Page 96 of Captured By Chaos


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“Nolan?”

Nolan looked at me, his gaze hot. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes.” My voice didn’t waver, my breathing even. I held his gaze, showing him just how much I believed in this, how deeply I knew this was the right move.

He sat silently for a few more seconds before turning back to the group. “I vote yes.”

I sighed in relief. “You all know my vote, so someone grab the cards.”

When the Keturi was at a standstill with a vote, a random name was chosen from the seconds and their vote was the deciding one. I knew some of them agreed with me, but even so, they might side with their Keturi member out of obligation or dedication. I just had to have hope that my gut was telling me the right thing—that this was the right move and we would make it happen.

Eden grabbed the stack from one of the cabinets in the room, the black cards plain on one side and each second’s name scrawled on the other. She shuffled it a few times before placing it face down in the center of the table and fanning the cards out.

Since I was the one who called the vote, I was the one to pull the card. I took a deep breath, standing up to lean forward and pick one a few spots from the left. I flipped it over, revealing who would break the tie.

Alivia.

My heart sank. Liv might be my best friend, but she was Beckett’s wife. She trusted him in everything, and she knew the pain he went through when he saved me.

It was over.

Her gaze shifted between Beckett and me before she sat up straight, looking into the group. “I vote yes.”

I almost fell out of my chair.

I had won. I would be going back to Vanessa to search her office, to find proof she had betrayed me. I had trusted my instincts, and Lunestia had blessed me for it.

“Livie,” Beckett breathed, his brown eyes full of the sting of betrayal. “Why?”

“I trust you, Beck, and I know you’re just trying to protect her.” She looked over to me. “But she made logical points, andwe need to believe in her strength. We keep telling her she still has it, and we need to show her that we have faith in our own words.”

Beckett looked away, his expression pensive as he fell slack into his chair, shoulders drawing in. I would talk to him later, I would help him to see that this was the right decision, making sure he was at least partially comfortable with me going in there.

“Your plan will go forward,” Nolan said, turning to me. “But just because you’ll be going in there, doesn’t mean you’re going in without backup.”

“What do you mean?” My muscles tightened.

“I’m going with you.”

Chapter Forty-Six

It took most of my strength to keep my fingers from shakingas I walked through the long halls of the clinic to Vanessa’s office.

No matter how many times I went over my theory in my head, trying to come up with any other suspect to take her place, I came up empty. All I could do was hope and pray that I wouldn’t find anything today.

“It’s going to be alright,” Nolan whispered, keeping pace with me as we wound through the halls. He reached over, grabbing my hand and giving it a tight squeeze, the pressure helping to slow my racing heart.

“I know.” But still, my mind wouldn’t stop. It retraced every moment with Vanessa, looking for any shred of doubt that my theory was wrong.

“Just stick to our plan,” Nolan leaned in as we walked up the final set of stairs, stopping just outside the waiting room door, “and it will all work out the way it’s supposed to.”

I gave his hand a squeeze back, nodding before I pulled away and pushed the door open, finding the waiting room empty as usual. We both sat, letting the silence fall between us as I counted down the seconds until my appointment would begin.

A little too soon, Vanessa came out, the picture of perfection as always. Her hair was secured in a twisted ponytail at the base of her neck, layered in soft curls today. Her tan slacks were tailored to sit right above her hips before flowing down to her ankles, a pair of matching beige heels complimented by a silk button-up sky-blue-and-pastel-pink striped blouse.

It took every bit of my strength to keep my shoulders from tensing, to restrain myself from yelling at the mere sight of the prospective betrayer.

I reined it in and swallowed it down. I was a soldier, a fighter, and I would not let my emotions get the best of me.

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