“How is that possible?” He’s not asking the question like he doesn’t believe our story. Our story is unbelievable and he needs to hear an answer.
Fair.
Jules takes it. “We weren’t born with these names. There is no record of our births. When we left, we landed in Texas. We had plenty of money, but no identification. There were several years between then and our arrival in DC, but Luna found a way for us to repurpose the government paperwork of a few deceased girls around our ages. The Volkovs, Sophie, they don’t know us by these names. Even if they think we are alive still, they wouldn’t know how to find us.”
Enzo nods. Admittedly, he is accepting this much more easily than I expected.
“That leads to my second question. Why come to DC? You escaped; you were free. Why put yourself right back in the path of all the people responsible for the atrocities at Maribel Island?” Enzo asks.
“You’re right. We could have stayed hidden,” I reply. “We had plenty of money. And we thought about it—trust me. At the time, we were still living in fear that Sophie or Konstantin would find us.”
“This was before the fallout with your family and the Donovans,” Jules interjects.
“Yeah, with Konstantin dead and Sophie on the most-wanted list, we could have remained in hiding, but we knew powerfulmen were still abusing children. We knew no one was doing anything about it.”
“It started with exposing them,” Luna says. “Jules went into the military and then the CIA. She was on the anti-trafficking taskforce. I went into hacking, sending proof to the FBI. That’s how I got caught, by the way.”
Hudson smiles. “I remember.”
“Pippa wanted to go to school to be a doctor or a chemist—she’s so smart,” Luna continues and I blush. “But she thought studying politics at Yale would get her more access to the predators.”
“We arrived in DC about eight years ago,” I add. “We didn’t come here to kill these men. It wasn’t the original plan.”
“What was?” Eva asks.
“To expose them, like Luna said,” I answer. “Everything that happened during the pandemic, all the celebrity and politician scandals—that was the start of our work. When we first got here, we really believed that if we showed the world the truth about these men, it would be enough.”
“But it wasn’t,” Enzo finishes. He’s stopped pacing but remains standing. “Nothing happened to them—slaps on the wrist, maybe some fines or limited jail time—but nothing really changed.”
We all nod.
“Then Magnus Troy became President,” Luna says grimly.
“Everyone knew his past, knew his ties to Whiteman, and he still fucking won,” Hudson adds.
Then Eva asks, “So, you started taking them out yourself?”
“Someone had to,” I reply.
“All your intel, all your inside knowledge on Victor Malin, McCarter—it wasn’t Luna’s hacking skills, it was from your time on Maribel. You were witnesses. Victims,” Hudson says.
“Yes,” Jules confirms. “Jared kept meticulous records. We were smart enough to bring them with us when we left.”
“Fuck. I don’t even know what to say,” Hudson admits.
Eva and Enzo murmur in agreement.
A few silent moments pass.
Hudson asks, “What’s the plan for Troy?”
“The upcoming gala,” is all I say.
“Do you need help?” Eva asks.
I look around the room, waiting for Enzo or Hudson to say they can’t or won’t help. Jules and Luna do the same. We expect a dismissal from Enzo, at the very least.
“My security firm has been pulled in for the event,” Jules says. “That was why we needed Malin gone.”
