Page 109 of Breaking Conviction

“I’ve almost got...” He entered a few more keystrokes, ignoring the throbbing in his palm. “Got it! Yes!” Finally, the screen enlarged and settled onto a complete picture and Wes slapped his hands and immediately cursed at the pain. Naomi tensed beside him and threw her hand up to her heart.

“Shit, sorry, love.”

“Wes, you can’t say bad words.” Thea spoke out, almost in a monotone.

“They hear everything, don’t they?” Wes asked under his breath and Naomi chuckled.

“You have no idea.” She turned to her daughter. “Thea, baby, go to your room, okay?”

The little girl sighed before picking her bear and her iPad up and taking them to her room.

“Close the door, T.”

There was another insufferable sigh and the door closed. Wes smirked at the dramatics and huffed a laugh when Naomi rolled her eyes.

“What’s that?” Hawk asked, completely ignoring them as he pointed over their heads at the screen.

Wes drew his attention back to the screen to see the picture still on the fritz, but at least they could see the large black van almost off the corner of the screen.

Wes resisted cursing under his breath and enlarged the picture further, only for a fire to explode on the screen. Naomi jumped back, as if the flames from the day before would reach out to grab her.

“Thatis what y’all went through? Oh my god, my baby…” Her voice trailed off and a tear leaked from her eye as she looked back at Thea’s closed door.

Wes grabbed her thigh and squeezed three times, hoping it’d calm her jumpiness. She locked her arm in his and returned the gesture four times. He wanted to revel in the feeling, but someone exited the van on the screen, drawing his attention to the fuzzy picture to try to make it out.

“Is that...” Hawk asked.

“That Russian bastard, Vlad? I think so.”

“Who’s that?”

They didn’t answer her, both in rapt horror as they watched the guy enter the hole created by the bomb in the building.

“He must’ve been in there right as Thea and I got out.” His revelation had Naomi gasping and tightening her grip on him.

They watched in silence and rapt attention for several moments before someone else appeared on the screen. This time, all three of them cursed as Ascot came bumbling out of the wreckage with his hands cuffed behind his back.

“So they were after Ascot all along?” Naomi asked.

“Seems that way,” Hawk answered as someone out of the frame pushed Ascot forward to the back of the van.

The frame went fuzzy again and Wes returned to his keyboard to see if he could fix it.

“How did Vlad get him out? He was handcuffed and taped to the chair. The only way they could’ve gotten him out is if they had a key and we were the only ones who have a copy.”

Just as he said it, the screen cleared just enough to see another figure enter the screen, sending Wes’s emotions haywire. No one said a word as Vlad followed behind Ascot... with someone at his side. No… not someone.

Phoenix.

“Son of abitch.” Wes slapped the table but kept his eyes on the screen.

Phoenix and Vlad stopped, seemingly having a conversation before the camera footage warped again. Wes cursed and typed furiously until they could see Phoenix open the van’s back doors and help Ascot inside. When he closed the door, he nodded and said something to Vlad again, before looking at the building and then going to the passenger side of the van. The picture was so poor it was hard to make out anything, but Wes could definitely see Vlad follow Phoenix to the passenger door and open it for him.

Before Phoenix got in, he looked up at the camera and his lips started moving.

“What’s he saying?” Hawk asked as they all leaned in collectively.

“I think it’s... I think he’s saying, ‘I’m sorry,’” Wes answered.