Page 140 of Desecrated Saints
Theo steps up next, his shoulders set firm. “We honour her wishes by fighting for what’s right. I refuse to live in a world where evil wins. If Bancroft goes down, Incendia is weakened.”
“We have hours of interviews and evidence to strike the killer blow,” Hunter concurs. “The SCU has no idea we had our own cameras rolling. Let’s release it to the entire world right now.”
The idea of three weeks of evidence being released into the public domain has a clinging chill covering my entire body. I feel fucking sick at the thought of reporters, doctors, pundits, and political commentators hearing about the darkest parts of my life.
“Is there another way?” I ask, defeated.
Hunter shakes his head. “We have to force their hand now. I’m sorry, Brooke.”
The others all meet my eyes. Their lives are spelled out in those tapes too, but they are leaving the decision up to me. I don’t know if we’ll ever know peace again once we do this. But if we don’t, our lives will end in the most brutal way imaginable. Incendia will win. I can’t let that happen.
“Do it,” I command.
Theo nods once, disappearing from the room.
“They didn’t believe us before.” Phoenix looks fearful. “What’s changed?”
“Who would believe the ramblings of a psych patient and some blurry iPhone footage?” Enzo laughs bitterly. “But the sworn testimony of several grown adults, backed up by two SCU ex-employees, and buried by the very people the public trust to defend the law?”
“Nobody can ignore that,” I affirm, trying to comfort myself.
Hunter actually smiles. “All we need is one head to turn. The rest will follow. There are good people left in government. We’re going above the SCU with this footage, and it will blow them to pieces.”
In the office of a man I didn’t know two months ago, we seal a pact in the only way we know how. Each person spits into the palm of their hand, like criminals agreeing to a truce. Each handshake is exchanged in turn. When I reach Enzo, he pulls me into a bear hug.
“You’ll get that second chance, wildfire,” he murmurs into my hair. “I had a sister once. She was full of life and never gave me a moment’s rest. I couldn’t stop the cancer that ate away at her organs, but I can fight until my dying breath to kill every last son of a bitch that comes for you.”
Tears prick my eyes. “You can’t give up everything for us.”
He holds me at arm’s length and scowls. “If one person’s life isn’t worth risking everything for, then none of this matters. We vowed to fight for justice the day we opened Sabre. I’m doing exactly that.”
With another bone-creaking hug, he pushes me back towards the guys. I pretend not to notice the way he clears his throat and subtly wipes under his eyes. The lion-hearted boulder of muscle has a heart of fucking gold, and I love him for it. All of them have done their best by us.
Facing all five guys waiting for my direction—the individual pieces of my heart, my motherfucking family—I say the words I never dreamed of uttering aloud.
“Time to go back to Blackwood Institute.”
CHAPTER 30
BROOKLYN
WONDERFUL LIFE - BRING ME THE HORIZON & DANI FILTH
There’s something very wrong about driving into Blackwood’s car park like normal, law-abiding citizens. No undercover sneaking or clever disguises this time. There’s no point in hiding. The SCU’s deadline has passed, and Theo offered our lives to the vultures in the media twelve hours ago.
We’re fair game now.
There are no more dark corners to hide in.
Hudson pulls the handbrake on the dark, tinted SUV. I’m sitting in the passenger seat, while the other four are crammed in the back. Hunter, Enzo and Theo pull up next to us in a matching armoured company car, giving us a moment to share some final words of wisdom.
I meet Kade’s eyes in the mirror. “You look good.”
He runs a hand over his perfectly knotted tie, which complements his shirt and trousers. His broken arm is still strapped against his chest. It figures he’d return to his preppy roots for our final trip to hell. This time, he isn’t here to impress anyone but himself.
The rest of us wear our battle armour—ripped jeans and band t-shirts, leather jackets and bad attitudes. There’s no point in pretending to fit in with the high-society vampires inside. We’re not here for them.
I entered Blackwood as myself.
