Page 40 of Anathema
Derek
IrushedoutofAlexis’s apartment after Dean called, stating that he had new information on Anathema and that Eli would be a more valuable resource than we had initially anticipated. I wanted nothing more than to stay with my lips locked against hers, but I wanted this assignment over and done with as soon as possible, and a lead like this was too good to pass up.
Arriving at the office, I ran into Dean when the elevator doors opened. He was already waiting for me and ready to review what he had found on Anathema and the headrace tunnels.
The two of us headed straight to my office, and he set up his laptop to show me what looked like old blueprints of the city.
“What exactly am I looking at?” I questioned, examining the map on the screen but understanding little of it.
“The full map of the tunnels between the abandoned flour mills, and right over here is the Twin City A-Mill entrance we enteredthrough the other day.” Dean pointed out the location on the screen and dragged his stylus along what looked to be the tunnels themselves, leading away from the mill’s main basement entrance.
“This is the path we took when we went through them the first time, and right here—” He stopped and circled one of the split paths.
“This is the passage that we came across before we stopped.”
I leaned down to get a better look; sure enough, he was right. The passage that we knew led to the Anathema hideout was right there, plain as day.
We didn’t know just how long the tunnel was or how big the layout would be, and this map made it clear that their hideout was massive, with what could be a large and open central meeting area that branched off into several other rooms, many of which led to alternate exits. It was like looking at an elaborate ant farm. There were so many different sections, no wonder they could go unnoticed for so fucking long.
“Does Eli know about this?” I asked, standing up straight.
“He’s the one who got us these blueprints. I spent the past twenty-four hours looking over them to ensure there haven’t been any changes since this one was created.” Dean leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, proud of this newfound information.
“And?” I raised a brow; his smug smirk was a dead giveaway that this was the most up-to-date version of the tunnels. I didn’t need to ask the question, but I wanted verbal confirmation that my assumptions were correct.
“And, this is the most current documentation the city—or anyone for that matter—has on the current layout of the headrace tunnels between the mills.” He beamed from ear to ear, and I clapped his shoulder.
I stood there, silently studying the map on his screen.
“What are you thinking?” Dean asked as my brow furrowed.
“I’m thinking we need to pay a visit to Eli and see what else he knows about Anathema. This map is good, but I bet there are plenty more secrets and withheld information where this came from.” I gestured to the screen, satisfied that we finally had something more to help us, but I knew Eli was holding out on the bulk of what we wanted.
If I wasn’t mistaken, his knowledge of the dark web played an essential role within their organization; however, he was holding back the information we required, and I could bet he thought it could be used to leverage us for more than just protection.
Giving us access to this map was a start, but now we needed to see what exactly he wanted for the real stuff.
To gain a significant advantage, we would need names. Names were a gold mine in a case where everyone was invisible—anonymous. If he could give us one name, the name of the individual running Anathema, our case would be blown wide open.
“Let’s see what else he has to offer us.” I gestured to the door, and Dean stood, closing his laptop and following me out of the office.
This day just kept getting better and better.
AsweapproachedEli’sapartment, shouting could be heard down the length of the hall.
“Sounds like a pretty heated lover’s quarrel going on in there. Maybe we should come back later; I don’t think either of us wants to catch the end of that fight.” Dean joked, elbowing my arm as we stopped just outside the door. I rolled my eyes at him. We weren’t coming back later; we were doing this now, and whoever else was in there could fuck him later.
We stood there momentarily, eavesdropping on Eli and whoever he was arguing with, until I realized I knew the female voice coming from the other side of the door. My heart twisted into a knot in my chest, and rage slowly began rising to the surface, self-restraint failing me.
I didn’t wait a second more before turning the handle and letting us in. Luckily, the door was unlocked; otherwise, it would have violently kicked my way in.
“Derek…” Dean whisper-shouted as I stepped inside the unit and froze.
There, standing in the kitchen, was Eli, and caged between his arms, his mouth locked on hers—Alexis.My fucking Alexis.
I fucking knew it, but I was too damn determined to prove myself wrong that I blinded my own judgment. Eli was the man she had been visiting this entire time. God-fucking-damnit.
How could I have been so stupid when I discovered he lived here? I should have assumed and gone with my gut. But instead, I had to walk in on the two of them, lips locked, with Eli looking as though he was ready to fuck her right up against that counter.
