I put my finger on the scanner. It beeped then went green and a door clicked open. I walked in and went directly to the computer. They’d know I was here and I had to have a good excuse as to why. I was hoping one would come to me—eventually.
It took only a few minutes to get into the emails. The trick was making certain any trace of it ever being sent was cleaned up, and I spent forty minutes tracing backwards until I was sure Tanner’s message was deleted from all possible links. Well, I was betting some hacker could find it, but unless they were suspicious then they wouldn’t be looking.
I shut off the computer, got up and walked out.
It had been easier than I thought. Explaining Tanner’s death, I’d have to go to France and face my mother, but they wouldn’t be upset at his loss. Besides, telling them I killed him because of his relationship with Georgie would only strengthen their trust in me. That had been a little shaky ever since London.
I shut the door and started walking back.
Then I heard her.
It was faint, but I’d never forget the slight lilt to her voice. Fuck. I closed my eyes and forced myself to keep walking. With each step, my heart thudded louder. My mind expanded into a fit of rage and agony.
I didn’t expect her to be here, but now I knew why she was.
Because I was.
A test.
Loyalty.
They knew I came here once a month to meet asshole Brice. That I had to walk down this corridor. That eventually I’d hear her cries. Notice her.
Jesus. Their cruelty was endless.
I stopped at the door, my hand curled into a fist, raised and ready to knock for Greg to let me out. I could do this. I could leave and not look back. I could forget. I knew how to stop the nightmares.
But not this one.
My head dropped forward as I lowered my arm. I turned. What was I doing? I knew I couldn’t get her out. What was the point in seeing her? They’d want me to do this.
Like I told Deck, there was nowhere to hide from Vault. My sister was proof of that.
My feet continued down the corridor to where I’d heard her voice. I knew what I’d see. I knew how they broke them. I was one of them.
They drove all hope out of you until you became dead—nothing.
I couldn’t enter the cell as they were all fingerprint access. They’d know it was me.
I stepped closer. Then I raised my head and looked through the tiny barred window.
I had to grab the bars to support my weight as my knees weakened when my eyes hit her.
I’d thought I’d been broken once before, but now—
Now it was complete.
As if sensing someone was looking at her, London raised her head, the curtain of hair parting to reveal haunting eyes and dried, caked blood on her forehead and mouth. I couldn’t swallow. I had trouble breathing and the agony in my chest hurt so much I winced. At that moment, I prayed for the dead man I’d grown up to be, because feeling this pain was worse than any torture they had ever done to me.
“London,” I breathed.
Then the haunted look died and I saw dead. She’d given up. Another day and she’d do or be anything they asked of her for the rest of her life. They’d zapped all hope of being saved.
Her head fell forward again as if she was too weak to look at me anymore. “Jesus.” I had to walk away. I had to.
I couldn’t escape with her. I’d be bringing down on her something far worse if I did.
But I knew how to end the pain. How to help her.
It was the only kind thing to do—for now.
“You’re nothing, London.” She didn’t move and I raised my voice a little. “Look at me.” I saw her fingers twitch and she slowly raised her head again. I felt sick to my stomach as I forced myself to harden and glare at her. I am dead. Don’t feel. Don’t let the monsters in. But the monsters were already in me. I felt them living and breathing. Monsters they trained us to slay—emotions. “You will never escape them. Better to know that now. You belong to them and the faster you accept it, the sooner the pain will end. Give up.”
For a second, I saw a glint of anger hit her eyes and then her head dropped and she hung like a dead carcass.
Fuck. Fuck. Damn it.
But I had to do it. I had to cut her cord to any hope of leaving. Because if she lost hope, then it would stop the torture.
I closed my eyes then turned and strode down the corridor. I’m coming back for you, London.
AFTER TRISTAN WALKED out of Avalanche, Deck, Tyler and Vic came over, and without a word, we left, Deck’s hand at the small of my back as he led me outside.
Then we sat in the car and I told them everything. Word for word.
“You think he’s for real?” Tyler asked.
I shrugged. Deck didn’t say anything as he kept his fingers linked with mine and looked out the windshield.
“Does it matter if he is?” Vic said. “He obviously has someone on the inside that’s loyal to him otherwise Vault would’ve killed him by now. He also is pretty confident they have no idea who he is. He had his insider get Vault to start watching him. That was brave as hell or stupid as hell. I vote we do what he says. Let the storm calm.”
“I agree,” Deck said. “But we dig deeper into Tristan’s past. Vic, you make contact with him. I want to know who his parents are and if they think he’s still missing. Any police reports of when Vault took him as a child. Everything he told Georgie must be checked into. If he cooperates with us then we will start planning our next move.”