Page 7 of Darkest Retribution
The situation between David and Brooke is a messy one. When she broke up with him at the beginning of this summer, he didn’t take it well—especially since he knew we were out to get him.
None of us thought he’d kidnap her, but that’s what he did. Blaze went crazy trying to find her, which is how we stumbled upon a cabin we didn’t know David owned.
The place seemed to be his home away from home. The FBI confiscated everything in his office, including his electronics, but not before we made copies of everything.
It’s not that we don’t trust the FBI, we just... yeah. We don’t trust the FBI.
Alex barely gives me a glance as I step into the conference room.
“Couldn’t keep your mind off this shit either?” I say.
“I’m not stopping until Brooke is safe.” He tosses the papers onto the table and runs a hand through his dark hair. “I don’t want to have to worry about her safety. Or Soph’s.”
“Trust me, I get it.”
Growing up, Blaze and I were neighbors with Alex and Brooke. I count the Hendricks as part of my family, and they count us as part of theirs.
“Felix and Willow went out to get lunch,” Alex says, staring at his laptop. “Probably be back soon.”
I nod. Felix is my older cousin and the head of the IT department at Grayson Security. He moved here from Chicago about six months ago, saying he needed a break from working for his dad—doing what, none of us know.
I’m just glad to have him around. He’s been a huge help in uncovering a lot of David’s secrets.
As for Willow, I only know two things about her. First, she’s obsessed with getting revenge on David—for what, though, she won’t say. And second, her family is in the same business as Felix’s. The two of them hate each other, but for some reason, Felix won’t let her out of his sight.
Alex and I fall into a silence as I get to work. There’s so much to go through—tax records, deeds, files on everyone who’s ever worked for or with David, etc. It gives us a lot of potential leads as to where he could’ve run off to.
That’s the problem, I guess—there aretoo manyleads. And somehow we have to figure out which ones are the most viable.
Eventually, Alex sighs. “Any updates from Agent DeSanto?”
She was the lead agent on David’s case the first time around, but the FBI dropped it because David’s ex partner was too well connected.
That changed when Alex and I killed him.
Now the FBI has picked the case up again. Not only did David kidnap Brooke and shoot my brother in the chest, but he’s somehow involved in a human trafficking ring, along with a bunch of other shit. Let’s just say they’re prioritizing his case now.
“I haven’t talked to her in a few days. Last phone call we had, she told me to back off. So, you know, not terribly eager to talk to her again.”
If I had any faith in the FBI, maybe I could relax and let them find David. But they dropped his case once. I’m not convinced they won’t do it again.
My family’s safety is on the line. Hell, my own probably is. And David is obviously feeling cornered, so who knows what he’ll do. I’m not taking any fucking chances.
Once this is all dealt with, maybe Jade and I can—
Stop, Dom. She’s not into you.
The conference room door opens, and Felix and Willow slip inside. Felix is in his usual weekend attire: gray sweatpants and a gray T-shirt. But the fabric over his chest is darker, like it’s wet.
“Spill something on yourself?” Alex says, giving him an amused look.
Felix cuts Willow a glare. “This one decided to make me wear the drink I so kindly bought for her.”
“Maybe if you wouldn’t manhandle me so much, I wouldn’t be driven to violence so often.”
“You’re not fooling anyone, Blue. Violence is in your blood.”
She rolls her eyes. “You say that like it’s not in yours.”