Page 193 of The Unravelings

“Booo, Oli! You’re supposed to let me live through you! I want to know… Everything. Is he as big as he looks? Huh?”

“Oh my God, Si. I can’t tell you that. That’s private.” I laugh when he makes a face of displeasure.

He slaps my shoulder. “Well, I’ll pretend you told me every detail and that it was amazing, Oli.” His eyes dart to my room, and he sighs. “I should probably warn you, too. Your uncle is in your room waiting for you. He said it was some sort of family emergency.”

All the blood drains from my face, and my ears ring. “M-my uncle?” I question, staring at my door like it might bite me.

Please don’t be Jonathan. Please let it be someone else pretending to be my mysterious uncle. Hell, let it be Jordy.

“Yeah. He came this morning. Said he was worried since you wouldn’t take his calls. I didn’t want to let him in, you should know. I tried to get him to go away because he’s scary-looking. Like, frightening, Oli. No offense.” He shudders, pulling me farther into the living space as he stares apprehensively at my door. “But he insisted, and somehow, I let him in.” His brows furrow. “I swear I said no. He’s magic, Oli. Very persuasive.”

“What did this particular uncle look like?” I practically gasp out.

Because I have quite a few uncles lurking around California. The Viottos are still alive and well, running their empires. Believe me, I’ve checked in on them from time to time. If they somehow found out I was still alive, they’d immediately come down and either end me or use me. And I’d rather not find out which one they’d do.

“Blond hair, muscular build, with RBF. Should I be concerned?” He raises a brow, forcing me to look into his eyes. “Is-Is he safe? Do you want me to call security? The police?” he whispers frantically, searching my eyes for the answer. “Because I will, Oli! I’ll get them here so fast he won’t have a chance to see you. I’ll keep you safe.”

“It’s fine,” I say. “Thank you for letting him in.” It’s a lie. I don’t want to thank him. I want to run. Because if my uncle is here and shows his face to my roommates, instead of sending Jordy like he usually does. Then I’m fucking screwed.

52

Olivia

“You came.” I swallow hard, staring at my broken doorknob and mentally cursing my uncle for breaking the only thing that keeps me safe from others who may want to harm me. Even him.

Jonathan leans against my desk, looking me up and down with a blank expression. “You’ve been ignoring messages from Dave. You’ve been ignoring messages from everyone. I thought you might be dead in a ditch somewhere.” He lifts an unimpressed brow. “But it appears you’re not, Agent Seven. It appears you’re… Well, I’m not quite sure what you’ve been doing.” He shrugs. “From the outside looking in, it appears you’ve gone rogue. And you know what happens to agents when they go rogue.” His tone leaves no doubt as to what he means.

Torture.

Prison.

Death.

Veritas agents don’t survive the moment they sneak behind the organization’s back and do something unforgivable, like betraying their trust. Sometimes they’re erased from this earth before they can beg for forgiveness. Other times, they’re hauled off to Veritas prison, where every single person we’ve taken down has landed since their arrest. The worst of the worst reside there, plotting their revenge, and aching to escape. And seeing the person who helped jail them in their midst? Yeah, they don’t last long. Other rogue agents are strapped to a chair and used as a human pincushion.

And the list goes on.

“I’ve been working on the case, sir. I’m not rogue. I’ve been doing exactly what you told me to do. I’ve been getting closer to JJ and using it to my advantage,” I say, lifting my chin.

There’s no way I’ll let him sniff out any sort of lies or try to break my confidence. Not that I’m lying. I have been getting closer to JJ. But it wasn’t because of the case. It’s because I want answers.

I want to know what really happened to me that night. Not the narrative that my uncle has spun over the years. The actual truth that seems to be hidden in the depths of his warped mind. I want answers about my past. I want the facts about what happened, because my brain was so sure it had the right idea, and Jonathan backed it up.

Now? I’m not sure about anything.

“And your glasses? They haven’t recorded a single event for days. Unless you count the man who picked them up off the ground before going completely dark. Care to explain?” He tilts his head again, eyeing me for any sort of lies. “Because again, from the outside, it seems like you misplaced your glasses after a drunken college party, and that’s quite unacceptable in my books.” He rubs his chin, exuding a calmness that has the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. This is never a good sign. “You’re not here to party and play games; you’re here to investigate that fuck and his heirs.” His fists clench at his sides, bursting with veins that bulge from beneath his flesh.

“I’m playing the part of Oli, sir,” I say softly, moving to the center of the room. I can only hope Simon doesn’t get wind of what I’m saying. He knows I’m not Oliver, but still, keeping the agent part of my life under wraps is important for everyone’s safety. The fewer people who know, the better off I’ll be. “I went to a party with my roommate and his boyfriend; they fell off my head and…”

“So, you lost them?” Jonathan asks, gritting his teeth. “You threw away the only technology that could save your fucking skin? Are you fucking with me right now, Agent Seven?” He hisses, tossing out his arms. “You can’t be this fucking stupid and reckless!” he shouts, his voice echoing through the room like a bomb dropping down on me.

I swallow the lump in my throat when his face reddens with anger, and his eyes glaze over with a venom I’ve never witnessed before. This isn’t the Jonathan I grew up with. Or got to know after the fire. This isn’t the man who saved me and brought me into Veritas. No. The man standing before me is a stranger I’ve never witnessed before. Desperate. Ruthless. Mean. Sure, he’s a hardass when he wants to be. Like when he trained me before, he was hard on me, but always had a compliment to help take the sting away. Never gentle. But never too brash that I couldn’t handle it.

Until today.

He’s dropping the doting mask and revealing the true nature of himself to me. Or what seems to be his true self. All because I’ve fucked up a few times. Sure, that’s not my usual tactic. I’m better than all of the mistakes I’ve made. But it feels like this case was presented to me as a catastrophe from the start. The information wasn’t all there from the moment he gave me my secret identity. And my emotions? Well, those bitches have been on high alert since I stepped onto campus and had to face my past. Something no other agent has been forced to do. In fact, it’s unheard of for my fellow agents to go back to where they came from and take down the people who hurt them.

Only me. Only this instance. Before, I didn’t question it. I wanted to leave, yes. But actually questioning him on why I was here and thinking I could talk my way out of it? No. Absolutely not. I’ve always been a dutiful soldier. To my father. To Jonathan. To the Viottos. Never questioned them. Tilted my chin in submission to their every whim to keep myself alive. Now? I feel like my eyes are being opened and the veil is lifting from my mind.