"The best way of keeping
a secret is to pretend
there isn't one."

~~Margaret Atwood

****************

~Nova~

I don't know what possessed me to react like that but I couldn't help but scream for Robbie after I realized what I was seeing. As expected, Robbie materialized in the living room doorway with wild amber eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked without preamble.

I pointed at the screen, unable to voice the newest discovery. Rosalyn was such a sweet woman and to know that she had been through such an ordeal left a lump in my throat. Nevada moved to make space for him and I noticed August linger behind the couch with a questioning look. She silently shook her head and pulled him from the room, leaving just the two of us.

"There's something I thought you needed to know," I began, choosing my words carefully. "A large data dump was sent to the IEP address for August's laptop. Nevada and I have been going through it for the last little while, and we ran across something."

Robbie's brow furrowed as he took a seat on the couch, eyes boring intently into mine. "Something like?"

I chewed nervously on my thumb as I took the spot beside him and placed the laptop across my thighs. Nodding towards it, I waited until his attention finally left my profile to look at the screen before I opened the police report. Robbie's eyes flicked back and forth while he silently read the words that blared at us from the screen. My blood pulsed with anxiety when I felt his body grow tense.

"And why did I need to see this?" Robbie asked cautiously, icy dread fluttering in his voice.

"Because of this," I sighed, my hand shaking as I opened the two attached photos. Holding my breath, I waited.

"Gran?" he asked, eyes wide as he stared at the photos. "Wait… that guy… he looks familiar… oh my god, is that Torch?!"

His head snapped towards me and I flinched involuntarily even though I knew he wasn't going to hit me. When I reluctantly nodded, his face instantly became blank all except for blazing silver eyes as his dual canines peeked from beneath his lips.

"He saved her, Robbie," I timidly consoled him. "Torch saved your gran's life when he could have easily kept going and let her die. He was the only person that helped her."

"How do we know he isn't one of the ones that did that to her to begin with?" Robbie hissed angrily but I had a feeling it wasn't because of Torch but more of Rosalyn going through such a traumatic thing. "He could have just been covering his tracks to make himself look innocent."

"Could be," I agreed mildly, "but I don't think so."

"Why?" Robbie growled, glaring back at the screen and the image of his grandmother's battered face. "He seems like a sadistic fuck to me."

"Because it doesn't look like his type of thing to do," I answered just as Nevada reentered the room with August in tow. "I honestly believe that, for whatever reason, he wanted to help her."

Robbie scoffed. "Bastard probably felt guilty."

"I'm not sure guilt is his thing either," Nevada commented, "but I've never met him so I could be wrong."

"What else did you find?" August asked, taking the spotlight away from Robbie.

Nevada sighed and quickly skimmed over the other files that had been sent and what we had been able to gauge from them. I added in things she missed as she went but mostly stayed silent as I watched Robbie glaring into nothing.

"So, his violent tendencies, at least those mentioned in the files, suggest a purpose," Nevada concluded, chewing thoughtfully on her bottom lip. "He didn't seem to kill randomly like everyone said, I mean he left witnesses at a lot of places."

"And we're sure it's definitely Torch?" August asked, eyeing the laptop skeptically. Nevada and I both nodded. 

"Not everything was definitively him," I admitted, handing the laptop to my sister, "but it doesn't make sense to have some files about one person and other files about someone totally different."

"Unless they were trying to throw us off," August replied with narrowed eyes. "I always hated technology. Who sent it?"

I shrugged. "Now that I don't have the slightest clue about. When it first popped up, it was pinging from all over the world and the return IEP was scratched."

"No clue what you just said." August made a frustrated noise as he looked over Nevada's shoulder.

"The sender was anonymous," Nevada explained absently, green eyes focused on the screen.

Robbie suddenly jumped up from his place on the couch, phone in his hand as he paced back and forth. I wanted to go to him, comfort him, but there wasn't anything I could say so I just sat quietly as he fumed. He pressed the phone to his ear and stopped walking, Nevada conversing quietly with August as she pointed to the screen.

"Damn it, woman!" Robbie growled angrily  stabbing his fingers so hard on the screen I worried he might break it. He stuck the device against his ear again, nearly shouting, "Reyne! Where is gran?!"

Silence and I could practically see steam rolling out of his ears, fire burning violently in his eyes.

"She did what?!" Robbie's voice reverberated throughout the room. "What the fuck, Reyne?! When did she leave?"

"Well that doesn't sound good," Nevada mumbled, looking up from the laptop screen at Robbie's outburst.

"From what I understand, Rosalyn has always been a stubborn, headstrong woman," August chimed in with a sigh. "Honestly, I was a bit surprised she agreed to go to Reyne in the first place."

"Why do you say that?" I asked curiously. 

"After her husband was killed and Robbie's father became the pack alpha, Rosalyn traveled more often than not," August explained, eyes trailing after his progeny as Robbie continued to argue with his brother. "She owns property all over the country now, in multiple territories and because she poses no threat while alone, no one bothers her."

"She doesn't strike me as the non-dangerous type," I commented, thinking back to when I had met her before. 

"Is that a word?" Nevada asked, frowning. "I don't think 'non-dangerous' is a word."

I looked at her blankly. "Is that even the issue right now?"

"No, well not really, but… it doesn't sound right?" Nevada frowned even deeper as she tried to think. "I think there's another word for that."

"That's what you caught out of that conversation?" I rolled my eyes. "Little sister, I think you need therapy. Regardless of it's real or unreal existence, it doesn't not make sense."

"I know, I'm sorry," she apologized while rubbing her eyes. "It's late and I haven't slept well lately. I'll look it up later."

I couldn't help but snort at her bookworm side showing. It had been a while since either of us had really glimpsed who we were before all of this mess had started and it was nice to be reminded that not everything had changed. Robbie tossed his phone angry onto the coffee table and threw himself down on the couch beside me, fists clenched on his knees.

"So, Rosie took off?" I asked hesitantly, not wanting to upset him farther. Robbie simply nodded. "Does anyone know where?"

Robbie scowled. "She left a note."

"And?" I prompted gently.

"She said not to worry and that she would be in touch when she could." Robbie sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "The note said she had unfinished business she needed to deal with. I don't know."

"At least she left a note," Nevada mumbled bitterly, eyes falling back to the laptop. August took her hand and she gave him a small grateful smile.

"Unfinished business?" Robbie muttered, staring blankly at the fireplace as questions darted relentlessly in his eyes. "Gods, I hope she didn't go looking for Torch."

I shrugged. "And if she did? Robbie, we already knew there was a history between them just by the way she acted. Granted I wasn't expecting something like this but still…"

"So?" he snarled in disgust. "Are you saying my grandmother has some sort of hero complex with Torch or something?"

"Don't get a tone with me," I warned mildly, leaning back into the couch cushions. "Dude saved her life and who knows what happened after that."

A strangled noise left his throat as he grimaced. "Gross. Just… ew…"

"I didn't mean it like that but you never know," I laughed.

"Gods, would you stop!" Robbie pleaded, covering his face with his hands before dragging them down his cheeks. "She's like a fucking teenager. Always all over the place and doing shit she isn't supposed to."

"Now you know how I feel," August threw in, quirking a challenging brow at Robbie who glared.

"What am I supposed to do?" Robbie looked at me hopefully. "Shit is dangerous and that woman just took off without anyone with her."

"Don't underestimate her just because she's a woman," Nevada reminded him without looking up. "She was Luna of your pack, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Robbie flung his head back and stared up at the ceiling. "She's going to give me gray hair."

I laughed and leaned my head on his shoulder, enjoying his presence for as long as I could before he eventually went back to patrolling. With the way things were these days or would be soon, I wasn't sure how long we would get in this sanctuary here at August's and I wanted to take advantage of every possible second.

"Hey, we missed something," Nevada announced after a while, pulling me back from the edge of sleep. "There's another video."

"Are you sure?" I asked, raising up and rubbing my eyes. Squinting through my fatigue, I held out my hands for the laptop. "Let me see."

The four of us gathered on the couch, our bodies pressed almost uncomfortably close as we all tried to get a clear view of the screen. Sure enough, there was a file that I didn't remember opening.

"Well, here goes nothing," I said to no one in particular as I pressed play on the video file.

The camera was stationed behind a large wooden desk, the wood worn and chipped at the edges, papers and pens, and several other random items littered the top. A few bookcases lined the walls on either side of the door, and part of a large map could be seen on the wall to the left side of the camera. 

Torch stood in the center of the room, his chest bare and scattered with large, angry welts that melted into the tattoos decorating his skin. Dark eyes burned with a ferocity as he glared daggers at someone we couldn't see, his head raised and chin jutting out in defiance.

"Is there a reason you have that camera pointed at me?" Torch growled through clenched teeth, the muscle in his jaw ticking.

"A touch of humiliation," a deep voice rumbled in amusement somewhere close by but the tone quickly turned icy. "And you will address me as Lord you insolent child!"

Torch let out a humorless bark of laughter. "Child? And here I thought you didn't have a sense of humor."

The sound of a whip cracking whistled through the laptop speakers and I involuntarily flinched. A streak of crimson began to blossom across the right side of Torch's cheek, dark drops trailing a red path down his face. The only reaction he showed was a slight tightening of his eyes but he otherwise remained motionless.

"I could have taken your tongue for that, boy," the faceless voice spoke almost conversationally except for the touch of anger in his words. "You know how to speak to me."

"I know what you want but I've never been a fan of following orders," Torch bit out. "Now what is it you want?"

"To teach you some respect!" Faceless roared, the repeated cracking of the whip blasting through the speakers. 

Long minutes this went on, eventually leaving the upper half of Torch's body zigzagged with bleeding slashes. His breath became ragged but he held his stance, closing his eyes and clenching his fists so tight his knuckles turned white. He didn't stagger and his body didn't tremble, even as blood slowly oozed from his wounds and painted his skin.

"Oh gods, this is awful," Nevada whispered, hiding her face in August's shoulder. "I don't think I can watch."

"Who is that?" Robbie asked, leaning closer to the laptop. "Does anyone recognize that voice? Or the office?"

"No," both August and I answered simultaneously. 

For ten minutes, the camera caught the abuse as Torch continued to endure unwaveringly. When it finally stopped, the living room felt too warm and my body felt clammy as my insides turned in knots but I couldn't seem to look away. There was a reason we were seeing this, but what was it?

"Do you feel better now?" Torch asked, his voice a bit hoarse but still strong.

The faceless man tsked and whatever he did caused Torch's lips to thin.

"Do you feel better, my Lord?" Torch repeated, sneering the last word in disgust as if it were acid on his tongue.

"Much better now, thank you," the man answered, sounding satisfied. "But not quite."

Torch exhaled loudly through his nose, his nostrils flaring and fury blazing in the depths of his eyes. The midnight blue irises that I remembered seeing that day at Rosalyn's house were onyx marble, boiling with murder.

"What do you want now?" He growled, the sound vibrating through me and making my blood turn to ice just hearing it even though it wasn't directed at me. "I'd really like to take a shower."

The coldness of his voice made me shiver and the even colder laugh, like an ice pick taking down a glacier, sent my heart racing in fear. I felt Robbie's arm wrap around my shoulders and I subconsciously leaned into him as we watched. 

"You know exactly what I want." Wood creaked off camera as if the man shifted in his chair. "Simple. Easy. Then you'll be free to go."

The similarities to his statement versus those spoken by Torch in one of the previous videos was unnerving and I briefly wondered if the man was going to kill Torch in the end. 

Torch let out a dry chuckle as he shook his head. "Not going to happen."

Chair legs scraped backwards angrily before it could be heard toppling to the floor. Large hands slammed onto the top of the desk, a string of tattoos adorning his right arm up until it disappeared off screen.

"Bow, you ungrateful little shit!" Faceless roared, banging his fist angrily against the wood. 

"No."

An animalistic sound permeated the small room, vibrating the pens near the man's hands. Torch didn't flinch or seem impressed, not even slightly intimidated, as he just stared at the man. His face was a complete mask, his eyes shuttered from the world as he watched. I found myself holding my breath, for what I wasn't sure, and my mind registered the tension in Robbie's muscles.

"I said BOW!!" Faceless roared.

Torch grunted, fists clenched and veins popping out on his arms as if straining against an invisible force. Robbie sucked in a breath beside me and I heard August mutter a curse but I could tear my eyes away to question their actions as the scene unfolded before me.

I watched as Torch struggled to sustain his posture, but his body didn't seem to want, or be able, to obey. After what felt to me like an eternity, his knees finally buckled and slammed onto the hardwood floor. A promise of death flared in his dark orbs as his body bent forward against his will, bowing to the faceless man.

"There, that's better, isn't it?" the man drawled. "Don't you think that's better, my boy?"

"I'm not your boy," Torch snarled, voice slightly muffled as his forehead touched the floor.

"So you say," came the disinterested reply.

"I'll kill you," Torch promised, straining to force his head up to bare his teeth. "One day… I will kill you, old man. Mark my words."

The video ended, the man's laugh echoing in my ears as I gaped at the now still screen, Torch's image frozen back as he was at the beginning of the video. I had no idea who the faceless man was but he obviously had some sort of power over Torch and Torch hated him. Was that who our true enemy was?

"What the hell did I just see?" Robbie whispered to himself, golden orbs wide in shock. "That… that wasn't normal…"

"What does that even mean anymore?" August answered with a question of his own.

"That voice…" Nevada shuddered beside me. "I'll hear that dream in my nightmares for the rest of my life. Who the hell was that?"

"I don't know," August answered, tugging on his beard in thought as he held my sister closer to his side. "I have a feeling we need to know but I'm honestly not very eager to find out."

"Leaves a bad taste in my mouth," Robbie agreed. "If we knew more about Torch maybe we could figure out who it is…"

I groaned. "Why is it always something?! Why can't we have a guy shoot us a text and be like 'Hey, I'm the bad guy and my name is blah blah. I want blah blah because blah blah blah. This is how you can defeat me.'? Can that be a thing now?"

"Yeah, that would be nice." Nevada huffed out a laugh. "I don't think that happens, not even in my books. Or movies. Or anything ever. But hey, if it could be a thing then yay! Let's do that!"

"I wonder if there's like a button you could push," I mused. My stress and fatigue was starting to rattle my brain and left me speaking complete bullshit, but I couldn't bring myself to care. "Maybe we can make a sign or something, start a petition maybe."

"I think you both need sleep," August cut in, drawing out another shudder from Nevada. 

"I don't know if I want to sleep after that and I didn't even watch it all, just heard most of it."

I opened my mouth to argue that I was perfectly fine, even though I knew I was sleep deprived, when the sound of glass shattering on the floor behind us shut me up. Twisting around, August and Robbie jumping to their feet, we were all met with the sight of Michael. He stood, face pale and lips parted as he looked passed us all and stared in shock at the laptop screen.

"Razi…" His whisper might as well have been a gunshot in the suddenly silent room.

********************

A/N: Dun dun dun...

Okay, so there was some humor mixed with some omg wtf moments. Thought it balanced out pretty good.

Thoughts and theories?

So, I want y'all's opinion. I've been working on the in depth outline to make sure I haven't left anything out and the more I work the more I've come to consider a new possibility.

1. I can put everything in this book and it be much longer than the others.

OR

2. I can do a 4th Book that may or may not be closer to my normal length for these books. (If my brain cooperates it should be about the same.)

I know I have originally been calling this a Trilogy but I feel like there is more to the story that needs to be completely tied up by the end and not just half-assed. Inspiration attacked my brain last night and I'm really thinking a "Book 4" is a good idea. Let me know what you think!

Y'all are awesome! Remodeling has continued again after its brief pause so may be a bit before the next chapter. Love you all!

XOXO🖤❤🖤❤

~SM~