The Dark Ghosts

86. Betrayal

Holden's POV

All blood rushed out of my body the moment Sadie was done speaking, my eyes widening in shock and fear. My mouth felt dry, my words stuck on my throat. I was still processing her words, ignoring the five pairs of eyes trained on me. How did she find out? Just how?

A sudden wave of panic hit me and, before anyone could say anything else, I hastily turned around and walked towards the door, grabbing its handle. However, Madison, who was sitting close by, immediately got up and rushed towards the now opening door, her palm crashing against the wood and closing it with a loud thud. I was trapped.

My fists went into a tight grip by my sides, my jaw clenched as I gulped down. My eyes didn't move from the door though, I was too ashamed to confront them.

"Were you going somewhere, Mr Matthews?" she hissed, practically spitting the last two words at my face.

I turned to look at her, instantly regretting it when I was met with her hard glare that almost made me take a step back. Not being able to hold eye contact, I turned around and scanned the room. Sadie was still sitting on my seat with a blank expression, Bianca was standing by her side with one hand resting on the backrest of my chair while the other was on her hip. Audrey wasn't even looking at me, she was staring off into space as if still trying to understand this situation. Melanie, on the other hand, was sitting in one of the couches, the one that Maddie had been sitting on, and looking at me with the most emotion out of them all. I didn't know what I disked the most, her tearful, disappointed gaze or Maddie's hateful, accusing glare.

"What is Sadie talking about, Holden?" Melanie whispered.

"Come on, tell her, Holden," Sadie spat.

"How did you find out?" I asked in a mere whisper.

She drily chuckled and I could feel the pain in it. If my little reaction wasn't enough confirmation for her suspicions, I'm sure my question was the last straw. And she didn't seem to like it, it was as if she still had hopes that it would be just her crazy theories. I also wish that were the case.

"Let's just say I had an interesting chat with Massimo, the mafia boss you called for an alliance. But I think you might have got a bit confused the day you told us, you know, I can remember that you said he was the one to call because he mysteriously had found out about us," she explained. "Well, mystery solved, you couldn't keep your fucking mouth shut."

"Ok, I admit I told Massimo but why does that make you think I too told Angelo?" I tried to defend myself, though I knew I would get no success.

"I swear that if you start denying it now..." Audrey spoke for the first time, leaving her threat there while shaking her head.

"You didn't even allow Sadie to finish," Bianca interjected. "Maybe you're right. The fact that you told one doesn't imply the fact that you told the other. But can you explain why the only mission Angelo didn't have a clue about what we were going to do, the only mission we were somewhat close to killing him, was the Police Awards one, the only one you coincidentally didn't know about?"

I opened my mouth, trying to find any other defense for me, but wasn't able to. The room fell into a deadly silence. I could see the wheels turning inside each of the three women's heads and I didn't like how, one by one, they started looking at me with the only emotion of pain behind their eyes, Sadie and Bianca's intense gazes already digging holes into my skull since the start.

"You fucking backstabber!" Maddie suddenly roared as she launched herself at me.

Her hand wrapped around my throat as she pushed me against the wall, tightening her hold. Her actions made Bianca, Sadie and Melanie run towards us, trying to separate Maddie from me. Audrey, though, stayed sat, impassive.