Page 52 of Betraying Bexley

Chapter 9

Alex sat at his laptop running through the grainy, subpar footage from the night Bex had sex with another girl. From the first time he watched it until now, he’d had a feeling, call it gut or intuition, it wasn’t right. He’d been convinced someone doctored the feed he just had to prove it. Of course, none of them brought it to Bex’s attention, not yet anyway. He hoped if his intuition was right, he could present it to her and ask questions.

Delicately.

It was risky though. Although, sometimes the rewards outweighed the risks. If they were going to get to the bottom of what was happening to Bex along with protecting her from her father, they had to do it a step at a time. And, now that Bronx and Alé seemed to be cozying up to Bex, it should be easier for them.Except the whole plan could blow up in your face if she finds out the truth.The thought had circled through his mind several times a day. At some point, they'd have to reveal themselves. When they did, would she hate them too?

Did it matter?

Yes and no. It mattered when it came to theirs and her safety. In his estimation, the relationship was fake. Alé and Bronx were doing what Asher and Jamie told them to do, get in closer. Unfortunately, they weren’t any closer to finding Bex’s father. About the only lucrative thing they found was the information on Valerie, Sasha, and Marybeth. The All-Americans weren’t a bother for them anymore either. It seemed they were puppets for The Bitches.

It made Alex’s head spin with all the bullshit they had to wade through while also trying to blend in at a high school they shouldn’t be attending. Yet for as much disdain he had for the job and their circumstances he couldn’t stop working. His sense of duty overrode his contempt for where they’d been dropped for their first assignment. While waiting for the program to upload onto his computer, he made himself a cup of coffee, then planted in his ass back in front of his laptop. AJ and Scotty had come through for him. The program he requested would show him if the video had been manipulated and how much of it was real.

When his computer pinged, he started up the program. Alex uploaded the video and hit the analyze button. The timer on the screen began its countdown. Ten minutes. Shit, he figured it would be faster, then again, faster didn't mean better in this instance. Instead, he fixed himself something to eat while he waited. Sustaining one's self on coffee alone wasn't good, especially since he was already getting the caffeine shakes. He opened the fridge and grabbed the stuff to make a sandwich and set to work.

The house, for a change, was empty. Alé and Bronx were out trying to buy the parts for Bex’s car while Eito and Jacolbi decided to hit up a few of the casinos for a break. They might be trying to clean up their images, but it didn’t mean they also couldn’t have some fun while they were at it. He sat back down with his lunch and waited as the program did its magic. Already the background was lighter. He glanced down at the playback time and frowned. In the five minutes it took him to grab a bite to eat, the length of the video had grown by ten minutes. Curious, he grabbed his phone and dialed AJ’s number. Of everyone, she’d know what was going on.

AJ answered on the second ring and her cheerful voice always surprised him. “What’s going on, Alex?”

“I’m using the platform you sent me to enhance the video, but I’ve run into an issue.” He frowned as the footage increased by another two minutes.

“Tell me what you’re seeing,” she said, curiosity laced her voice.

“Well, the video has been lightened but the timer at the bottom is now sitting at seven minutes and the cleaner isn’t finished.”

“Hmm... I’ve never seen it before, but there could be a hidden file imbedded in the original? Maybe?”

Alex frowned. “So, there could be more than one incident here?”

"Yeah. It could also be why the original is so grainy. How much time do you have left on the cleanup?"

Alex glanced at the timer for the program. “About three minutes, give or take.”

“When you’re finished, watch the video, see if there is anything added to it. If you can’t find anything, bring it to me and we’ll run it through our system.”

“Sure,” Alex replied. “I guess I should have done this with you guys as it is.”

“It’s your op as much as it is ours. We trust you to get to the bottom of what’s happening to Bex. We don’t have to babysit you.”

True. They were a team. AJ and Scotty weren’t their wardens. They were on equal footing, even if sometimes it didn’t feel like it. “I’ll let you know what I find when I’m finished. It might just be a glitch in the original video.”

“Exactly. Good luck, Alex. Call when you know something.”

“I will. Thanks.” He hung up with AJ as the computer dinged. Of the original five-minute video, there was another nine minutes added to it.

He clicked the okay button, then hit play. What he saw, surprised him. Bex and Jannica weren’t alone. They were at some party. Several kids were around them. Some were encouraging them, while others were in different stages of undress. Alex narrowed his eyes.What the fuck? He'd been expecting to find a faked video, not an actual orgy. Had Bex known? He glanced back at her. No, there was no way. While she fumbled and became more anxious by the second, those in the room with her, continued to enjoy the debauched scene unfolding. If anything, his suspicions of Jannica being involved with this heinous plot were confirmed. She manipulated Bex. Pushed Bex toward the camera so her face was seen. On the second time Jannica forced Bex to look at the camera, he saw it. Bex's limbs were too limp. Her eyes were heavy, and her pupils were pinpoint.Did they drug you?His hands curled into fists as rage consumed him. The longer he watched what happened, the more he’d been convinced everything had been staged.

Blackmail?

The thought drifted through his mind. If it had been, whoever put it out there for the world to see, would be dead. No, this was some grade A, nonconsensual pornography, and a cybersex crime. What confused him though was the fact adults had to have seen the video, yet, they didn't do anything to help Bex obtain any justice. A snarl of rage filled his chest when the screen went dark. The time continued to click, but there was nothing.

As he was about to close the lid of his laptop, the footage popped up again. This time Valerie held the phone up to a mirror. She was only wearing her bra and panties. Behind her were Kenner, Matthew, and Dawson. Marybeth and Sasha stood away from them by a window in the room. Both appeared nervous, their glances back at Valerie were fearful. Those were her best friends. It didn’t make sense. They were her besties. The tight group spent more time harassing people than they did anything else, so what put the look of terror on their faces?

“We’ll show her.” Valerie cackled as she turned the camera toward the bed where Bex and Jannica slept. Naked. “She’s pathetic. This bitch is out of her league with us. She thinks because daddy has money and influence, she has the right to grace the halls of our school?” The maniacal laughter coming from Valerie churned Alex’s stomach. “It’s time she learns her place.”

Alex swallowed hard as Dawson removed Jannica from the bed while Kenner came up behind Bex. Alex’s stomach knotted. His heart pounded.No way. No way.The scene unfolded in front of him in such a disgusting way, he lurched from his chair and ran for the trash can as he puked up the meager contents in his stomach. They raped her. All of them. They took turns violating Bex all while Valerie filmed it and Marybeth and Sasha stood to the side like fucking cowards. He wiped his eyes, surprised by the wetness of tears flowing down his cheeks. He didn’t fucking cry. So, why now?

Ruckus cheering drew his attention back to the computer. Matthew was... Alex shuddered. No. He hit pause and closed his computer. He couldn't watch any of it. Though they found what they'd been missing, it came at a cost. One he wasn't sure how they would fix. Alex checked the laws and snorted in revulsion. Virginia had non-consent laws for revenge porn and for videoing without permission or knowledge, but the statute was weak, to say the least. Even if Bex had gone to the police or one of the adults, the most each person in the video would have been charged with was a class 6 felony. No jail time and a twenty-five hundred dollar fine. No wonder no one ever stepped in to help her.

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