Page 115 of Seizing Control: Part One

In my bed.

With my arms around her.

While she cries for another man.

That situation is bad enough.

It gets worse…

My wife won’t speak to me unless I reaffirm my agreement that Zeke will be back.

So, I keep on telling her the truth, despite the lack of clarification from Gabriel that our plan was a success. Since I received the phone call from one of his team, confirming that Venom had been extracted from the lockup, I haven’t heard a thing. Not one word. Whenever I question Meeyal, he tells me the same.

Gabriel Abaddon has gone underground.

Leaving me to worry that the rumours are true.

The prevailing story in the underworld is that Ezekiel Miles met his end at the hands of Brutus and Hugh St. James. That the Trinity failed to keep it’s end of the bargain we cut with them. There are also reports of a bounty on Hades’ head, on mine, and, of all people, Everett’s.

Nothing makes sense.

I need confirmation.

Yesterday.

I hit the call icon again.

Once more, my phone glitches and shuts down.

When I press the power button to turn it back on, I lift my gaze from the device I’m about to throw at the wall if it crashes one more time, to see why my Tech officer isn’t talking.

“Cub?”

Head down, tongue poking out the side of his mouth, he scowls at the screen. With his laptop balanced on his forearm, his fingers moving over the track pad a lightning speed, Cub blanches white. Whatever he’s looking at has him worked up. The lack of colour in his face as he manages to pale even further, and the visible shaking that starts to wrack his lanky frame, fills me with urgency.

I push back to my feet and grab him by the arm just as his legs give out.

After guiding him into the closest seat, I take his computer from him.

The moment I place it on the Shamrocks’ oak table, he slaps the thing shut.

“Just… wait,” he murmurs.

“Why?” I ask as I reach for the device.

Cub pushes it away from me. “You don’t wanna see this twice.”

“See what?”

His voice is thin and reedy as he explains, “I needa show the club something fucked up—I’ve messaged everyone to get their arses in here.”

“I’m the president,” I retort. Folding my arms across my chest when he snatches his laptop out of my reach and stumbles back to his feet, I stalk him around the table. “I needa know what the fuck is up before everyone else.”

“Slash,” Cub pleads. He hides his computer behind his back. With a melancholic expression, one that wrinkles the skin around his eyes and makes the corners of his mouth droop, he tells me. “Just trust me on this—you only wanna see it once.”

I can hear booted feet heading our way like a herd of elephants, so I temper my fury.

“You ever ambush me again, I’mma take my anger out on ya head.”

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