Page 89 of Our Little Dove

“Don’t you dare call me that!” she screams. Joel sighs loudly and lowers his head. “I couldn’t risk you telling anyone about Hush. We are contracted to stay anonymous by any means necessary.”

We all gasp in surprise when Molly advances and slaps Joel so hard, his spit flies from his mouth. I try my hardest not to burst out laughing in this obviously tense moment, but I struggle to keep it in, and Alex notices the smile I am trying to hide.

She elbows me in the gut and flashes me a warning look but damn she is making me hard.

A tense silence descends upon the room as Joel wrestles with his conscience. Outside, the city continues its morning routine, oblivious to the drama unfolding behind closed doors.

Alex rushes over to Molly and throws her arms around her friend. Kieran and I don’t take our eyes off Joel as he rubs his hands over his face, shaking his head as if struggling to filter his thoughts.

Finally, Joel lets out a heavy sigh, shoulders slumping in resignation. “Fine, I’ll help but I can’t tell you what I know. There is another way, but you won’t like it.”

Relief washes over Alex’s face, mingled with apprehension. “Thank you, Joel. What do we need to do?”

Joel nods once, his expression weary. “They won’t hesitate to come after me if they find out I’ve talked, but these two have been posting content for some time already, I imagine?”

I nod confirmation at his assumption. “You’d be correct, but what does that have to do with anything?”

Joel takes a deep breath before clarifying. “You’ll need to keep posting – a lot. Get the attention of the higher ups and I’ll put in a word to move you up. Once you’re in, you’ll have access to everything you need, but my name stays out of your mouths. Got it?”

Kieran and I warily nod as we wait for an explanation.

“I’ll meet you at your house tonight, Alex. I assume the four of you will be there. I will explain more then,” Joel says as he pulls his phone from his pocket and slips it back after glancing at the screen for a second. “I’m running late. I’ll be there at midnight.”

After the intense situation this morning at Molly’s place, I went home and the boys did the same, leaving Molly to have some time by herself.

I have been pacing around my living room for what feels like hours, just trying to fathom Joel’s refusal to go against Hush and help us dismantle their site despite what it has cost me. What it cost Molly.

He shattered her heart yesterday, but it seems he cares more for her than he lets on. She lost it this morning and he practically folded and started singing like a canary.

Fuck, yesterday… How has it only been twenty-four hours?

What hurts the most is the fact that he doesn’t seem to give a shit about what his dark web pay pig has done to my life and only doled out questions and insults because I grew fond of my captors.

I’m falling in love with them.

Falling…

I’m willingly stepping off the ledge and choosing to ignore the danger of our volatile relationship. I suppose falling is just like flying except it has a more permanent destination.

So much has happened since that night, and I am not the same person I was before all of this started. They changed me. Hush changed me and while I can forgive Fintan and Kieran, I will never stop trying to destroy Hush and everything it stands for.

Even if I have to slowly work my way into their ranks and set everything on fire under their noses. I don’t care what it takes.

My mind twists and turns like this for another short while so I decide to go take a hot shower to ease some of the tension in my muscles.

Fintan and I have been drinking and talking for a few hours since arriving home from the studio. After the fiasco with Alex’s cousin this morning followed by a busy day at ourrealjobs, having glass after glass of whiskey seems like a necessity.

“What do you think thiselaborateplan is?” I ask as I take a drag of the joint Fintan passes to me. “No clue but it can’t be good if he wants us to continue posting. Not to mention that he wants to meet up to discuss it,” Fintan says with a sigh after swallowing down the last sip in his glass.

We’re sitting in the living room and the scent of marijuana fills the air as Fintan and I continue to puzzle over Joel’s intentions.

“I don’t trust his plan, whatever it is,” I say, taking another drag from the joint. “He refused to help us take down Hush.”

Fintan nods, his eyes fixed on the flickering flames of the fireplace. “Us? Are you considering helping Alex in her quest now?”

I exhale a cloud of smoke and lean back in my chair. “Yeah, I guess I am. Joel did say that his plan involved us keeping our account and getting the higher-ups’ attention by posting more. More videos equal more money but how the fuck do we do that?”

Fintan shrugs. “Beats me. But we should probably head to Alex’s house and wait for him to show up and reveal his master plan.”

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