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“Don’t yell at me! You wouldn’t stop looking for Gwen.” Vanessa turned her attention back to Voodoo, she continued. “He used me too.”
Vanessa’s cold, dead eyes stared at Carter. He wasn’t sure if she was still in control or if Venom had overcome his hold and broken through.
“But I can’t kill him. I love him.”
“I know you do. It’s no fun loving him.”
“And it’s not worth living without him.”
“Now, Vanessa, that’s where you’re wrong. For five years I’ve lived without him, and I have a good life... no, I have a fantastic life. You can too.”
“Not behind bars or strapped to a hospital bed.”
“What if there’s another option?” Ivy asked.
“There is. I’m sorry,” Vanessa said as she pulled the trigger.
Screams were all anyone could hear... Everyone but Byte, who stood there frozen, never looking away from the brain matter sprayed against the wall and her face.
It was the movement around the room, and the lack of it from the far end, that had Voodoo racing toward Byte. She squeezed her hand, hoping to get Byte’s attention, but she didn’t react and return Voodoo’s squeeze.
“Byte,” Voodoo prompted. “Byte, look at me.”
“Danielle... That’s my name.”
“Okay, Danielle. Why don’t we get out of here?”
“I can’t leave. I have to stay until they take Chloe away. She can’t be alone.” Voodoo caught Ivy’s eye and saw they had the same fear. Whatever just happened was bringing up Byte’s childhood. It was as if the shot triggered a memory. No one ever thought Byte might suffer from PTSD. How could they? She was an enigma.
“Chloe’s not here, honey. That was Vanessa. Vanessa Fulbright. The woman who tried to kill me, Carter, and Daisy. Come with me,” Voodoo said and pulled her friend away from the scene.
“Can you look at me?” Byte’s eyes never left the wall. Ivy needed to get Byte out of the room, but they would have to pass the body lying on the floor. She called out to Ghost.
“Pick her up and take her out of the room. Do not let her see what’s happening,” Ivy instructed, with Byte still holding on to Voodoo’s hand. Aria heard the conversation and offered to help settle Byte in her apartment.
“I’ll come up as soon as I can. I’m sure the police will want to interview me.”
“Byte was never here,” Ghost stated. “She will not be interrogated. Is that clear?”
“Perfectly. You take care of our girl, and I’ll get this handled,” Ivy reassured her husband.
Without another word, Ghost lifted the pixie, shielding her eyes from the things happening around the room. Aria cleared a path and followed Ghost as Aria walked beside him, taking Byte’s hand from Voodoo.
“Byte, you’re going to be okay. Do you hear me? Byte?” Ghost asked as he placed Byte on her sofa.
“Sure,” she mumbled. “I’m going to be fine. I’m always fine.”
Aria wasn’t sure if Byte even knew where she was, but she shooed Ghost out and focused her attention solely on the fun-loving girl with eyes now dark and lost. Aria knew that look, and she wouldn’t let Byte fall into an abyss of darkness.
She couldn’t do anything with what was happening downstairs. Aria could focus only on the here and now, while ALIAS dealt with the aftermath of a suicide and the murder of three others living in Vanessa’s head.
I was told to expect the unexpected. And boy, did they tell me the truth. Nothing had prepared me for what just happened,Aria thought.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
The aftermath of Vanessa’s suicide, as well as the details regarding the attempts to murder Voodoo and Carter, were talked about at least half a dozen times that evening.
First, it was the local police. When they received the call, they were told it was the CIA agent working on the attempted suicide case. The death of a federal agent was something the locals wanted nothing to do with. Instead, Austin PD guarded the room until the Feds showed up. The first to be interrogated was Carter. His ‘interview’ lasted nearly three hours. Three hours to sit and not speak to each other, under the watchful eye of the agent standing guard.
