Page 78 of Hold Me Down
I punch the steering wheel and keep going, absolutely despising this plan. My vote went to either sniping the motherfucker or dragging him down into one of the black rooms, butno, we had to worry about his insane followers. Keeping her close, but out of the way, is the best way to ensure her safety. The Batcave has an extensive locking system. She’ll be okay once she’s there.
We pull in one after another, and we’re all out and standing before I can take another breath. There’s a heaviness in the air that should be like any other late November morning, but it’s as if the forest around us knows what’s about to happen. The cold breeze swipes over the back of my neck, prickling bumps along my skin.
All four of us fall into step the moment the last car door shuts, ready to get this shit started. Satori is not making it out of here alive, but the show is necessary. Not only to keep him from doing anything with the system or exposing us, but to tell everyone else what he’s done.
I burst through the doors without another thought, already gearing up for the fight. My eyes find him almost instantly. He’s on the other side of the training area, standing with a group of his men with a smug smile on his face.
“Macher!” I yell, grabbing everyone’s attention. The moment his eyes meet mine, the animosity between us explodes. Whatever heaviness that was in the air is now thick with anger, coating everyone and everything in this place. We keep our momentum and storm towards him. Because he’s a confident, arrogant son of a bitch, he smirks and crosses his arms, standing in his spot and making us come to him.
“What’s got your panties in a twist, Hartley?” His smirk only grows, stoking the fire in my chest. The instant I step close enough to him, I throw my fist out and connect with his jaw. I take in the sting through my arm like an old friend. He falls back, and I move to follow him, but his men around us shove me back, keeping me away. “What the fuck is your problem?!” He turns to cut his eyes at me, getting up on his knees.
“Do your men know what you’ve been up to?! What you’ve done?!”
When he stands again, any amusement is gone. His face has hardened to stone, and just like we thought, he immediately looks over to the side of the room, no doubt at Kade.
“The only thing I’ve been up to is covering your ass! I really hoped your time away would help you get your mind straight, but it’s clear there isn’t much that can help you!”
“Don’t start spewing your bullshit, Satori!” Zeke screams and steps up beside me. “You’re done!”
“We know what you did, and what you’re trying to do here. If you think you’re getting away with it, you’re mistaken.” I match Zeke’s tone.
“And what is it you think I’ve done? Hm?” Satori throws his hands out and jerks his head forward. “Besides fixing your messes, what have I done?!”
“We know you’re working with Avery. We know you tried to get Damien killed so you could take over Devil’s Hands,” Carter interjects, stepping up to my other side.
Satori just laughs. It makes the vein in my neck throb.
“Do you now?” He spins and looks at everyone as they come closer. I don’t know if they realize it or not, but people are already choosing sides, either gravitating towards me or him. I’m shocked when some of his men step towards us, but it just fuels the energy charging in the room. Even the dogs prance up behind me, and I can tell by the rattling of their collars. “AndI’m sure there’s some long, drawn-out plan to go with this? Where’s your proof? If you’re so sure I’ve done something of that magnitude, prove it!” He crosses his arms once again and stares me down. “You have nothing on me,” he says smugly.
He starts to walk around, circling us as he addresses the men. The breaths I take in and out of my nose shake with the rest of my body from barely contained rage.
“Who has been here the entire time?” he yells, eyeing each of the men one at a time. “Who has held this place down while he was seeing ghosts?”
“You told Hugo who our moles were!” Alex screams, trying to step past me, but I plant my hand on his shoulder to keep him back. “You’re the reason Jeromy, Bradley, and Darren are dead! Ezra died because of you!” Their names gut me, sending flashes of their decaying bodies across my vision.
“Who?” Satori acts dumbfounded, as if he’s never heard their names…like they never mattered. I almost gag. “I wasn’t even around before you finished Dust! Do you hear yourself?” He makes his way back in front of us, snarling his lip. “You three are so committed to Damien that you’re falling into his delusions!”
“Nothing about what has happened to us is a delusion!” Carter yells.
“But who led you there?!” Satori yells back, striking my heart. “Who has made all of this happen?!”
“You,” I seethe. He takes his eyes off of Carter and moves over to me. He snarls again in a humorous sneer.
“It wasn’t my personal war that got your men killed.” He shakes his head belittlingly. “Your time is over, Damien. These men deserve someone levelheaded—someone who won’t rush them into every personal vendetta or unwinnable war.” He steps closer to me, enough that I can smell his breath. “But don’t worry. I’ll take good care of them.”
Static from the overhead speakers crackles to life, and everyone freezes. Satori’s grin falters, and while everyone around us stirs, I don’t move my gaze.
“We have a bit of a problem in Virginia.” An old, haunting voice booms through the speakers, bringing more than just demons to the surface. Words that I’ve never heard Hugo speak are making their way throughout the training area, andeveryonelistens. “Somehow, they’re proving much more problematic than your larger group ever did.”
“I can help you get to him. One of my guys has a way in with them.” Satori’s voice comes through next. I finally break my glare and look around the room, wondering where it could be coming from, when I glance up at the observation window. My courageous wife is standing behind the glass, Satori’s laptop in hand, sporting a proud grin. My heart swells with pride. “You want him dead? I can make that happen.”
“Why would we do that?” the dead, Russian voice says. “Just so you can come after us later? We don’t leave enemies alive. Only you are that stupid.”
“We’ll stay out of your way. For good. You can continue whatever the hell it is you’re doing and I get him out of the way. You’ll have a clear shot through D.C. and Virginia to do whatever the hell you want,” Satori bargains, and I look back over to him, knowing the gold-mine of evidence my wife found.
“Or we could just kill you all,” Hugo argues.
“If it were that easy, you would’ve already killed me.” All of the hope leaves Satori’s eyes as the audio continues to play. I can’t help but replace his smirk with my own. “Our lives for his, and you keep your empire. It sounds like we all win.”
