seemed to be weighing the options when the sound of the microphone feedback drew Colt’s attention back to the front of the room. Jason’s voice rang out, clear and confident as Colt tried to push his way through the crowd.
“Thank you all for coming. This press conference is going to run a bit differently, since time is of the essence,” he said, finally making eye contact with Colt as if he’d known he was there all along. “As absurd as what I’m about to say is going to sound to some of you, there are others my words will resonate with to the very core. This message isn’t for you, it’s for them. It’s for the people who’ve lived in this city their entire lives. People who’ve always known something dangerous was lurking beneath the surface, even if our elected officials—the people who are supposed to be working for us—have been lying and gaslighting us all for as long as anyone can remember.”
The murmurs of the press stirred enough chaos that Colt could only hope it would delay Jason’s speech until he could make it on stage. He managed to shove his way through the crowd, but before he could reach the side of the stage, two armed guards came up to block his path.
The very beast whose existence Jason was about to reveal to the entire world clawed at Colt’s chest when the nearest guard reached out to hold him back. It was all he could do to swallow the snarl building in his throat and keep himself from shifting in front of every camera in that room, revealing the truth Jason was hellbent on disclosing.
“There are people who don’t want this message out there,” Jason said, his tone taking on greater urgency as he glanced toward the side of the stage. Colt doubted he could see exactly what was going on in the glare of the lights, but it was clear he knew he was on borrowed time. “People who would stop at nothing to conceal the truth, which is why I’ve arranged for all the information I’ve uncovered to be released online should I be detained or killed.”
The confused murmurs rose to a cacophony, and Colt stared at the stage in disbelief. He was really doing this. He was actually fucking doing it.
Someone grabbed Colt’s arm and he spun around with a snarl, too charged up on adrenaline to hold himself back. He was relieved when he saw it was Andrew, but only momentarily.
“Is he telling the truth?” Colt demanded. “Can he really do that?”
Andrew hesitated, looking up at the stage as Jason continued to speak. So far, he was using vague terms like “unelected echelons of power superseding our democratic system” rather than “flesh-eating monsters in the mayor’s office,” but Colt doubted that would last long.
“He can do anything,” Andrew finally answered. “If he’s really ready to hit the nuclear button, he could have whoever he’s working with disseminate whatever he knows to the entire world at the click of a mouse. As for whether he’s bluffing, I don’t know. Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Probably better,” Colt admitted. He knew Jason never made threats he wasn’t planning on following through on. Once he committed to something, he committed. Hard. If Colt rushed the stage, there was a ninety-nine percent chance in his mind that Jason’s little helper, if they really existed, would have information that could get them all killed plastered on every headline in the country.
As much as he hated the alternative, which was to let Jason keep talking and hope desperately he came to his senses, the first option would mean sweeping judgment from the Council.
Andrew was already whispering something to one of the security guards, and Colt saw Jason glancing over surreptitiously. He seemed to grow more agitated as he leaned in toward the mic, knowing his time was coming to a close.
“I know there are others out there. People like me who know something is wrong with this city,” he said, his voice ringing with conviction as it filled the room. Whether the reporters thought they were in the middle of the next viral video or they actually believed him, they were enraptured either way. “People who’ve lost friends, loved ones, coworkers. People who were victims of ‘animal attacks.’ Hospital workers who’ve noticed bodies go missing. Hikers who’ve seen bizarre, impossible things they were too afraid to tell anyone about for fear of being labeled crazy. Delusional.”
Jason’s voice cracked with the first hint of emotion Colt had heard in it so far. His eyes met Colt’s again for a split second, and if Colt didn’t know better, he’d think they were filled with sadness.
That was the mistake he’d always made when it came to Jason, though. Attributing rage to sadness. Suspicion to concern.
One of the guards had already moved toward the steps leading up to the stage at Andrew’s behest. Before Colt could stop him, or even decide whether he should, Jason’s words grew hurried.
“My name is Jason Jones. Anyone who wants to come forward can reach me at—”
The microphone went dead before he could finish giving his phone number, but Colt was sure enough people toward the front of the stage had heard it anyway, and if not, they could always rewind the tapes.
Colt expected Jason to put up a fight when the guard came to escort him away from the podium, but he didn’t. Instead, he just turned around with his head held high and let the security guard lead him backstage, where Andrew had already disappeared.
On his way past Colt, he made eye contact once more. It was brief, but more understanding passed between them in that instant than had during the last two years.
Concern for his best friend might once have been a motivation for Jason’s quest for knowledge, but no longer. There wasn’t a single doubt in Colt’s mind that whatever love and loyalty Jason had once felt for him had turned into a hatred that burned twice as hot. They had been playing cat and mouse for years, but this was no game.
This was a declaration of war.
The End.
Continued soon in Kinship!
Also by Joel Abernathy
The Flesh and Bone Series
Exhale
Bleed
Shift
The Kingdom of Night Series
Pendulum
Liminality
Equilibrium
The Vale Chronicles
Puppet/Master
Enemy/Lover
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