Page 63 of Dangerous Chaos

“It was too dangerous to stay,” Brodie shared.

Hen nodded. “I know. It all makes sense now. I always wondered why the man was crying and why he left. He was… a hero.”

“That night was the last night he’d get that close ever again.”

“That’s where Skriver and Hen’s Tillmans come in.” Wit was piecing it together. “They were his eyes and ears. Knew how to avoid danger and how to get info to Cormack without risking any more lives. Jesus.”

“Hen fared well after that, and Wit… I’m sorry you didn’t get the same hand,” Brodie said.

Wit nodded. “Why did the Skrivers leave me? Why was I left on my own out there?”

“They were made. Skriver had to get the hell out of there so none of you met the same fate as the Hendricks family who adopted Hen. You were in the system, and they couldn’t take you out of the state and risk having you listed as a missing person and draw all sorts of attention. When it was safe for Skriver, it was too late for you. You’d been buried so deep in the system –– intentionally –– that there was no way to help you without bringing too much risk. You had handlers along the way, keeping you legit, though.”

“Handlers?”

“A couple of teachers looked out for you, a social worker, one of the caretakers at the group home. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the safest they could keep you, and you were so close to aging out.”

Wit guffawed. “Safe Haven. My handlers, as you put it, were a part of Safe Haven.”

Brodie nodded.

“And all the tests, recruitment into the military…”

“Perfectly orchestrated to draw you in, to align you with the right people, and make you who you are today because as long as there was Chalice, you were in danger. You needed to be protected as well as independent and this is how it went. This… all of this… it’s your destiny. You’ve spent your entire lives preparing for this. As cliché as that sounds, it’s true.”

“I have been… so angry. I thought he’d abandoned us or he was dead or somethin’,” Wit said. “We suffered, man. Mama suffered.”

“Finding out about your mother nearly broke him,” Brodie said. “She was the love of his life, so to find out he’d lost her after all of the sacrifices… it was hard on him. You were all supposed to be protected in his absence, but he was betrayed. Then when he realized watching over you from afar was just putting danger in your path, he almost gave up. Until Skriver and Tillman held his feet to the fire and reminded him you were what he was fighting for. It changed the game for him.”

“You know him?”

“I knew all of them as a much younger operative. I was a part of the second wave that ultimately replaced them as they aged out, were lost in the battle, and so on.”

Wit’s brow furrowed. “Then how did you know to be here… tonight? How did you get the job of messenger?”

“Like I said, this has been in the works for a very long time. When I saw the bounties, I knew it was time to prepare. Then I got the calls from the attorneys that you’d claimed your packages. I’ve had eyes on you guys since the first team left Portland,” Brodie admitted.

“You’re the one feeding us intel then,” Killion stated.

“Intel? I’m a part of a much bigger machine. Sure, I’ve been instrumental in some of the pieces during the past few days, but not all of it. I’m not the only one,” Brodie admitted.

“Why here? Why Ponderosa Peak?” Wit asked.

“Had you ever been here before today?” Brodie smirked.

“No. Not once.”

“Exactly. This town leaves a lot to be desired. An old mill town that doesn’t operate anymore. It’s exclusively used for Safe Haven. We get the occasional pass-through or someone stopping for gas or a quick bite. But everything here is to protect the victims who come through. ThisisSafe Haven.”

“Pretty unbelievable,” Hen said, taking his seat again as he ran his hands down his exhausted and worn face.

“Believe it. It’s happening. You’re the next generation of Safe Haven. BK Security as well. This is what it’s all been about for years.”

“And if we don’t want it?”

“Then the work of your father, your foster families, and all the good people before you will have been in vain. Chalice happened in a blink of an eye, and it’s been decades of trying to unravel the corruption and prevent it from rising again. This is the closest anyone has ever been to the end. You guys are the key to that. Keepers are the key to that. Once the final threat is neutralized…”

“It’ll be over,” Wit said. “We’re the army needed to ward it off and keep it away.”

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