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“Whatever,” Byte responded.
“This is Aria McClure, former FBI, and next to her is former MI6, Jude Butler.” Seven stood and offered his hand. But all Carter could see was red. Ignoring the outstretched hand, Carter balled his own hand, pulled back, and slammed his fist into Seven’s nose, no doubt breaking it.
People were yelling, but all Carter could see was the man who’d married his wife. Gwen had married one of her coworkers.
“Bloody hell,” Seven growled, as Aria tried to stem the blood flow.
Ghost quickly pushed Carter down into a chair and let his hand weigh him down. Ghost wouldn’t let Carter land a second hit.
“Obviously, you know who he is,” Ivy stated.
“The other man,” Byte snapped.
Seven tossed her a stern look, which wasn’t as frightening as he’d like, with his head tilted back, and Aria attempting to put a tampon into his nostril... but failed when he pushed her hand away.
“Stop being a baby,” Aria snapped... then looked over to Carter and chuckled. “I’ve wanted to do that too. Great job.”
“Okay, if we can put our tempers away, I believe we can settle the whole Seven and Voodoo thing,” Ivy said.
“There isn’t a thing. It was a mistake,” Seven mumbled.
Carter started to stand again, only to have Ghost push him back down. “Enough,” Ghost said. “Seven and Voodoo were married while under the influence of some hallucinogen a few months ago.”
“You drugged her,” Carter yelled.
“No, man. She drugged me—well, all of us,” Seven answered.
“It’s not relevant to our meeting today. You two can settle your differences away from here. I want to know why you’re here,” Ivy asked Carter. “And how did you two connect?” she asked Chaos.
“It’s not important. Or at least not yet. I promise, if I was afraid, I’d let you know.”
Carter couldn’t believe Daisy wasn’t going to tell them he drugged her. He wasn’t sure if it was because she believed him, or whether it was because she didn’t know Ivy well enough to confide in. Either way, he appreciated it and nodded his gratitude when she looked at him over the table.
“Then someone needs to start talking,” Ivy demanded.
“I’ll start,” Chaos said. “Me and my brother-in-law have been speaking this morning, and it appears he’s under the assumption that Gwen was trying to kill him, and not the other way around.”
“I have never laid a hand on Gwen, and I definitely never tried to kill her.”
“Three times...” Byte added. When Carter didn’t respond, she restated her comment. “You tried to kill her three times.”
“I did not!” he practically yelled across the table. “I love my wife. I might not have trusted her at the end, but I’ve never stopped loving her. And trust me, if I wanted her dead, there wouldn’t have been a second or third try.”
Ivy nodded her agreement with Carter’s statement.
“That’s one of the things that has confused me and had me doubting your hand in this. You and I never worked on an assignment together, but it didn’t mean I hadn’t heard of your missions. You were a sure thing when it came to completing a job,” Ivy stated.
“Why didn’t you trust Voodoo?” Aria asked.
“Gwen wasn’t Voodoo back then. She was a scientist. A do-gooder. She was driven to find answers, especially after her sister’s death,” Carter replied.
“Which sister?” Ghost asked.
Chaos answered, “Our younger sister. Clover was eight years our junior. She was a beautiful little doll to Gwen and me. When she was two months old, she was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome, and had severe epileptic episodes. Unless she hurt herself during one of the episodes, her diagnosis was positive. There was no cure, but it could be managed. Clover took seizure medication and we monitored her health and diet. Only, by the time she was five, her condition was changed to critical. The number of episodes had multiplied. She was having negative reactions to each new medication they prescribed. Her doctors were unsure how to proceed. People with epilepsy live normal, albeit closely monitored lives. But nothing seemed to help our baby sister, and eventually one of her episodes sent her into cardiac arrest, and she died right before her tenth birthday. Her death changed all our lives, none more so than Gwen. She pursued a career in forensics. She wanted to understand why certain drugs worked for some and not others. She wanted answers and eventually, her determination and drive caught the eye of the CIA.”
“I had no idea,” Ivy said as she squeezed Chaos’ hand.
“We keep her memories close to our heart. I think removing our tattoo was more emotional for Gwen than assuming a new identity.”
