Page 90 of Our Little Dove

Checking the time on my phone, I nod before taking another sip of whiskey. “We’ll be there before midnight if we leave in ten.”

We pull up to Alex’s house a few minutes to midnight. Molly’s car is already parked out front, and as we step out of the vehicle, she meets us at the door.

“Hey,” she says softly, her eyes red-rimmed from crying. “Joel texted. He’s running late.”

Has she been crying all day?

We nod and follow her inside, where Alex is waiting for us in the kitchen. The scent of tequila fills the air as both of us greet Alex with a kiss on each cheek and gather around the island.

They have also been drinking all day, it seems.

Molly grabs the bottle from the fridge and starts pouring shots for the four of us. Her nerves must be fried, and I can tell she’s still hurting from everything that unfolded in the past twenty-four hours. Hell, who wouldn’t be.

We each take a shot, then another, trying to ease the tension that’s been festering since this morning’s meeting in Molly’s apartment.

Finally, Joel arrives, looking as nervous as we all feel. We start talking about his plan, which involves Fintan and I continuingto post content to Hush but more frequently and making it asinterestingas possible.

It’s a sickening thought, but Joel insists that we can draw attention to ourselves and eventually move up in their digital ranks before tearing it down from the inside.

As we all sit around the kitchen island, knocking back more ice-cold tequila shots, Joel begins to explain his plan in detail.

“The idea is for you two to post more frequently and make your content as extreme and shocking as possible,” he says, his voice tense. “Draw attention to yourselves, get more eyes on your content and of course, you’ll get better payouts.”

Fintan raises an eyebrow. “Extreme and shocking? Like what?”

Joel takes a deep breath before continuing. “Think about the most outrageous things you’ve seen other creators do on Hush. You’ll need to take it to a whole new level. Get creative.”

I exchange a look with Fintan, both of us seeming intrigued about this plan but my stomach churns when I see the haunted look on Alex’s face. I don’t think I want to make content like that ever again.

“Okay, so how exactly are we supposed to do this?” Alex asks, trying to keep her voice steady but her repulsion is evident.

Joel leans forward, avoiding Alex’s direction, his eyes locked onto mine. “You’ll need to make sure your posts are unique and so shocking that they go viral on Hush.”

Molly shakes her head in disbelief and glares at Joel. Alex clears her throat after she gulps down the remaining liquid from the bottle, “Are you serious? How long do they need to do exactly what we are trying to put an end to?” Alex asks.

Joel nods firmly. “Yes, as long as it takes for Hush to notice them.”

Molly speaks up for the first time since Joel arrived. “I don’t believe this. You are asking them to ruin more lives with thesesick videos for insane people to jerk off to, all while you refuse to actually help us take them down. Don’t you care that Alex was one of the people who nearly got destroyed by Hush?!”

Joel shrugs sheepishly. “It’s a risk you have to take if you want to bring this thing down from the inside. They know my name, where I live, they know about Hell’s Playground. I can’t risk them coming after me if I help you directly and I get caught. I’ll do what I can.”

I can see the doubt in Alex and Fintan’s eyes as they look at me, waiting for my reaction. I take a deep breath before responding.

“Alright, fine,” Alex says reluctantly before I am able to utter a word. “We’ll do it.” We all sit in stunned silence for a beat and just stare at her.

We? Oh, no Dove, that’s not fucking happening.

“Say that again,” Fintan clears his throat, his voice like gravel. Joel is visibly confused and getting worked up, so is Molly as they wait for her to explain.

“No. Not happening.Weare not doing this. You are not going to make content for them,” I growl, clenching my fists so hard on the counter, my knuckles bleach.

“Excuse us,” Alex says with a forced smile as she gestures for Fintan and I to follow her down the hallway.

Ilead Fintan and Kieran to my bedroom, the air thick with anticipation. I can feel their eyes on me as we enter the room, and I know they’re thinking I have lost my mind by suggesting I join them in the content Joel is proposing.

I sit down on my bed, gesturing for them to sit with me. They hesitantly oblige, sitting on either side of me. I take a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts.

“Look,” I begin. “I know this content is risky, but if we’re going to do this, we need to be in it together. I won’t let this happen to someone else and besides, we’ve done it before.”

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