Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70370 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70370 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“How did you get into Hidden Justice?”
“Along with bombs, computers fascinated me. They were the only classes I took that I enjoyed. I kept teaching myself, and I learned how to write programs, hack, do all sorts of things. I could build a computer and dismantle one the way I could a bomb. I had heard of Hidden Justice. Whispers and rumors—the way they extracted vengeance. I dug deep but found little.” He smiled, a real one this time. “But Damien spotted me. He dug into my trail, and one day Marcus appeared on my doorstep. He knew enough about me to be dangerous, yet he didn’t threaten me. We met other times. I told him the complete truth, filling in a lot of blanks for him, but he was unfazed. Told me about the manifesto at Hidden Justice. Gave me a chance to come on board and make a difference—this time, legally. Or at least as legal as HJ is. I could be a good guy again. Help people.”
“And you have.”
“I have killed a lot of people, Sofia. Done things I’m not proud of, but those days are behind me. I know right from wrong. I won’t cross that line again.”
“But you’re worried that now I know your past, I’ll leave you?”
He sighed. “My past, plus there might be someone else who knows it. Who might threaten me, and I know how you worry. That the idea of something happening to me might push you away.”
I was quiet as I mulled over what he had told me. His past hadn’t shocked me. Damien had hinted once that it was dark. Egan was a different man now; of that, I was certain. He showed it in the way he lived, the way he acted. The loyalty to his friends. The tenderness he showed me. The thought of someone threatening him did frighten me, but it angered me more than anything.
“Egan, I—”
I was interrupted by my phone, and I glanced at it with a frown. “I’m sorry, I have to take this.”
I answered the call from the ER. Hearing about the mass casualty coming in, I agreed to head in right away. Egan was already on his feet by the time I hung up, grabbing the car keys. “Come, Sofia. I will take you.”
In the car, I called the ER back, getting more details. Egan drove fast, skillfully going around other cars and getting me to the hospital in record time. “We’ll talk more,” I assured him as I climbed out of the car.
He indicated the doors of the ER. “Go. They need you.”
I hurried away, stopping as a thought occurred to me. I turned, but Egan had already driven away. I wanted to tell him everything was okay. That when I said we would talk, it would be only to set aside his fears. But he was gone.
I planned to settle it in the morning.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Egan
I watched the news on the multivehicle accident that Sofia had rushed away to help with at the hospital. She was right when she said this weather was dangerous. Some people were overcautious. Some didn’t take the slick streets into account. Some drove too slowly. Some too fast.
It all culminated in a horrific crash on the busy streets of Toronto. Nine cars, one truck, many humans, and even a dog were injured. I knew she would be busy for hours. I hoped she would be able to save some lives. The commentary on the news stated several people had sustained life-threatening injuries.
I paced the apartment, thinking of what I had told her. I had barely brushed the surface of my time spent on the wrong side of the law. There was simply too much to tell. Marcus, Damien, the powers behind Hidden Justice, knew of my past. Buried a lot of it. Scrubbed some.
None of it would ever be scrubbed from my memories. Some unintended people were hurt in my quest to rid the world of those who killed to get their name known. I regretted it deeply. Hidden Justice had appealed to me because of their mandate and the way they eliminated those whose crimes were clear and left no room for doubt. They also protected the innocent. I had prayed more than once that those I helped save made up for the lives that I had taken away before.
I had found a small bit of peace once I became a member of HJ. My mind was clearer, my grief dissipated. I had always loved art, and I began to paint, losing myself in the beauty of the simple canvases I liked to create. I started to channel my extra energy into workouts, adding layers of muscle to my body. I stumbled upon the art of perfume making by accident. I attended an exhibit with perfume makers and struck up a conversation with a couple who was working on a new line of fragrances. The process had always fascinated me. Angelica and Warren Dubois were warm, personable, and talented.