been a superhero. He was born with the courage and empathy to help others. His life was never going to be complete without it, and no matter how much it pains him, it’s just a part of who he is.Thatis what makes Damien the man he is. The man Ilove. His good, perfect heart lives at the base of who he is, and I wouldneverchange that about him.
My entire life, I wanted that strength. I begged God to give me the courage to stand up in the face of it all when people needed help, and he gave me my husband. I may not do it as well as he does, and I still have a lot of fear, but fuck, I have so much strength now.Damiengave me that. He inspires good in so many people like Adrien, Zeke, and everyone else we run into battle beside. Taking that away would be a sin.
“We can’t stop…” I declare softly.
“No.” Carter’s lips lift in the saddest, proudest grin. “No, we can’t.”
I wipe my eyes before more tears can fall, and then I take a deep, finite breath. Determination snakes its way through my veins, and the strength my husband provides me returns tenfold. Wewillhave more moments like we did last night. Iwillsee him smile again, and I will fight to give him the life hedeserves—the life hewants—even if it takes until my last breath.
“I just want him to be safe and happy… He’searnedthat.”
“You both have,” Carter adds, and for the first time probably ever, I actually agree with that statement.
“So, where do we go from here?” I ask.
“Well, you’re right about one thing. Wearemissing something, and we’ll just need to figure out what that is—all of us, together,” he asserts, and I nod in response.
“You know, if you and Serena don’t hurry up and fix your problems, I’m going to be really pissed.” We both give a subtle laugh, but then a look I know all too well mists over his eyes. It’s similar to how Damien looks at me, like he’s about to cross a lot of lines to get what he wants. If I didn’t know Carter as well as I do now, I would probably be a little worried. We’ve become close over the past few months, though. I trust him with more than justmylife—I trust him with my husband’s and my daughter’s, too. Carterisfamily, so certainly, I can trust him with my best friend. Right?
“You don’t have to worry about that. I have a few ideas.”
Chapter 11
