Chapter 29

" W hat do you mean, you can't use it?" Ella cries, pointing a chipped fingernail at my shattered phone. Oliver cringes, adjusting his glasses, and I admit, I feel slightly bad for the guy.

But then, he opens his mouth and uses that fucking nickname, and I go right back to hating him.

"I'm sorry, princess. We've been over this. I can't access the app if the phone is destroyed." He shifts my phone, holding it up to the light. "Not only has it been severely damaged on the outside, but the inside's been corrupted from liquids. What was it you said it came into contact with?"

Ella winces and drops into the chair next to him. "Blood."

He shoots her a wide-eyed look, and I brush my hand across her shoulder, squeezing it.

"My blood," I drawl, pulling his attention away from my girl. Mine. Not his. Mine. I may share her with four other men, but he doesn't need to know that. "I got shot, remember?"

Oliver pales slightly, but I'm too frustrated to rein in my irritation.

We weren't able to find Ella's phone. She's pretty sure she dropped it in the parking lot at some point. But after tracking down Evelyn and some guy named Bobby, we figured out the team who conducted the clean up never found it.

My phone is apparently destroyed, meaning we can't use it to trace the guys' trackers. Oliver pulled the bugs from Ella's jewelry yesterday and has a few of them hooked up to some sort of reverse engineering software, but so far, he hasn't been able to break Stone's coding. Every time he gets close, he gets kicked out of the system.

And now, he just keeps staring at my girl with wide pick me eyes, while he calls her princess and does smart, adorable shit.

It's pissing me the fuck off.

I reach a hand up and rub my throbbing shoulder, wincing at the stab of icy-hot pain that lances through me.

Okay, maybe I'm more angry than usual right now, but it's been hours since my last dose of pain meds, and I barely slept last night. I'm pretty sure I'm entitled to a bitch-fit or two.

"Shot. Right," he murmurs, his brows furrowing as he flicks his gaze back to my phone. "You jumped in front of a bullet. It makes sense now."

"What makes sense?" I snap, ignoring his flinch.

Grow some balls, princess .

"The damage to your phone," he says slowly, as if it's the most obvious fun-fact in the world, and I'm dense for not knowing it. "The bullet hit the edge of your phone, likely slowing its trajectory and saving your life. I was wondering what would cause such extensive spider webbing on the screen, and also contemplating how you're still alive, when by all accounts, you should have died." He nods sharply, pushing his glasses back up when they slip down his nose. "It makes sense now."

Ella sucks in a harsh breath.

" Asshole," I hiss. "I just barely got her to calm down enough to eat. Don't bring that kind of shit up again."

With a glare, I kick Oliver's knee, only taking in a small amount of joy when his wheely chair slides across the slick floor. He catches himself on a desk and plants his feet with a scowl, but it quickly disappears when Ella whimpers.

Poor baby. I'm pretty sure she's barely holding on to the frayed edges of her control right now.

"Don't fight!" She shoots me a glare. "And don't kick Oliver. He's doing his best. Aren't you, Oli?"

"Oli?" he murmurs at the same time I snap, "Don't give him nicknames!"

"Why not?" she quips back, planting her hands on her legging-clad hips. She's wearing another version of the same outfit Oliver gave her a few days ago, and I finally got my hands on a similar one.

I flip the asshole off because the memory of what he put me in for the meeting starts all over again.

"Because," I whisper-hiss, "he's like a cute puppy. If you give him a nickname, he'll stick around!"

Ella sighs long and loud, but Oliver merely shifts in his chair and flicks his gaze back to his row of many, many screens. The tech room in Madeline's compound is a hundred times crazier than Stone's. I'd be impressed if I weren't seconds from flipping his glass desk on its side.

"Actually," he murmurs. "If you give a puppy food, he'll probably stick around. If you just give him a nickname, he'll likely piss all over his property." He narrows his eyes at Ella and jerks his chin at me. "What do you call him to make him so annoyingly feral over you?"

Her mouth gapes open and she quickly grips my arm, digging her nails in as if to hold me back. Did she think that would offend me? Hah. This prick will have to try a hell of a lot harder to get under my skin.

Leaning back in my chair, I give him a lazy smirk. Slowly reaching up, I slide my fingers around the back of her neck and squeeze possessively.

"Well," I drawl. "When we're around people, she calls me Hunt." I shift, wrapping my hand around her ponytail. I tug. Hard. "But when I'm buried between her thighs, eating her sweet cunt, she calls me Daddy."

A chorus of gasps echoes around the suddenly too quiet room, and my mouth falls open. Fuck. I forgot where we were. My throat bobs as I release her hair and retract my hand, retreating the way one would near a ravenous beast.

"Elle," I murmur, gulping. Her head turns slowly, reminding me of a creepy movie. I hold my hands up to placate the sleepy demon. "My love—"

"Don't!" she hisses, pointing a finger at my face. "Do not my love me, Hunter Morris!"

"Oooh!" Oliver laughs. "You just got full named—"

"And you!" she snaps, turning her ire toward the current object of my irritation.

I smirk, settling in for the drama. This is going to be so good. I wait, and wait, but it never comes. I flick my gaze to Ella, finding her shoulders slumped and her eyes watery.

My mouth falls open. What the hell just happened?

She sniffles and drops tiredly to her seat. "What are we going to do, Oliver?" Her voice cracks and my heart goes right along with it. "If you can't track them from our phones, and haven't found anything with the bugs in my jewelry yet, what are we supposed to do? It's only been a few days and I feel like I'm losing my mind. What if—"

Ella's jaw ticks as she fights with all she has to hold back her emotions. It takes a ridiculous amount of control to keep myself from snatching her up, and running far, far away from here. I'd do anything to protect her, to keep her safe. I'd die for her, and nearly did. It was hell, but I'd do it a hundred times over just to fix this for her.

Unfortunately, this is out of my wheelhouse.

My throat constricts as I turn my focus to Oliver. It's beyond anything I can do, and that means this random nerd is our only hope.

Goddammit .

He seems utterly uncomfortable with her emotions, and I almost smile as I watch him shift awkwardly, looking anywhere but at her. Poor fucker.

My smile falls and my brows dip. Since when did I start feeling bad for the guy?

I rub my forehead. This is becoming exhausting.

"Well," he mutters as he stares off into the distance and drums his fingers on his thigh. "You said the trackers all transmit back to the phones, but there has to be a central system they default to when the phones are out of commission."

"Yeah," I reply, watching Ella out of the corner of my eye. She's doing her best to keep it together, but I can see the strain in her eyes, the way she's gripping the edge of the table like it's the only thing keeping her grounded. "Stone set it up that way—smart, considering what we're up against."

And I don't even think the Diablos had any idea how deep shit runs when Stone created the program.

Oliver nods, his mind already racing ahead. "So, if their phones are destroyed, the trackers switch to transmitting back to a central hub, right?"

"Exactly," Ella cuts in, her voice steady despite the undercurrent of fear she's trying to hide. "Stone coded it himself and only the six, well, seven of us, know about it. The trackers are embedded in our jewelry—rings, bracelets, whatever we've got on us. Plus, each of the guys has a tracker in their cufflinks. If the phones go dark, they start transmitting to one of two places: our house or The Den."

"The Den?"

I notice the way her hands tremble at his question and she quickly tucks them under her thighs, so I jump in.

"Yeah, the gym the guys own."

"The place where we were attacked," she adds, shoving her shoulders back. She takes a deep breath and releases it slowly. "It's the last place any of us saw them alive."

Christ, I love this woman. She's so damn brave, so strong.

Oliver's eyes narrow, the wheels turning in his head. "That means we've got two options to find them. First one is that I crack open one of the trackers instead of scanning it from the outside. It'll take a fraction of the time, might let me see what we're working with, but I run the risk of corrupting them." He flicks his gaze at his workstation. "We have five between us that don't appear damaged."

"Second option?" I ask, though there's not much I'd say no to right now. We're basically desperate.

"Either get to the house or The Den, and both are risky as hell." He flicks his gaze between us. "If you can get me to Stone's hub, I can trace them—" He snaps his fingers. "Like that. As long as they have their devices or trackers close by, I can find them."

I nod, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on me. "But we can't just stroll into either location. If Augustus' men knew enough to jump us at the party, they might be watching those places too. We need a plan, something that gets us in without tipping them off."

"What's the likelihood that Gus took them right to the Diablos compound?" she murmurs, her delicate features tightening. "Or out of the city entirely."

I reach over and squeeze her hand. "We don't know where they are, my love. They could be absolutely anywhere. We can't rule anything out."

"That's not entirely true," Oliver drawls, biting his lip. I cock an expectant brow and he shrugs. "What? Did you think that after all these years, we'd be flying completely blind?" He scoffs. "If you think the amount of plants and surveillance a piece of shit like Augustus Luna has is a lot, you've never seen a Milieu Corso-Marseillais task force in action."

I give him a pointed look, telling him to expand on that point of get fucked. Oliver huffs and rolls his eyes.

"We have a fuck ton of our own surveillance."

I sigh. "Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

"I did," he growls. "You're just too stupid to—"

"Enough, children!" Ella hisses. "God, you two are infuriating. Can't you just stay on topic for five seconds? We're in the middle of a literal mafia war, for fuck's sake!"

Feeling properly chastised, we shoot each other apologetic looks and murmur, " Sorry ."

"Anyway," Oliver says quietly. "Point is, we have surveillance all over the state, and far beyond. We have plants within his organization, and many others. We can confirm without a doubt that your men are not within the Diablos compound or anywhere near it. Unfortunately, our plants are not within his inner ranks. If there was a plan, which we assume there was, our people are not in on it."

Her shoulders slump. "So, we're back to square one."

"Not exactly," he murmurs. "We have a solid idea about how we can find them." He squeezes her shoulder. "That's something."

Ella takes a deep breath, her gaze flicking between Oliver and me. "We should attack this from both angles. You tear apart the trackers. Do what you need to do. While you're doing that, we need to go in." She places a hand on her stomach and the other on her chest. "I have this… feeling . The answers we need are on Stone's computers. Before we left the night of my party, he said…" she trails off, swallowing hard.

Unable to stand the distance between us anymore, I tug her chair closer to mine and wrap my arm around her shoulders. I press a kiss to the top of her head, murmuring how much I love her in a moment meant for just the two of us.

"I love you, too." She sighs happily and kisses my jaw. Turning back to Oliver, she continues. This time, her voice is stronger. "Stone said that if anything went wrong, everything we would need is on his computers. Based on the map you showed me yesterday, The Den is closer, but the home office has more resources. Stone was paranoid—he set it up with every possible contingency in mind. If we can get there, we might be able to override whatever's blocking the signals, or at least pinpoint where they were last transmitting from."

Oliver leans back, considering. "I can work with that. We'll need to move fast, though. The longer we wait, the colder the trail gets. And if the trackers are still active, they're our best shot at finding them."

"We'll split up," I suggest, even though the thought of leaving Ella to go anywhere right now twists something tight in my chest. "One group hits the house, the other heads to The Den. We coordinate through Oliver—keep him in the loop, let him direct us based on what he finds."

Ella hesitates, clearly torn. "I should go to the house," she says finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "I know Stone's systems better than anyone. If there's something buried in there, I'm the one who can dig it out."

"No," I say immediately, the word sharper than I intended. "It's too risky. We're not splitting up completely—I'm going with you. Oliver can handle things remotely, guide us if anything goes wrong."

Oliver nods, already pulling up schematics and maps on his tablet. "I can do that. I'll set up a secure line, keep us connected. But you need to be prepared—whatever Stone put in place, it's going to be tough to crack. And if the guys are in trouble, we might be working against the clock."

"We'll get them back," she vows, almost to herself. "I'm not leaving anyone behind."

I can see her walls coming back up. Can see the utter pain written across her face. So, I do what I do best. I make my baby laugh. Or, snap at me. Both are acceptable.

"Well," I croon. "I know someone we can leave behind." Her eyes snap to mine as I flip the other man off. "The nerd."

"Hunt!" she cries, shoving me. "Oliver has been nothing but helpful and kind! Stop being such a dick!"

"Can't help it. He won't stop calling you princess." I turn an exaggerated pout in her direction. "You're my princess. Not his."

"Don't whine." Shh huffs, crossing her arms. The movement shoves her perky tits up and out of her sports bra. My eyes drop to her chest, and my cock perks right the hell up. "My eyes are up here! Gah! Didn't anyone ever teach you manners?"

I tug her closer to me and lift my brows. "Considering I was raised in the seventh circle of hell, no, baby, I didn't learn any manners." I waggle my brows. "But a few nights ago, I did learn what it takes to make my girl scream—"

She claps a hand over my mouth and screeches, jolting from her seat.

"Hunter Morris!" she whisper-hisses, shooting Oliver a wide-eyed look. "I can't believe you just said that!"

I chuckle and poke my tongue out, running it across her soft skin. She yanks her palm away with a scowl. I hum, licking my lips. "Mmm, tastes like chocolate and sprinkles."

Ella blushes and wipes her hand on her zip-up sweatshirt. "You gave me donuts."

I nod and yank her onto my lap. I expect her to fight me since we're surrounded by strangers in the tech room, but she curls up against my chest and sighs. It's a testament to how worn out she is. I brush back the hair that's fallen from her ponytail and tuck it behind her ear.

"Did you have enough?" I murmur. "You haven't been eating. I can get you something else, or more donuts, if you'd like."

She giggles. "As good as those donuts were—" Her stomach growls loudly, interrupting her words. Ella darts an embarrassed look at Oliver, who merely waves away her concern.

"Did you find them in the break room down the hall?" he asks. She gives a hesitant nod, and he grins. "They're amazing, aren't they? I normally eat at least three a day."

Ella leans forward excitedly, and for a split second, I forget that I hate the little fucker.

"Are they from somewhere in the compound? The cafeteria or something?"

Over the last few days since we arrived, we've explored a bit more of the underground fortress. When Madeline said the Les Beaux Voyous Compound was twenty feet under the heart of San Francisco, she must have meant the top level, because the compound falls ten floors into the earth and stretches for miles in every direction.

According to Oliver, it was once a military research facility but had been sitting abandoned for over a decade. Though we're still not sure how finances work in Le Milieu , there's no doubt in my mind these people have some serious backers. They'd have to, to make this place all that it is.

He chuckles and adjusts his glasses again. I'm beginning to think it might be a nervous habit.

"Sort of." His cheeks turn a bright shade of pink that reminds me so much of Ella's, I can't help but smile. "There's uh, actually this girl—"

"Oh my God! A girl?" Ella squeals, clapping her hands, and bounces on my lap.

I grunt as her delicious ass presses directly against my hardening cock. I quickly bundle her in my arms, freezing her movements before I embarrass us all by coming in my boxers. Again .

"Oops, sorry," she murmurs, not looking sorry in the least. She gives Oliver a puppy-dog look and curls her hands beneath her chin. "Do you like her? Tell me!"

I laugh, shaking my head and tug at her ponytail teasingly. "Leave the poor guy alone, my love."

Her dimples pop out with an adorable smile and I can't help it, I press a kiss to each. Fuck. How long have I waited to have this with her? We've always been touchy-feely, but things are different now.

There's an ease about us. She ebbs, I flow. She moves, I follow. We've fallen into the romance part of love so fucking easily that I find myself waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Surely, it can't be so simple to love your best friend?

"Actually," Oliver says hesitantly. "Her name is Lucy, and she's—"

"Hey, son," a deep voice rumbles, followed by the sound of the heavy metal door clanging open. Oliver's mouth snaps shut as Ella jolts from my lap. I move to tug her back, but before I can, the voice continues. "Maddie wants to know if you'll be coming for din—"

Robert, Madeline's husband, barrels around the corner, his face turned toward his phone in distraction. Though the room is loud with the sound of computers and people chatting, it feels like everything suddenly goes silent.

He must feel it too, because he comes to a standstill and jerks his head up. His eyes widen as he takes us in, his gaze sliding from Ella to me, before settling on Oliver, where he lingers for a long moment.

"Oh, uh, hey guys." Robert shoves his glasses up as he stumbles over his words, and like a sheet being pulled, I finally see it.

The resemblance. Robert is Oliver's father.

Wait…does that mean…

I glance at Ella, and the look on her face confirms she's already piecing it together. Her eyes are wide, but they're quickly narrowing into something hard, something hurt. My grip tightens on her arm instinctively, trying to ground us both.

"Uh.." I clear my throat and point from Robert to Oliver. "Is…are you…" I don't finish the question because I can't.

The words die in my throat, but the implication hangs heavy in the air. If Madeline is Oliver's mother, then Ella's only living blood relative has been right here, hiding in plain sight.

Robert blinks at me, then at Ella, and I see the panic flash in his eyes.

"We, uh, we should talk about this later," he stammers, his gaze flitting to Oliver and then back to his phone as if searching for an escape route. "Maddie wanted to know if you'll be joining us for dinner tonight. All of you." He's almost pleading, as if a family dinner could patch over the years of secrets and lies.

Ella doesn't move, doesn't blink, her whole body going rigid as she stares at Oliver.

"We'll talk about it," I cut in, flashing him a smile. "I'll let Oliver know what we decide."

"Great, okay, uh…" Robert fumbles for something more to say, but when nothing comes, he spins on his heel and darts out of the room, his footsteps echoing in the sudden silence. The door slams shut behind him, and it feels like the air's been sucked out of the room.

I turn to Oliver, who's been sitting in stunned silence, his fingers still hovering over the keyboard as if they don't know what to do next.

"You knew," Ella says, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and betrayal. She swipes at a tear before it can fully fall, her hand shaky. "You knew, and you didn't say anything."

"It's not what you think," he starts.

"No," she cuts him off, her voice sharp. "You don't get to do that, Oliver. Not after everything that's happened. You—" Her voice breaks, and she squeezes her eyes shut, trying to pull herself together.

I can't stand to see her like this, so I step in, putting myself between them. "We need to focus, my love," I say, keeping my voice steady. "We need to get the guys back. That's what matters right now."

"Ella." Oliver tries again and I shoot him a lethal glare, but he literally shoves me out of the way. I stumble, but he ignores me, grabbing her wrist to get her attention.

I see fucking red.

I charge the fucker, but unfortunately, he says the only words that could stop me before snapping his neck.

"We're not related," he rushes out. Her head snaps up, and he gives her a soft, sad smile. "My mom died when I was a kid. My dad, Robert, married your aunt a few years back. She's my step-mom, so…" He grips his neck and glances away with a shrug. "I guess we're kind of related, but I didn't keep it from you on purpose."

She stares at him for a long moment before her lip twitches. "I think Hunter almost killed you."

He blanches and she giggles. The sound is literally music to my ears.

Just like that, all the air rushes from my lungs and I drop to my seat with a tired huff. I seriously need some pain meds and a nap. I flick my gaze to Ella, my eyes trailing her stunning features. I grin. Maybe a blow job before my nap.

"So," I drawl. "Cousins. That's cool." She gives me an excited smile, and I return it. "At least you found out before you kissed him or some shit."

My brows dip and my stomach twists with jealousy.

Why did I just say that?

Oliver chuckles before suddenly paling. His wide eyes snap to me. "Oh, shit. Did you do that with Stone?" He winces. "Please tell me you didn't fuck your brother."

Everything in me stills.

"The fuck are you talking about?" I bark, jumping to my feet.

"I'm sorry, Hunter," he says, shoving his hands between us. As if that'll save him. Clearly reading the murderous rage on my face, he chokes out, "I thought you knew."

"Does this look like the face of a person who knows what the hell is going on?" He jolts at my shout, but I can't find it in me to care. "Start talking, nerd boy!"

His mouth opens and closes a few times before he swallows audibly.

"It's The Circle's job to know everything about its members," he murmurs. "And your father was one of its originals."

"You know my father?" I rasp.

Oliver quickly shakes his head. His glasses fall down in the process, and for once, he doesn't correct them. "Not personally, no. He was killed just after I was born, and I wasn't brought into the Circle until a few years ago." He shrugs. "The Circle's history is in the archive, and part of my job is to know information in that document, front to back."

"Again," I drawl, clenching my fists. "Do you know who my father is?" Was . He said my father died. He also said my father was part of the Circle.

Does that mean…I shoot a horrified look at Ella.

"No!" She stomps her foot and shoves a finger into my chest. "You are not my fucking brother," she growls before turning to Oliver. "Right?"

"God," he murmurs, turning his eyes heavenward. "Now would be such a good time to fuck with you both." He sighs, shaking his head. "No. You're not related to each other. Your father was Lucas Hendrix."

"Are you saying Hunter and Stone are brothers?" Ella whispers, sounding just as taken aback as I am. For some reason, the pit in my stomach lessens at her shock.

Thank fuck, she didn't already know. I don't know what I'd do if she'd been keeping this from me.

He nods solemnly. "Lucas and Mia Hendrix were well-known drug addicts. The only reason they were allowed in the Circle at all was because Lucas' father had been close to your grandfather before they both passed." Oliver looks away. "I didn't know your mother, Ella, but from what I've heard, she saw the best in everyone. I think she wanted to give Mia and Luke a chance. Madeline says Char attempted to get them into rehab multiple times, but they wouldn't go for it."

Her jaw ticks, and she crosses her arms. "So my family knew about how awful Stone's parents were, and they still left him there?" She scoffs and flicks her gaze at me. "I still don't understand. Did Lucas have an affair, or was Opal Morris never Hunter's mother to begin with?"

I hate that my instinct is to pray that it's the latter. I hated my mother more than anything. Mostly for her drug habit, but more than that…I hate that her last act as my parent was to leave me in the hands of two monsters.

"Lucas cheated," Oliver murmurs, his throat bobbing. "A lot."

"So…" she trails off and squeezes my hand. "Your mom was Opal, but your dad—"

"He's not my father," I snap. She flinches, and I release a slow breath, tugging her to my side. "I'm sorry, baby. This is just…"

"I know," she whispers. "It's a lot. It's okay."

"It is a lot, but that doesn't make it okay." My shoulders slump and I rest my chin on top of her head, holding her close, soaking in her sweet smell. Even here in this random, strange place, she still smells like my Ella. My girl. "I just don't understand why Stone wouldn't say anything. Did he know?"

Ella makes a sound of irritation. "Seems he knew a lot of shit that he kept from us," she mutters. "Maybe we don't know him like we thought we did."

Oliver winces. "Don't be mad at Alec. His childhood was worse than most could imagine."

"Welcome to the fucking club." I scoff.

Ella pulls herself from my arms and slowly turns to face Oliver. "How did you know about that?"

There's a calm lethality to her voice that catches me off guard and I reel back, taking in their stare down. Oliver looks like he's seconds from puking, but my girl is primed for a fight.

What am I missing?

"I can't tell you," he mumbles, his eyes flicking all around the room, looking anywhere but at us. Ella steps forward, her tiny hands balled into fists. I jump forward, getting to him before she can.

Like fuck, I'll let her take the lead on beating this prick's ass. I don't know what we're fighting for, but I'm so damn here for it.

"What can't you tell us, nerd boy?" I whisper-hiss, wrapping my fist in his collared shirt. I tighten my hold and yank him forward, bringing us face to face. "Tell my girl what she wants to know, or I'll knock your fucking teeth out."

My shoulder burns, and a pained sound slips between my teeth, betraying my ire.

"Okay, bouncer boy," he placates, untangling my fingers. He shoots me a surprisingly sharp look and guides me to my chair. What's even crazier is that I let him. "Sit down before you pop a damn stitch." He turns to Ella and smiles. "I'll tell you both, just…you have to swear this doesn't leave the three of us."

"She's the fucking queen, isn't she?" I sneer. "Doesn't that afford her unlimited access to all your fancy secrets?"

Ella hikes a thumb at me. "What he said, but way nicer."

He rolls his eyes and leans forward, bracing his forearms on his knees.

"As head of IT, it's my job to scan all the media files sent to our servers. It's a security measure in a long list of protocols to protect our operations. A few years back, we received a massive encrypted media dump from an unknown entity. At first, I couldn't figure out how they got it past our firewalls—it was like nothing I'd ever seen before."

He pauses, his gaze flicking to Ella, then back to the screens surrounding us, as if seeking refuge in the familiar glow of the monitors.

"I debated opening it for a long time, but…I couldn't risk not taking the threat seriously. I had to know what was inside the drive."

I lean forward and match his stance, tension rippling through me.

"What threat?" I ask, my voice colder than I've ever heard it. Something is coming. Something bad. I can fucking feel it.

Oliver hesitates, then looks directly at Ella. His voice drops to a near whisper. "It just said, ‘ Never forget we have eyes everywhere .'"

A cold shiver runs down my spine, and I can see my girl's face pale as the words sink in. I clench my fists, trying to keep my anger in check.

"And what was in the drive, Oliver?" Ella's voice is barely audible as she asks, her eyes locked on him.

Oliver's expression tightens, and he swallows hard before answering. "Every heartbreaking moment that you, your men, and your family have experienced."

Ella flinches like she's been slapped, and I feel a growl rumbling in my chest. "What does that mean? What did you see?" The question comes out more like a demand, the anger barely contained.

Visions of every devastating, sick and depraved thing the six of us have experienced at the hands of madmen ricochet through my brain like a twisted movie. My heart races so hard, the room starts to spin.

No.

Hell no.

Sweat breaks out along the edge of my temples and I feel seconds from passing out.

Please don't let him say it. Please.

Oliver meets my gaze, his eyes full of a regret that makes my stomach churn.

"Everything," he says, his voice heavy with the weight of what he's seen. "Every loss, every betrayal, every moment of pain and fear. The abuse Gage and Maddox suffered. The worst moment of Nyxon's life." His throat bobs. "Stone in the cage. The sick things his parents made him do. And—" He breaks off and Ella shoots to her feet, stepping away.

"No."

There's so much pain, so much devastation in that one word, that I lose my grip on reality entirely. I silently beg him not to say it. Not to add to the traumas we've been through.

A part of me remembers a camera. There were times I questioned what Eric was doing with it, my young mind not grasping the weight of the situation. I was never as innocent as I deserved to be, but I still didn't understand.

Now, I understand far too much.

Oliver's lips part, and I can tell he's genuinely devastated by the bomb sitting on his tongue. I tense, bracing for it, but the impact of his words still take me by surprise.

"And everything you two went through."

"And you've seen it?" I choke out. He nods once. "All of it?"

Oliver shakes his head. "No. I couldn't stomach all of it. I know enough to validate the legitimacy of the videos. They're all real, originals. As for copies, I can't know if they exist."

"And did—" she breaks off, stepping further away. "Did anyone else see them?"

His jaw pops as he slowly rises to his feet.

"No, princess." I'm shocked by the vehemence in his tone. Ella's eyes snap to his. "No one else saw them. I was alone. I relayed enough information to Madeline for her to understand the weight of the threat, but that's it. They're hidden and I've added encryptions, so no one else can view them without my coding. You're safe."

"But we're not." I scoff. They turn to look at me. "We're not safe until these fuckers are dead and turned to ash."

"So," Ella says, swallowing back her emotions. "We'll wipe them from the board. We'll take every single one of them down, and then we'll burn their empires to the fucking ground."