Page 18 of Victorious: Part 3

Alpha bangs his gavel, calling this meeting into session. “All right, Chase, we don’t know you. And just because you’re Rip’s old surfing buddy doesn’t mean shit to us. You show up with our goat that went missing, which was clearly taken from ourproperty, and subtly drop us hints about prisons. Whatthe fuckis going on?”

Chase rubs at his face, taking in all the pissed off expressions in the room. “First off, I’m not a threat, and Rip and Iwereold surfing buddies, but that’snothow we met.”

“You wanna elaborate on that?” Alpha asks as the Chapel door opens and Rip walks in.

He pats Chase on the shoulder, then takes up his position at the Chapel table. “Sorry, bro, you looked like a deer in the headlights out there. Your woman doesn’t know, does she?” Rip states, giving the shaka sign.

Chase shakes his head. “No, and thank you for playing along. I’ll tell her when the time is right. But I’ve known her all of five seconds. It’s not something you lead with when you’re getting to know someone.”

Rip chuckles. “Yeah, it’s easier for bikers. It’s expected. Not so easy for flashy business wankers like you.”

“Easy on the wanker, there, Rip—”

“You guys want to fill us in on this fucking code you’re talking here?” Alpha growls, clearly becoming impatient.

Chase’s smile falters, and he clears his throat. “Yeah, sorry. So ahh, Rip and I met in prison back in the day.”

We all widen our eyes in shock. We all knew Rip had done time, but this clean-cut version of someone who looks more like Theo, Bea’s brother from Silicon Valley, doesnotfit the mold of someone who has done time.

“Rip saved my ass more times than I can count inside. Clearly, I’m not the type of guy who’s built for prison life.”

Rip chuckles. “I taught you well enough, though, before I got out. You were totally the big kahuna in there by the time I left.”

Chase rolls his shoulders. “I was, until my next cellmate came in. And after talking to Rip about what’s been happening here with you guys, I think you might know him.”

Alpha sits forward, a heavy exhale leaving his mouth. “Who?” he states matter-of-factly.

“I ended up bunking with an asshole called Atlas for the last stretch of my sentence.”

My blood runs cold at the mention of Atlas, my eyes flicking to Montana to see if he’s okay. “You were cellmates with Atlas?” Montana blurts out instantly.

Their history is always going to be contentious for Montana.

Chase nods, his brow raising. “Unfortunately, yeah. Real piece of work, that one. He was…intense.”

“Intense how?” Montana asks, his voice tight.

“Obsessed. He talked constantly about this grand plan, about how he was going to be part of something bigger than himself. At first, I thought he was just another convict with delusions of grandeur.” Chase continues, “But the more I listened to his rants, the more I realized Atlas wasn’t delusional. He was programmed. Someone had gotten deep into his head, convinced him that dying for‘the cause’would make him legendary.”

Montana sits up straighter. “He talked about dying?”

“All the time. Said he was going to go out in a blaze of glory, take some enemies with him, and pave the way for a new order…” Chase pauses, studying Montana’s face. “He also talked about his ‘brother,’ but not in a good way. More like… he was a target that he was personally responsible for delivering.”

We all know that Atlas was Montana’s foster brother. The brother Atlas was referring to is clearly Montana.

Montana’s face scrunches as the information sinks in. He’s processing it against what he already knows about his mother’s situation inside the prison.

“But there’s something else,” Chase continues. “Atlas also bragged about his work on the outside. Said he was a recruiter, that he was helping build an empire for‘The project.’”

“What project?” Haven asks, stepping forward.

Chase’s expression darkens. “Something about building the perfect army. He said they were taking women, breaking them down, then rebuilding them into weapons. His part of it was drug distribution—”

The sound of a gentle knock outside the Chapel doors interrupts his words, the door opens slightly, and Phoenix pops his head inside. My stomach drops, and anger surges through me when I see him. I want to jump out of my chair, grip my hand around his throat, and choke the living shit out of him for putting my sister in harm’s way. I want to grip my gun and unload my clip into this asshole for marrying her without me there to stop them.

My hands ball at my sides, my teeth grinding, my breathing increasing as the room falls to silence around the increasing tension.

“Shit, I didn’t realize it was a full church. We can come back,” Phoenix states, and the anger inside me instantly softens upon hearing the word‘we.’