Page 18 of Ugly Truths (The Veiled Truths Trilogy #2)

Elena

T he intake vents on my laptop hum against the bare skin of my legs as I scroll through the shared notes Ben sent over.

My new phone sits nearby on speaker, filling the silence with Corey and Ben’s voices.

We’ve been on this call for the better part of an hour, discussing logistics and how I can support them in the upcoming weeks.

Natalie’s guest room is peaceful, with muted mauve walls and light streaming through the sheer curtains on the windows. It’s late morning now, and though I’d like the feel of the late summer humidity on my skin, I don’t want to waste the central air that my too-gracious host has running.

It’s crazy enough that I’m being allowed to stay in this room at all. I’m still shocked that Silas didn’t drag me out of her living room by my sweatshirt collar when Natalie brought me back here four nights ago.

I squeeze my eyes shut hard enough to see stars behind them, trying to wipe the memory of his disgust. I’m still not sure if it hurt more to experience his unfiltered hatred when I wasn’t expecting it or to have to witness the woman I saw in the tabloids claim him and his anger so effortlessly.

With a small head shake, I refocus on Corey’s words.

“—and based on what we pulled from their cloud last time, I think it’s worth revisiting the program we used.

With some modifications, it could work.” He pauses, likely scanning over notes on his screen.

“From what Davey was able to send over, I’m seeing a lot of the same encryption patterns.

They’re just more layered and aggressive. ”

There’s a beat before he adds, “On the bright side, even if Elena was able to get into that warehouse in June, I doubt she would’ve pulled anything meaningful in the small window she had. This is going to take some time to figure out.”

I almost want to snort at his attempt at a silver lining, but manage to hold my bitterness and tongue. At this point, I’m just grateful that Corey and Ben are even on this call with us.

Davey did eventually return to the holding room with my phone, and neither man was particularly pleased to hear from me when I called.

Even after learning that their supposedly “difficult-to-trace” bank account had failed, they weren’t up for chatting until I explained the predicament Luis and I were in.

Corey stayed quiet before finally agreeing, muttering something about how Luis needs to be more picky about the company he keeps. Ben was more vocal about his frustrations and made it crystal clear that he’d help for Luis’s sake and not mine, naturally.

Since then, Luis and I have been given laptops and phones, all loaded with every monitoring system imaginable, so Davey can track our activity every second of the day.

Under any other circumstances, I’d probably get a kick out of imagining someone listening in on these calls or watching me run my mouse across the screen for hours on end.

“I’ll be sure to bring that with me in case Davey decides to be stingy.” I have no idea what Ben's talking about, but I hum in agreement anyway.

Luis has barely spoken. That’s normal for him, especially on strategy calls like this. Still, I wish I could see his face, even for a second, to see what he might be thinking.

According to Natalie, he has been moved to an apartment that he’ll share with Corey and Ben when they arrive tomorrow.

Silas’s team will be put on a rotation to monitor them around the clock.

The three men will work on the server under the guise of being IT temps brought in to assist with the server audits.

With Davey’s team already being spread thin, it was surprisingly easy to get the “hires” approved.

“Alright, I have some packing to finish,” Corey admits with a sigh. Ben is quick to mutter his agreement, and they both sign off quickly. I’m about to hang up when I realize Luis still hasn't.

The static hums on the line, and eventually, Luis breaks it, his voice soft and steady.

“Elena.”

I close my eyes and exhale a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Hi, Lu.”

In just those few words, I can feel the distance between us.

It’s strange, considering how much we've been through together. When I couldn’t handle Peter on my own, Luis just opened his door and let me in.

I barely even put up a fight when he offered it; I convinced myself he wanted to help.

And maybe that’s true, but any decent person would have considered the consequences for him.

I was so damn desperate that I threw any morals out the window for survival.

Again. Just like I did by allowing Peter to control me after Drew.

I'm still the same piece of shit I’ve always been; just in a different font.

My eyes burn while I stare at his contact on the screen. “I didn’t think you’d still be on.” My voice is so brittle that the strain makes me wince.

“I figured you might stay,” he replies simply. There’s no anger or venom. And somehow, that makes it worse.

He’s given me so much without receiving anything in return.

“I’m so sorry.”

His forgiveness comes instantly, effortlessly. “You know better than to apologize to me. I always knew something like this was a possibility.”

The guilt digs in deeper between my ribs and twists.

I push the laptop aside and curl my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. There’s so much I want to say, but none of it feels like enough. So instead, I just sit there, looking down at the phone in silence.

Luis releases a quiet breath. “How are you? Are you safe? ”

My skin tingles with shame as I glance around the pristine guest room and its tasteful decor. The most beautiful space for the person who least deserves it.

“I’m fine.” The words feel like a lie, even though they are technically true. “What about you?”

“Better than before,” Luis replies, his tone lighter now. “I even have real food. So, thanks for that, though you really shouldn’t have done it.”

I huff out an incredulous laugh. “It was the bare minimum, and you know it.”

He chuckles, the sound warm and familiar. “That’s all I’m getting of your usual sass? You’ve gone soft, El.”

My lip twitches in a hint of a smile before disappearing. “I think these past few months have taken all of it out of me.”

Luis doesn’t respond right away. The silence stretches just long enough to feel uncomfortable before he clears his throat. “So, does this all mean you and Silas have hashed things out?”

A bitter laugh escapes me before I can stop it, and I tilt my head back to blink away the fresh onslaught of tears.

“There’s nothing to hash out,” I say, my voice trembling. “He hates me, and his new girlfriend…” My lips press together as I try to steady my shaking. “She seems really lovely.”

Luis’s voice softens, sympathy woven into every syllable. “I’m sorry. That’s—”

“Don’t be sorry.” The words are sharp but empty. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. I did this to myself. And he deserves someone like that.”

“Someone like what?” Frustration edges into his question. I shake my head, even though he can’t see me.

“Someone good,” I whisper. “But that doesn’t matter, anyway. If the only thing I can do is love him from a distance and hope he’s happy, then that’s what I’ll do.”

I swallow hard, forcing the emotion down, but it’s bubbling so deep inside me that if I stay here any longer, it’ll all spill over. The last thing Luis needs is to coddle the person who put him in this position .

“I should let you go,” I say on a breath, trying to end the call before the lump in my throat chokes me.

“Wait,” Luis says, his tone soft but insistent. “Listen to me. You’ve made mistakes, but I know you. You’re not the person he or even you think you are. Silas is a moron if he won’t take his head out of his own ass and hear you out.”

A watery laugh escapes me. “I don’t agree,” I say, voice cracking just slightly. “But thanks for saying that.”

“Anytime,” he says. “And for the record, you’re wrong, but we’ll come back to that later.”

I take a slow breath, though the ache in my chest doesn’t loosen, not really.

There was never going to be a world where I ended up with everything I wanted.

I sure as hell don't deserve it, either. Silas wants me dead, and I’ll have to make peace with the fact that I’m never going to be able to fix what I’ve broken.

But I can do something.

I can help figure out what William’s been hiding. If it’s as bad as I think it is, I can make sure it never hurts anyone else. And if Peter really is still circling, then Silas and Davey won’t let that stand with Natalie involved. They’ll hunt him down, and they’ll end it.

Maybe, if we’re lucky, I’ll finally get Drew the justice she’s always deserved. If nothing else, I can hold onto that.

I clear my throat, forcing a hint of lightness into my voice even as everything inside me still feels splintered.

“You ready to end this shit with Peter once and for all?”

Luis doesn’t hesitate. “Let’s do it.”

And for the first time in months, I feel the faintest flicker of hope.