Page 51 of Captured By Chaos


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“And in that time, two people have lost their lives at the hand of this monster,” Violet scolded, Beckett’s mouth closing over the rest of the explanation he was trying to give.

“What about you, Alpha?” Terrence turned to Nolan. “This isn’t your first time working on the Elliot case, how have you not caught them up faster?”

Nolan cleared his throat, and I glanced to my side to see him standing up a bit straighter, if that was even possible. “It was never going to be a quick turnaround, not with so many backlogged cases to get through,” Nolan said, backing up Beckett’s claims. “With a hunt this large, it takes more than one expert to make it successful. Even with a Faction as skilled as this one, you can’t expect us to work miracles. Not with a master manipulator like Elliot.”

“You seem to have a lot of faith in this Faction, Alpha,” Father said, turning around slowly to face us. “Although past actions have proved perhaps you shouldn’t.”

“I’m not exactly sure what you are referring to, sir,” Nolan said, my heart skipping a beat. “The Faction I’ve been lucky to work with over the weeks seems to be well-represented in the file you gave me. It did seem somewhat lacking in details, but of course with a group this close how can there be anything too terrible to report?”

Awkwardness filled the air, Terrence’s face paling, Violet’s lip twitching. I held my breath, waiting for them to react—because although he didn’t say it out loud, he was calling out the High Faction for their decision to redact information from our Faction File.

“Hm.” Father gave Nolan an appraising look. “And I suppose even with the details you did know, you feel as if everyone has met your expectations?” His gaze flicked to me briefly before returning to Nolan.

“Most have exceeded my expectations,” Nolan said. “I didn’t think I would be so lucky to be a part of a team like this, especially with such a well-respected and competent Beta such as Kasha. But of course, you shouldn’t be surprised by that.”

I tensed at his words. Did he actually mean them? So much had changed with Nolan since I’d met him, I could no longer figure out what was real and what was a figment of my anxious imagination. I wanted to believe him, yet the darkened doubt that slithered into my mind tried to convince me he was bluffing…and sometimes it was just easier to listen to it than ignore it.

But that couldn’t be my focus. I kept my eyes trained forward, reminding myself that I just had to make it through this meeting. I could do that, I was strong enough for that.

At least, I hoped I was.

“Well then, what do you have to say for your Faction, Beta?” Father’s chilled gaze bored into me, his hands braced on the conference table in front of him as he stared me down.

I swallowed a lump forming in my throat, hoping desperately that the words in my head made sense to everyone else. I couldn’t tell on my own anymore.

“I think you underestimate us.” I kept my shoulders pulled back, trying my best to seem strong. “We are putting as many resources as possible into tracking him down and stopping the terror. Like every Faction before us has. Just because we haven’t been able to work wonders in the unrealistic timeframe that you’ve apparently set for us, doesn’t mean we aren’t determined to get the job done.”

His gaze hardened, the air thinning around us, the room blurring. All I could see was him, his weighted stare filled with all the accusations and expectations he had put on me since that fateful day a year ago. Every time I saw him, that look got heavier, more accusatory, and stung me just a bit deeper. Yet, no matter how much it hurt, I couldn’t look away. He pulled me in, forcing me to feel every inch of his judgment, the silent weight almost smothering me.

Finally, he sighed, looking away as he straightened his vest. “I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised by the disappointment anymore.”

He acted coolly and spoke under his breath, as if none of us in the room had overly sensitive hearing and could understand everything he said—passive aggressive words referencing the same thing he felt the need to bring up every time we saw each other.

I tried to shake off the painful reminder that every decision I’d made recently had brought nothing but disappointment to him. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how hard I worked to redeem myself, it never seemed to be enough. What would I have to do to be the daughter he praised again?

The gazes of my fellow Faction members slowly grazed over me, checking to make sure I was okay, gauging my reaction to my father’s harsh words. But even with the best of intentions, their lingering eyes stung every inch like needles poking into me, crawling up my arms and legs toward the building pressure settling on my chest.

Just make it through the meeting.I could do it.

Emric cleared his throat, thankfully, pulling the stares of the leaders toward him. I could hear the faint sound of his voice, but all his words blended together. I figured out that he was talking through some of the facts about where we stood, trying to get the conversation back on the line of thought the High Faction originally came here to discuss. It worked; all of them were back on the details of the case and no longer on questioning our team…questioningme.

A faint whisper of someone’s voice attempted to sneak into my mind, wanting to talk to me, but I didn’t let them in. Emric and Beckett knew me well enough not to try that, so it could only be one person; and after the way Nolan stood up for me, I couldn’t look him in the eye. Not when he’d just witnessed firsthand my father’s true feelings about me. I couldn’t explain without breaking apart, and this wasn’t the time or place. Not when I had spent the past eight months trying to prove I was strong, that I could still fight.

So, I blocked him out, focusing on the three leaders in front of me, pretending that my father’s words didn’t cut me deeper than any dagger could.

Chapter Twenty-Six

“I see you beat me here.” Nolan’s voice floated over the loud thud of my dagger, the tip lodging into the heart of the dummy thirty feet in front of me.

I rolled my eyes, tensing the minute he walked over the threshold. “Go away.”

“I just wanted to make sure you were alright.” The door clicked shut behind him, his fist grasping the privacy curtain and pulling it across the window. “I’m sorry the High Faction arrived without your knowledge.”

“Pft.” I pulled my next blade out from my thigh sheath, the hilt smooth in my hand. “The High Faction and I haven’t been on the best terms since they hospitalized me.”

“Alright, fair.” His boots clicked against the tiled floor, my own feet digging in deeper to the mat that framed the shooting area. I lined my blade up, thrusting it forward with all of my strength, whizzing it through the air and lodging in the carotid artery of my fake victim. I tried to ignore him as I pulled out my next blade; I didn’t want him here.

Right?

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