Page 65 of Dangerous Chaos

“I know your story, upbringing specifically, is… sensitive,” Brodie began. “Out of respect, I didn’t want to say anymore in front of the teams than what was necessary.”

“They all know our story. We both had to share when we were at a loss for what was happening,” Wit admitted. “Is there more that we don’t know?”

“How your sister was found,” Brodie said. “Your father found her through Safe Haven.”

“You’re kidding me. That’s literally the reason I signed on. I thought if she was still out there and in a bad way… she’d eventually come through Safe Haven,” Wit said.

“I was her handler,” Brodie admitted. “I protected her in our own Safe Haven-funded WITSEC until her abuser stood trial and she could testify, ensuring he was done for.”

“Wh-What’s she… You know.” Hen was hesitant to ask what he really wanted to know. “What’s she like, Brodie?”

“Smart. Really fucking smart.” He chuckled. “She worked alongside me and learned the ropes. Had to in order to stay safe in the event anything happened to me. Hell of a computer expert, good with this tech shit, and can dismantle a bomb and shoot you square between the eyes without even looking. She took to it. Trained well. I assumed it was in her DNA, given what I knew about you two and your dad.”

“We had to be tough. That life growing up prepared you for one of two things. Fall victim to the circumstances or be a fighter,” Wit said.

“She’s definitely a fighter,” Brodie said with a smile.

“You speak highly of her,” Ayelish said, muting her comms. “How long were you her handler?”

“It was three or four years, maybe? It took a while to apprehend all the players and then build cases that would stick so hard that not even a bought-off judge could interfere. They all went down and hard.”

“Were you two…?” Wit cringed, seeming uneasy with the thought crossing his mind.

“Together?” Brodie asked so he wouldn’t have to say it. Wit nodded. “No. It wasn’t like that. We were both alone, missing the people we loved most in the world while trying to navigate this strange life. We were more like… family. I looked at her like I look at Aye and Ash or my sister, Sheridan. I think she would say she felt the same. It was never more than that, ever.”

Wit let out a deep breath he didn’t even know he’d been holding. “So she testified and was set free in the world with the resources needed to start a new life and a new identity. How the hell did someone figure out who she was and know to use her as a fucking pawn?”

“I still can’t wrap my head around that either,” Hen said. “We ran in different worlds, Wit. Until the past few years and even then, our interactions were limited.”

Wit dropped his head in frustration as they heard the activity kick up a notch, not a block from where they were sitting, confined to a trailer. “We’ve managed to put all the pieces together now, except the who. We just need to be prepared for anything when this thing goes down. I’m worried ’bout that. You know. Who it is.”

“You think it’s our father,” Hen stated firmly. “I’d be a liar if I said the thought hadn’t crossed my mind too.”

“Anyone can be flipped. Money does strange things to people, and those ledgers are worth ungodly amounts,” Wit said. “I wouldn’t put anything past anyone at this point.”

Hen patted his brother’s shoulder before he stood, moving to make room for Ayelish who was headed their way from the other end of the mobile unit. “It’s almost over…brother.No matter the outcome, something good came of all this.”

Wit offered a sincere smile with a nod and watched him walk away.

“He’s right, ya know?” Ayelish took to his side. Resting her head on his shoulder, she laced her fingers through his. “No matter what… there’s Hen.”

“I suppose I did get somethin’ good out of this. He’s a real good guy. I’m fond of him,” Wit admitted. “I think he’ll stick around after all this, and we’ll be in each other’s lives. I’m lookin’ forward to that.”

“I know you are,” she said. “And I’m sure the feeling is mutual. Looks like they’re having the same talk down there.”

Ayelish nodded her head to the opposite end of the trailer, where Ashlyn and Hen were seated nearly the same way they were.

“You’re going to be okay, Wit,” she assured. “I know you must have a million things running through your mind right now, but no matter what the darker intrusive thoughts are trying to convince you of… you’ll be okay. So is Hen. So is your sister.”

“You know me so well, Angel. It’s almost frightenin’ just how well…” He chuckled. “What if…?”

“Don’t even go there.” Ayelish cut him off. “The team won’t let you down. They’re going to get her out. And before you say you’re worried about how she feels…”

“We left her out there, Aye. She has to feel somethin’ about that. We didn’t find her. She went through so much, and we didn’t stop it. How can she feel okay about that? I sure as hell don’t,” he admitted as he watched his brother swipe away a tear. “If I had to guess, that’s what Hen’s thinkin’ too. Look at him.”

“Wit, I doubt she blames you for anything. How could she when you were the one who protected her all those years until…?”

“Until I didn’t, Aye. You know, Brodie told me about her and what she was rescued from. Used, drugged, abused. That was her life. If there is any kind of silver linin’ in that, it’s that she was kept for the ringleader –– that bastard, Lindstrom –– instead of passed around. How’s that even a silver linin’, Aye? That’s thebestpart of her circumstance? Of her life? I feel like I failed her.”

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