“Nope.” Kade grins and pulls up a photo of the print like I’m supposed to know who it belongs to just by looking at some squiggly lines.
“Do they have an ID?” Carter asks, also growing impatient.
“They don’t, butwedo.” Kade’s smile only grows, and my surge of aggravation turns into curiosity. Then, he pulls the match for the print and positions it next to the first photo.
It’s labeled from our database.
And it’s Damien’s.
I jump to my feet, along with everyone else, and my heart sinks as I stare at his picture on the screen. It almost looks like a mugshot from how serious he looks in it, but I know that background is the entryway into the Attic—where everyone does intake. It is recent, though, taken when they first opened the new base.
“Alex, get the fuck in here!” Zeke screams, and turns back to the screen. In a matter of a second, Alex bursts through the door like someone is dying, but then he stops when he sees the screen.
“What the fuck?”
“They found D’s print at a murder scene this morning.” Zeke fills him in.
“How did you find this?” I ask Kade.
“I was watching the news, and they were talking about the murder. The second I heard the connection to Avery, I started digging.”
“Why would Damien kill him?” Carter asks.
“John isso surethat DeLuca and Saconne have him,” I add, because John’s conviction that night was enough to convince me. It’s the only plausible reason we haven’t found him yet, and now Damien’s leaving us breadcrumbs to make it all clearer. “Could they have made him do it? Maybe Avery is starting to clean up his messes, and he’s using DeLuca and Saconne to do it?”
“Of course they did.” I turn to see Leanne walking in slowly from the office, and I step over to help her to a chair. She’s a little wobbly from the drugs, but now that she knows John is alive, she seems a little more put-together. “Their training methods are ruthless.” Once she’s stable and sitting fully, I kneel down beside her.
“What training?”
“When I was taken, they wanted me as a breeder. I wasn’t sold off like the others.” My chest tightens at her words, butI don’t interrupt her. “So, we were in close quarters to the assassins. Those that ‘graduated’ received a number, and their whole identities were stripped. If they were worthy enough to get a number, Saconne wanted them to breed with us.” Tears stream down her face, but she seems mostly calm, thanks to the Lorazepam. “I remember listening to one of their trainings from my cell. I think his number was Five? DeLuca called him her ‘pet,’ but she certainly didn’t treat him like he was special. He went through horrible things, and they even cut out his tongue.” Her voice cracks, and I pat her knee.
I understand that time was horrible for her, but now that we don’t have John’s input, maybe she could shed some light on what might be happening to Damien. We need to find out how he’s connected to this, and hopefully that can give us some answers as to where he is.
“I know it’s hard, Leanne, but we have to know. If anything you know could help us find them, then you need to tell us, okay?” I plead.
She nods and takes a deep breath.
“They were forced to take out targets after hours of torture. It was a way to ensure they could carry out their missions, no matter the conditions. John said that training like that was just another way for DeLuca and Saconne to show their power over the assassins…”
“So, you’re saying that this was probably a training target for him?” I ask, and she nods in response.
That little movement of her head breeds a lot of mixed emotions for me. We’re getting answers, and now we that we have some clues, maybe we’re closer to finding him. But then there’s the dread of knowing that he’s in excruciating pain… I knew he was. There’s no way to describe it, and I would sound insane if I tried, but I’ve felt it, somehow. Every random ache ortwitch I knew was connected to him, and my heart breaks even more.
I’ve dreamt of him being in pain. It’s little flashes, and I barely remember them when I wake up, but little blips still remain in my mind. I picture him tied up, just like I was. His screams echo in my head, and I swear I hear him the moment I wake. He’s in insurmountable pain, and the need to find him is overwhelming.
I can’t wait to bring him home and help him heal. I want to run my fingers through his hair and hold his head to my chest like he always does for me. Anything he needs, and I’ll do it. He needs to feel love and warmth, not whatever horrific things they’re putting him through. It makes my eyes water just thinking about it.
Carter’s phone beeps, and then he opens his laptop.
“We got the shot trajectory back.” Carter pulls that up on the large screen beside everything else, along with a picture of the bullet. A symbol of a shattered skull with a snake slithering through it is etched into the metal, and my blood boils.
It’s just like Hugo’s tattoo.
“It is them…” Alex whispers.
“Kade, where did they find Damien’s fingerprint?” Zeke asks.
“On the touchscreen of the refrigerator, of all places.”
