Page 32 of Reclaiming Chaos
Chapter 16
Ridge
Carlee left me in the war room and went to talk to the others. Their voices drifted into the room as I walked around various workstations. Carlee’s desk was easy to pick out. A book, similar to the one she’d made, complete with cutouts of newspaper clippings sat near the keyboard.
Various pictures of people with power were taped on the walls. Beneath them were names, places, and other such things. Beneath that was the secret she’d uncovered. Then Amy’s name and the other pictures and data she’d found to be contributed to the same scene. These people were working as if in a hive, connecting the dots of all the pieces to see a bigger picture emerging. All of them were gathering the resources that painted a picture of Russell in a different light.
An empty drink glass was sitting next to Carlee’s computer monitor. The shape was one that normally held tropical drinks you could find at most vacation spots. This empty glass had two umbrellas with smiley faces.
I walked to the middle of the room again.
There were three faces on the board. Mine, Reyes’, and Melony’s. Beneath each was a list of family members. Some had secrets written out nearby, as if these psychics and remote viewers had created a family tree complete with not only names of everyone on it but what secrets they’d uncovered for each.
Next to my picture was a heart and the word “danger” with a question mark under it. My family tree had all of my siblings, and Carlee’s friends had managed to identify the abilities of three of them
This wasn’t happening. This was my worst nightmare come to life. I snapped a picture of the progress and sent it to Gwen with a message,Shitstorm’s coming soon. Get prepared.
I wasn’t like my family. I didn’t have a special hidden talent. But in all the ways that mattered, I was exactly the same. I’d do anything to keep the world from discovering the truth. Russell could have destroyed them all with this data.
I shoved my phone away and continued walking around the room. Screen savers were on most of the computers. The workstations were as individualized as the people. One had a book of predictions sitting next to the coffee mug that readThere’s a trench coat and a tragedy in your future.I picked the book up and glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching before I flipped it open and scanned the pages. I turned to the last page and froze.
Carlee or Ridge will need to die.
“Do you always look through other people’s property?” Amy asked, snatching away the book.
“Is that yours?”
“No.” Amy lifted her chin. “It’s Barbara’s. She’s the resident future seer, for lack of a better word.”
“Right,” I said and headed toward the door.
“Only death is going to stop this,” Amy called out.
I was beginning to agree. It was just a matter of what I was willing to do to make all of this disappear. It was a good thing I couldn’t go to jail for just thinking of the harm I’d like to cause.
Carlee lifted her gaze as I strode into the room. She rose from her seat and matched my stride as I headed for the door.
I unbolted the door, yanked it open, and grabbed two flashlights from the wall, handing her one.
“It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?” Carlee asked, taking almost twice as many steps as me.
I didn’t speak, afraid if I did, I’d rip her apart. It wasn’t her fault she worked for a scumbag like Russell. It also wasn’t her fault she was gifted in the ways of knowing things, remote viewings, and automatic writing. Could I really blame her for this predicament? No. It was my fault my family was in trouble. It was my job, and those of my team, that had put me on Russell’s radar.
“He’s a dead man.”
Carlee grabbed my arm and stopped me. “I know how this plays out. We’re doing this my way.”
My eye twitched. “Yeah, well, apparently, if Amy’s predictions are to be believed, either you or I die in the process.”
“I’m willing to take that chance if it means stopping him. Are you?”
I let out a shaky sigh. “Promise me that if he kills me, you’ll tell my family everything you know and then you’ll disappear.”
Even in the dim light, I saw the flash of regret in her eyes. To know I was the reason for it cut me to the bone.
She masked it as quickly as it appeared and nodded. “Ridge, I’m sorry…”
I shook my head. “It’s okay.”
