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I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that everyone important will be okay, but dread the call that needs to be made to clean up this mess. There won't be any hiding this, and I worry that the lack of reactions from everyone except Rex means we're more damaged than I imagined.
Lark
I'd been devastated when I thought one of the guys had been Brent’s victim. We're sitting here in the dining room with a patched-up Marcus and a coffee-drinking Rex while we wait for the Director to show up with a team to take care of the body.
Marcus is filling Emmett and me in on what transpired while we were in the hall— it was only through dumb luck that I happened to stop him and shut the door before Brent could do any damage. He'd taken Apollo hostage immediately and backed against a wall, making Marcus throw his firearm away from everyone, but not realizing that Rex still had one. After he overheard Braeden say he was taking his back to the security room, he’d thought he was in the clear and could get his revenge.
Brent was the one that had swiped the cell phone, not one of the crime scene techs like they'd thought. From his ranting, he’d wanted to bring his family here until he knew it was safe but also knew Apollo and Marcus wouldn't let him. He was released after giving his statement and directly went to find his mom and sister— Robert had left messages for him and Brent had been checking them remotely. Except when he got here, he didn't have access.
From what Marcus understands, each had been an escalating threat for Brent to get my and Apollo’s location. When Brent unknowingly didn't comply— because he couldn't, Robert gave his mom and sister to his guards in retaliation. By the time Brent had arrived at the location, they had already been dead for several days.
Since Emmett and I had been in our own conversation, it hadn't registered that the low voices inside the room were Brent going off about how it was all my and Apollo's fault that his family was dead. He wanted to take all of us out, but me and Apollo first because all Apollo had had to do was turn me over to Robert.
My mind is looping back through the events of the last hour, and I'm feeling slightly guilty over it. When Apollo interrupts Marcus, it draws my focus out of the memories and back to their conversation.
"I've tried for years to get Brent and his mom and sister away from Robert. Many times— he's ignored every opportunity. It's not anyone's fault except Robert's." He makes sense, but I still feel somewhat responsible for the situation.
I let it go when the Director arrives. Thankfully, I don't have to say much as I hadn't seen most of it. Emmett has to stay to give his statement about the phone, and wait for the ambulance to take the body away.
One of the guys must have cleaned up afterwards because when I peek in the den later in the morning as I'm getting a drink, there's only a stain left on the floor.
I worry about Rex though. He jolted awake several times in a cold sweat after we all piled into Apollo's room. I sigh as I go to climb back in bed, knowing decisions are going to have to be made sooner rather than later.
