Page 47 of Carnival
“Maybe the motherfucker can be useful,’’ Hudson adds. “Maybe we can use him to track down the Vivian woman.’’
“That’s only if he decides to switch sides, and I don’t trust him.’’
“Neither do I,’’ Hudson hums. “But it’ll be good to have him around. If anything, we can just keep him as Freya’s guinea pig.’’
“I’m right here,’’ I snap. “You two motherfuckers are really pushing your luck.’’
Both men turn to look at me.
Arlo seems amused, a smirk on his lips as he lifts a brow. He doesn’t say anything, but something like excitement flashes in his eyes before he masks his emotions yet again. Hudson, on the other hand, is pissed. Very, very pissed. A vein pops on his forehead, and his fingers twitch as he reaches for the Glock.
“Now, now,’’ Arlo puts his hand on Hudson’s shoulder. “Don’t do anything too rash. We wouldn’t want Rose actually hating us.’’
Hudson sighs, retreating his hand.
“Fine,’’ he grumbles. “But there are still too many things we don’t know. And let me make myself perfectly clear, James — if it weren’t for Rose, you wouldn’t be leaving this place alive. I’ve killed people for way less than your insolent behavior. If I so much as catch wind of you trying to play us, you’re dead. If you so much as think of hurting Rose or help those who want to hurt her — God help me, you’ll be facing punishments worse than death.’’
I’m not a fool. I know his promise isn’t an empty threat. Hudson De Santis will make my life a living hell if a hair is missing from Rose’s head. And that just makes me respect him, because he does care about her. He can offer her protection, and although I’ll be the one by her side, I’m glad she has him in her life.
“Alright,’’ I nod in agreement.
“Now, let’s start off easily — why are they killing all those rich people?”
“It’s different from your organization. You’re contract killers; these people hunt down generational wealth.’’
“Yes, we’ve gathered as much,’’ Arlo mumbles, dryly. “The question is why?”
“It all started years ago,’’ I sigh. “And keep in mind that none of this has been confirmed. I’ve overheard a lot of people talking and put the pieces together.’’
“Alright, go on,’’ Hudson urges.
“All of the men killed during these carnivals come from generational wealth. Specifically, all come from New Orleans. The story is that around fifteen or twenty years ago, these men wanted to take over the country. They hired a man to hack into everything you could possibly imagine, and with the information gathered, they created this little book. Every crime committed by a politician, they have. Every bribe in the entire United States — they have the details. Every illegal transaction, down to the hire to the buyer, they have it.’’
“It must be a thick book.’’
I shoot a pointing glare at Arlo, who only smirks.
“It’s not a literal book. It’s a USB flash drive. So, when it was created, the men hid it. They didn’t want to use it immediately. They used it slowly. Information by information, piece by piece, until they got richer and more powerful.’’
“And let me guess — Vivian knows about it and wants it for herself.’’
“Bingo,’’ I nod. “The problem is, none of these men spoke. They swore to secrecy, and thus far, no one has snitched. Most think that the black book is a tale, but Vivian seems convinced that it does exist.’’
“What does she want to do with it?”
“You don’t understand,’’ I sigh. “It’s not just… dirty politics or money laundering. The black book contains every government secret that has a paper trail. Every. Single. One. That means that the person who has the drive can quite literally overthrow the government of the United States and either create a World War III or something far more sinister.’’
“You willingly became a part of that organization?”
“I didn’t know about it back then. Had I known, I would’ve passed.’’
“Alright, that would explain all the wealthy men being tortured and killed in New Orleans,’’ Hudson says. “But it doesn’t explain everyone else they’ve killed, including Rose’s parents.’’
“Everyone else was just collateral. Either they were at the wrong place at the wrong time or found out something they weren’t supposed to know. You need to understand that Vivian will not be taking any chances on this one. If she so much as suspects that someone is onto her or knows something, she will have them killed.’’
“She doesn’t know that you know, does she?”
I shake my head. “I’ve never met her, and everything I found out was from… eavesdropping. I never got caught. I doubt Vivian even knows me by my name. She probably refers to me as one of the numbers.’’
