Page 68 of Victorious: Part 2
“This is bigger than we thought,” Logan murmurs.
“How much bigger?” Maverick asks.
Luke pulls out a map from their files, marking it with red pins. “If your data is correct, they’ve infiltrated at least twelve facilities. That’s not just corruption, that’s a systematic takeover.”
“That’s exactly what we’ve been thinking, and now we know Rhonda is coordinating it all.”
“Rhonda’s a lieutenant,” Logan says. “She’s got bosses. People who don’t show up in any official records.”
I’m cross-referencing their map with my data when something clicks. “Wait. Look at these facility locations. They’re not random.”
“What do you mean?” Alpha asks.
I pull up a geographic overlay on my laptop. “These facilities form a network. Strategic positioning for transport routes, communication lines, resource distribution. Whoever planned this knows logistics.”
“Military-level logistics,” Luke adds grimly.
The room falls silent as we all process the implications.
“So, what’s the next step?” Rip asks.
Alpha looks at the Martinez brothers. “We bring you back to the clubhouse. You share everything you know with our full team. And we figure out how to take these fuckers down before they kill anyone else.”
“Including the people we care about who are currently trapped in their system,” I add.
Luke nods slowly. “All right. But we do this right. No cowboy bullshit. If we’re going up against something this organized, we need to be smarter and better prepared than they are.”
“Agreed,” Alpha says, standing up. “Pack your files. We ride in ten minutes.”
As the brothers start gathering their documentation, I can’t help but feel as if we’re finally getting somewhere. For the first time since this nightmare started, we’re not just reacting, we are building a strategy.
“Hey, Loki,” Rip says quietly, coming up beside me. “I know I have already asked, but this shit is weighing on me… think we’ll find Doughnut?”
I look at him seriously. “Rip, after what we just learned, these fuckers keep messing with us. And now they’re coming onto our property and taking our animals. So, yeah, we’ll get him back. And we’ll make them pay for fucking with us.”
Because now we know exactly who we’re fighting and how they operate. And with the Martinez twins’ inside knowledge combined with my tech skills, Theo’s help when he arrives, and Alpha’s leadership, we might actually have a chance at winning this thing.
The war just got real.
But for the first time, I’m starting to think we mightnotlose.
Chapter Sixteen
PHOENIX
The city sprawls before us like a neon fever dream, its skyline flickering to life as the sun dips low, casting long shadows across the desert. Soon, it won’t be the sun lighting our way, it’ll be the glittering chaos of Vegas.
From the passenger seat, Clover lets out a soft breath that sounds like wonder laced with relief, and I get it. After three days of wrong turns, right feelings, and everything in between, the shimmering edges of civilization feel like oxygen.
“There she is,” she murmurs, her voice carrying something I can’t quite name. “The city that never sleeps.”
“That’s New York,” I correct automatically, then catch her grin. “But Vegas definitely has insomnia issues.”
The Strip unfolds ahead of us, a kaleidoscope of lights beginning to flicker to life even though the sun hasn’t fully set. It’s as if we are watching a transformation from day to night, from ordinary to extraordinary.
Kind of like what’s been happening between us.
Dracula stretches in the back seat, fixing me with his judgmental yellow stare through the rearview. The little psychopath has claimed the entire back seat as his kingdom, sprawled across Clover’s jacket as though he’s posing for a magazine shoot.
