Wow! No wonder he has such twisted ideas!
[Hunter]Watching her fall apart without me has been a singular type of self-inflicted torture. I made this nightmare for myself when I told everyone to keep me dead, to keep me hidden, all so that we could lure the enemy into a false sense of security.Behind these cameras, I've witnessed every hidden tear, every time she sucks in her breath and takes a moment to steady herself before entering a room. I don't have eyes inside of our suite, but I see how every night she's only moments away from falling apart as she wishes Charley a good evening. I hear her screams of agony in the night when she thinks nobody is listening. Every moment of heartbreak. Every time she whispers my name and places her hand on my heart when she thinks no one is looking.--every bit of it is all my fault. Watching over her is my penance and my duty. It was my decision to go into Code Black and hide my plans from everyone, including my own second in command.I just had no idea how hard it would be to carry t
[Vanessa]Looking at the offered hand, I hesitate. The blonde, Ms. Smith, exchanges looks with Mr. Carter, and then the professor, as if trying to decide what they should do. Were they expecting me to jump at the chance to join the same shadow organization that probably led to my beloved's death. Yes, serving as an agent of Black Eagle, infiltrating CCRP, and finding a way to bring Debrassy down would be a perfect opportunity to find my revenge against that family-murdering bastard, but it almost feels too perfect--like it's being handed to me.Maybe it's because of everything I had to go through with Michael and all the secrets that were hiding underneath the surface. Maybe it is because Hunter, despite how much he loved me, had a ton of dangerous secrets of his own, secrets that led to his demise.Or maybe, it's my own secrets, the ones that are keeping me stuck between identities.Regardless of the reasons, it feels like this offer is coming out of the blue. How would the head of
[Addison/Vanessa]Tracy pulls the cold metal disc from my belly with a smile. "Now remember you still need to take it easy. Because of your last pregnancy, you are considered very high risk for another miscarriage, especially with the amount of stress you've been under since..." She doesn't finish her thought but we both know what she's thinking: Since Hunter disappeared. It's been two months since I saw The Briar explode. Two months without any news of what happened to him. The fire burned so bright that there weren't even any bodies to find. Other than the ash and ruin, there was almost no sign that a building was ever there, nevermind any of the people who happened to be inside. "You won't be able to hide the baby much longer either, Addy," Tracy warns. "You're going to need to think of a better, long term solution." I told her about the professor and the offer he made for me to just vanish, to leave all of this behind. Tracy thinks I should, even if it meant never seeing her aga
[Addison/Vanessa]I've seen her do that before, in the bathroom at the restaurant where she hit me and told me to stay away from Hunter "or else." Her expression had changed just as quickly. She's an excellent actress. But why is she acting now?Why is she only pretending to be sad?Maybe I'm misinterpreting the situation. I'm not exactly in my right mind. Jessica Jackson is an operative of Black Eagle. In many ways it makes sense, since Hunter rescued her, like so many of the others in his organization. She was young, but that means that she's perfect to train. She probably doesn't want to feel at danger any more than I do. As Hunter Grant's ward, she's probably in similar danger, even if people don't realize their relationship for what it is.But her taking amusement at my discomfort in a moment of sorrow--is she being malicious, or just immature? She's only a few years younger than me and yet in many ways, she often seems like such a child.I don’t have enough emotional bandwidth
[Vanessa/Addison]I wish I could feel engaged as Reggie shows me around Black Eagle headquarters, but I can’t stop thinking about my love. Watching The Briar explode as we flew away to safety. How could he survive that? How could anyone? The longer he’s gone, the more the likelihood that he’s already dead. No way would he let me feel his loss without reaching out. He would find a way to let me know he wasn’t dead. I’m sure of this. A door slides open behind me and I jump, startled at the sound. Turning around, I come face to face with Jessica, his foster daughter, and my body clenches. The last time I had seen her, she had been making out with my fiance. How is it that she has access to a place I was only told about today? A tinge of jealousy rises along with those moments of unkindness she had shown me when I was first introduced. Was she trying to protect this secret, along with her relationship with Hunter?“Addison, why are you here?” Her bright eyes are wide with confusion as
[Hunter]The assassins on the rooftop were easily managed, as were the fools who tried to burst apart a titanium door. The ones that hadn't burned themselves to a crisp after trying to explode the damned thing were easily dispatched as they funneled one by one through the door, encouraged by the gunfire hitting them from the other side. Angel and the Brides activated as soon as our guards were found dead outside the building. For a woman in her 50’s, Blue Angel can keep up with the rest of them, a stunning beauty with a gaze that can freeze a man in place just long enough to put a bullet through his skull. “Mom, why haven’t you evacuated?” Ace groans, wincing as his mother starts poking at his wounds. “Can’t let my boys have all the fun. Besides, we came with these,” She hands us each a parachute. “Now hurry, the place is set to blow in two minutes.” Looking up, I watch my family fly off in the distance. “Sorry, Vanessa,” I whisper. “I’ll make it up to you. But first I need to sla