CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Bea

The Next Day

My heart races hard against my chest, and even though I know I have Haven with me, I have never done anything like this in my life. Everything I have done, everything I have worked for, has always been about helping people.

About making their lives better.

So, what I am about to do now goes against my very foundations.

But Bennett Marshall is not a good man.

There is no way in hell this guy should have any kind of power in our government—especially not a position as powerful as the Vice President of the United States, with ambitions of becoming President. He needs to be taken down, and if I am the person who can do that, then I'm damn well going to put my anxiety aside and, for the first time, help myself.

Causing harm to someone will never sit well with me, but if doing it will help others in the process, then that has to be worth it.

Trying to control my breathing as Haven and I step up to the building, she glances at me. "I got your back in there. It's gonna go perfectly. Believe in yourself. You hear me?" she states so forcefully that I have no other option but to trust her.

Nodding, I straighten out my shoulders as we walk through the double glass doors into the lobby of his office building.

Instantly, four security guards flank us, aiming weapons in our direction. "Stop right there. Both of you," one of them demands.

My eyes widen as Haven simply raises her arms with a cocky smirk on her face. "Before you start throwing your weight around, boys, you're gonna want to radio up to bossman and tell him Beatrice Underwood is here to negotiate terms."

The guards hesitate for a moment, but the one who seems to be in charge reaches for the radio on his shoulder and presses the receiver. "Guardian Angel, this is Gabriel, come in, over."

Raising my brow, I side-eye Haven, and she curls up her lip as a message comes back.

"This is Gadreel, receiving you Gabriel, over."

Trying to fight back my laugh, Haven lets out a scoff as ‘Gabriel' continues with his radio conversation.

"Ah, we have Beatrice Underwood down here in the foyer saying she would like to negotiate terms. Can you confirm with Archangel that we are a go to ascend? Over."

"Jesus Christ… you guys are using angel euphemisms as code names? So original. And Archangel for Bennett Marshall? Really? I think you have him confused with Lucifer. He was an angel, too, you know? Just saying… if you want to stick with the angel theme, one that is actually more fitting for an asshole like the governor," Haven quips, and I snicker under my breath.

The four guards glare at us as Gadreel answers back down the radio line, "Affirmative. We are a go. Samael will be there to greet her at the elevator. Send her up now. Over."

Inhaling sharply, I nod as Gabriel reaches out for my elbow, leading me toward the elevator. Haven steps off to move with me, but one of the other guards aims his gun at her.

"Get that thing out of my face, or I will show you how a real woman uses it," she warns.

I halt my steps, turning to Gabriel. "She's with me," I demand.

He chuckles, shaking his head. "No. You go up to see the governor alone or not at all."

My stomach instantly knots, my concerned eyes meeting Haven's, but she doesn't hesitate, shoving the gun away from her, not giving a single shit. She steps up to Gabriel, giving his shoulder a hard shove. He glares at her, and she stands taller. "You think for a single second, I am letting you take my friend up there to meet a guy called Samael, who is the angel of death, destruction, and war—"

"He is?" I blurt out in terror, but Haven continues.

"And that I'm not going with her for protection? Fuck. No. You get your motherfucking Archangel asshole on the line right damn now and tell him that if he doesn't let the both of us up there, I am going to make one hell of a scene. A real fucking public display . And you know what, now I know all your stupid little code names, and if you ask your boss about The Nest, you just tell him that I trained under Vulture . Trust me, he'll know what that means and what I can do with the information I now have on all of you."

Gabriel's radio crackles immediately, and a voice echoes over the line. "Let them both up. Now !" Bennett's voice blasts through the speaker.

Haven chuckles, her eyes darting around the lobby. "Knew you could hear me, Governor. See you soon," she chimes, winking at me, then strides up to my side as we walk together toward the elevator.

My heart races fucking hard in my chest, but I know I have to play this just right. We step inside the big silver box, the doors closing behind us. Gabriel still has his gun still firmly on display as we begin the ride to the top level of the building. My palms are sweating, and my skin feels like it's trembling.

But I know I have to do this.

It's not just about me and my app anymore.

This has become so much more.

What Loki found—I know I only have one shot at this, one chance to make this right.

Because if I fail, Bennett will come out swinging.

The elevator stops with a start, the jolt making my stomach feel like it is falling out of my body. An instant nausea rolls through me.

Haven side-eyes me, her hand reaching out, giving me a supportive squeeze.

It's exactly what I need.

Inhaling deeply as the doors open, Gabriel steps out to a waiting monster of a man, who I can only assume is the one they call Samael. Swallowing hard, I follow their lead down the hall into a large, pompous office. An overstated desk sits at the back of the room—huge, wooden, ornate—like it has been here for centuries. Atop it are two massive computer screens that almost feel out of place in this old-worldly feeling room.

Behind the desk, the entire wall is a bookcase filled to the brim with leatherbound books that seem important. A spinning globe sits to the right of the desk, one of those old-fashioned types, like you would see in old movies about Leonardo Davinci, Thomas Edison, or someone equally as inventive.

In front of his desk is a huge space with two sofas facing each other, obviously for a more casual meeting approach.

I have to admit, he has set up his office to appear presidential.

And it makes me sick to my stomach.

Haven and I are led up to his desk, but Bennett isn't anywhere to be seen. I spin around as we reach the desk, Haven and I both furrowing our brows wondering what's going on when Gabriel and Samael both turn and head for the exit.

Haven snorts out a laugh. "What? No goodbye quips? No trying to tackle me or make sure I behave myself by giving me a warning shot to the leg?"

I thought it would be Gabriel to react, but this time it is Samael.

He spins, smirks, and shrugs. "There's still time. We will see how your meeting with the governor goes. Any luck, I'll be able to carry you out of here in a body bag."

My eyes widen, but Haven doesn't even flinch. She simply smirks. "Oh, now you're just flirting with me. You gonna choke me first? You know I like it rough. Maybe a little gunplay? I have this thing I do with knives, too… you're not scared of blood, are you? It's a great lubricant." She waggles her brows, and Gabriel shakes his head, walking out of the room. Samael stares at her like he's trying to figure out if she is messing with him.

The problem is, knowing Haven, she really isn't.

Samael lets out a low growl, flaring his nostrils. "I'm going to kill you."

Haven grins like those words are precisely what she wants to hear. "Well then, baby, I can't wait to play. But let's rumble after this meeting, okay? Let the grown-ups talk first."

A door on the left opens, making the three of us snap our heads to Bennett, who's walking into the room and wiping his hands on a white towel. I have no freaking clue what he was doing in there, but I also don't want to know either. "Ah, I see my guests have arrived. I trust you took good care of them, Samael?" he asks.

Haven snorts out a laugh, turning. She slides her ass up onto his desk, knocking some of his paperwork to the floor. "Me and Samael were getting well acquainted, weren't we, lover?"

Bennett curls his lip, craning his neck to the side as he steps up to his desk, grabs the fallen pieces of paper, and places them back on the desk into a neat pile, clearly annoyed she dropped them.

Can anyone say OCD?

"Does he want to kill you?" Bennett asks, point blank.

Haven smirks with a shrug. "Yeah," she replies nonchalantly.

Bennett exhales, moving to the rear of his desk, and takes a seat. "I couldn't possibly imagine why," he jests. "Leave us now, Samael. I'll call you if I need you."

Samael furrows his brows like he's furious. "Sir?"

" Now !" Bennett yells, waving his hand through the air at him.

Samael huffs, glares once more at Haven, then steps through the door, closing it behind him, leaving the three of us alone. Relaxing my shoulders finally, Haven jumps down from the desk and grins, giving the pile of papers a little push, making them untidy again. I'm inclined to smirk, watching Bennet squirm, clearly uncomfortable, while Haven moves to stand beside me, giving me the support I so desperately need.

The governor sits forward, his hands joined together in a fist on his desk as he fake-smiles at me. "So, Beatrice, I assume you have come to talk to me about a contract stating the information I obtained from your app won't be traced back to you when it's used in the future. I agree it is the smart move for you moving forward. Of course, you won't have to announce publicly that there has been a breach, saving you, and your company. Naturally, I foresaw this coming, so I have already gone ahead and drafted up the paperwork for us." He leans down into the drawer beside him, opens it, and pulls out a file, then places it on his desk in front of him and slides it toward me. Then grabs a pen, clicks it with that shitty smile he's known for, and reaches out to hand it to me. "There's no need to read it. It's all perfectly legitimate."

Letting out a scoff at the audacity of this man, all his words do is to light an insatiable fire inside me. Faking a smile, I reach for his pen, spin his contract, look for my name and the dotted line, and then start writing.

He exhales, sitting back in his chair, completely relaxing. "I knew you'd do the right thing here, Beatrice. You know why? Because you're the smart one in Defiance," he states.

Smirking, I glance down at the contract, nod my head, and spin it back to face him. "Yeah… you're right. I am. Here's what I think of your contract, Governor."

His brows furrow as he glances down at my signature area, which reads, ‘Bennett has a small,' and then I drew a picture of a cock and balls next to it.

Haven bursts into a fit of laughter, racing to give me a high five. I slam my hand against hers as I stand back, glaring at Bennett, who does not seem impressed at all. He inhales sharply, rolling his shoulders, then, as if he can't handle it anymore, leans over, shifting the papers Haven messed up back into a neat pile. He then sits back with a scowl on his face. "Okay… you want to do this the hard way, Beatrice. You know you have no leg to stand on. I gave you a decent offer in this contract, and you dick and balls me. You're only fucking yourself over in the long run. I honestly don't give a shit what happens to you. But now, you've made a bed for yourself and your stupid club. You need to leave." Bennett goes to call Samael, so I step forward, pulling out a flash drive.

"I don't think you want to do that, Governor."

His hand hesitates over the call button, his eyes transfixed on the flash drive. "All right, little miss. I'll bite. What have you got there?"

I glance back at Haven, and she grins, nodding at me. I turn back and decide to go full napalm on the asshole. "What I have here, sir … is the promise of you going onto your computer and deleting every. Single. File. That you stole from my cell phone. All the information from my app. All the details and personal information from my clients, and all of my personal images, videos, voice notes, and whatever the fuck else you took illegally from me."

He purses his lips, nodding. "Funny… because that looks like a flash drive to me, not some promise that I have never and will never, ever make."

"Oh… I think you will when you see what's on the flash drive."

He tenses, finally showing a little unease. His eyes flick to Haven. "You said you worked at The Nest?"

Haven grins widely. "I sure did, and I am the one who took it down. Are you starting to get that little niggling feeling in the pit of your stomach, Governor?"

His nostrils flare, his breathing quickens, and his hand darts out toward me. "Give me that fucking drive."

Hesitating, I tilt my head before I hand it to him. "And before you get any funny ideas about destroying it. We have copies. You might want to think about making a deal before you go doing anything stupid."

Gritting his teeth, he snatches the flash drive from me and shoves it into his computer. The light on the stick flashes green, and I smile, walking around to watch what he decides to look at first. There are dozens of folders, and each folder has multiple folders nested within it.

So much fucking dirt.

"Jesus," he mumbles under his breath.

I rest my hand on his shoulder and let out a long breath. "It's funny, you know? You put out this image of a man desperate to bring down crime in America. Trying to delegalize cannabis in LA, working for all kinds of campaigns to bring justice and peace. And yet, if you click on that picture... yep, that one right there, oh yeah, look at that. Isn't that you at The Nest signing a consent form to sell your daughter to them when she was only two years old? I mean, she wouldn't even know her father is the great governor of California. Who even knows where she is now that the birds of The Nest have been set free."

He glances up at Haven, fear in his eyes. Her arms are folded over her chest, her stare hard on him, anger clearly evident as he shakes his head. "I… I needed money to help fund my campaign."

Haven scoffs, turning and starts pacing the room to walk off her fury, so I continue sliding my hand to the mouse and click on another picture. "Oh, this is a good one! At the huge state funeral of your two-year-old daughter, there were news teams everywhere. It was a massive story that gained you so much support. Poor fucking politician whose daughter died unexpectedly. Your approval rating went through the fucking roof after that. Am I right?"

He glances up at me, his chest heaving. "I made a mistake."

" A mistake?" I snort out a laugh. "You sold your daughter, then profited off her fake death for your political gain. You're a fucking monster!"

He throws his hands in the air in frustration. "So what? You're blackmailing me with this now? You want me to give all your shit back, or you will out me about my daughter? Is that it?"

Tilting my head, I smirk. "I could, but somehow, I don't think it would be enough."

"The fuck are you talking about now?" he snaps, seemingly frustrated and nearing the end of his tether.

Leaning past him, I click on another folder in the flash drive, opening up the images. They flood his screen, a never-ending barrage of evil and vulgarity.

He slides his chair back, and horror flashes over his face like he had no idea this would ever come back to haunt him. "How the fuck, did you get these images?" he snaps.

Standing back from him, I shake my head, curling my lip up, and take in a slow, steady breath. "You know… in a way, I'm so fucking glad you sold your daughter. She grew up in a training facility to become a strong, powerful, amazing young woman. If she had stayed with you, she could have ended up like the poor, defenseless girls in these images. Some of them have got to be no older than what… seven or eight, maybe, give or take. And the vile shit you're doing to them…" I trail off, scowling in disgust as he stares at me, finally with undeniable terror in his eyes. He knows there's no way out of this now.

"I don't know what kind of darkness you have to have inside you to do that kind of… I can't even. But to honestly think that you were going to get away with this and become the most powerful man in the country? Are you completely insane?"

Bennett rolls his shoulders, his jaw wracking from side to side. He straightens out his suit and clears his throat. "Okay… so you have this information on me. What I want to know, is how the fuck you found it?"

I glance across at Haven, and she steps up, her face still clearly pissed as she folds her arms across her chest. "I don't know if you know this or not, but The Nest was run by the Rojas Cartel."

He tilts his head. "I do know that. They were the ones who… brought me the girls."

Haven and I both mockingly laugh. "Of course they did. That's why they had the photos… they always kept proof of everything, even if you didn't know it was happening. It was their insurance policy, ensuring they could blackmail people if they needed to. The thing you didn't know, Governor, was the cartel had a database. A huge one. When I left The Nest, I took the codes for it with me, and at Defiance, we hacked into it, taking the files. The database has dirt on people you wouldn't even believe, and guess whose ugly mug was in there?"

Bennett cranes his head to the side, his knee bobbing up and down anxiously as he clearly tries to think of his next move. "Here's the deal… I delete everything on my computer that I took from your cell. Once I have done that, I will delete this flash drive. We call your guys and get them to delete their copies. We all walk away from this and never see each other again. I also swear I won't come after the club when I'm elected."

Letting out a long exhale, I roll my shoulders, thinking through my next move.