Page 105 of Uprising

“What about your girlfriend?” Tia asks quietly.

I blink for a second. “She’s not my girlfriend. She’s my fiancée.” I state. “And if we do this right then she’ll be safe.”

“And if you don’t?”

I can’t think like that. I have to do this because Rose is in danger right now. There’s a chance that when everyone realises what’s really going on that will save Rose. That they will turn to the streets, that they will march on the Governors House and Darius will realise all of this is over.

I don’t divulge Rose’s secret. I don’t divulge the fact that Darius forced her into this relationship, that he forced her hand. I don’t know how she would feel about the world knowing her business.

Besides Darius has enough other shit going on that I don’t need to.

So instead I post evidence, all the evidence about the organ trade, about the human trafficking, about the fact that Darius has been running the gangs, running the drug trade. I put up so many faces, all people he’s indirectly murdered, all victims that men like Collin King have paid thousands to steal their organs.

I reveal the whole lot.

That Verona is not a glistening city of gold. But one of blood. One of corruption. That law and order doesn’t exist the way they think it does, but that every citizen, every person living here is caught in the whims of a despotic leader who they didn’t even elect, no, he faked that too. He rigged the vote to ensure he would maintain his grip on power.

It takes little over an hour to get it all up. I hack into every news station, every paper, every journalist’s social media account. I don’t care whether they’re sports journalists, or fashion, or economics. I put the same posts out. All of them repeating the same thing.

The truths about this city and the man in charge.

When I’m done I sit back staring at my handiwork, seeing the comments already growing, seeing the stories already going viral.

“What now?” Holden asks.

I look across at my daughter, at Lara now fast asleep in Tia’s arms. “We go to the streets.” I say. “We make sure this becomes an uprising. I want every man and woman who lives in Verona marching on his house. I want uproar. I want fury.”

“In that case we’ll need numbers.” Holden replies.

“We should set off at different junctures. We take the city street by street.” I state.

“Whatever you need you have it.” Koen says and we all turn seeing him stood in the doorway watching us.

“What about you?” I ask. Surely he’s not planning on staying here, on hiding underground now that everything he’s been working for is finally coming into fruition.

He meets my gaze before grinning. “I’m going for Otto.” He growls. “I’m going to skin the bastard alive.”

Rose

I’m awoken to the sound of doors slamming and yelling too.

I don’t move. I stay where I am, huddled in the darkness.

Darius went to the club tonight. He didn’t say that was where he was going but I could tell. I just knew from the way he was acting.

And I did everything I could to try and make him stay here. I didn’t want to inflict anything more on Sofia that could be avoided.

But he just took what I offered and left anyway.

I guess I should have seen that move. And a part of me is more disgusted with myself, that I so willingly offered myself up, spread my legs, and yet I got nothing from it. I didn’t save Sofia.

I rub my eyes, looking at the clock on the bedside table. It’s barely midnight.

I don’t know why he’s back so early but from all the noise it must be something to do with Roman. That he’s done something else.

He’s escalating. It feels like every day he’s twisting the screw and Darius is getting more and more volatile.

It’s taking all my charm now to keep from his beatings despite our newly established ceasefire.