Hostages (Book 2)

Chapter 27

I froze when I pulled back from Zachary. I tried turning my head towards Koby but Zachary restrained me by my chin. "Don't look at that."

"You killed him?" I looked at him "What the hell!"

"Aria you heard what he said,I couldn't let him live after openly threaten you."

"Yeah,I heard him. About the part where he said he had nothing to do with any of these murders,nothing to do with me! So you didn't have to kill him Zachary!"

"He's a mafia leader,he was more than likely lying."

I yanked myself from his grasp. "You can't base someone's life on a hunch Zachary. All we came for was answers,someone to deciphen the code of numbers. We was supposed to walk in with questions and leave with less and a new ALIVE enemy--"

"He was our enemy before we arrived! I plucked a target off you and Naomi's back,how am I wrong!?"

I examined his face then narrowed my eyes. "You killed an innocent man and you don't see what went wrong?"

Zachary scoffed and rolled his eyes. "He was anything but innocent."

It was my turn to scoff before I spun around and left the room and soon the building.

When everyone was in the limo it drove off back to the hotel and I stayed away from everyone while looking out the window,I know what I said to Zach but my head was filled with more questions than this morning. I accepted that being with Zachary will bring me enemies and being a #1 hacker makes me on many criminals wishlist. My questions orginate from why Theo and Tim were killed,I know now that Timothy was shot without order or command so what did Theodore find that put his life in jeopardy?

And what was he doing digging in my parents murder in the first place,it happened over a decade ago. I felt three stares on me and my ears caught on the small female voice slicing through the tension.

"Is it just me or was this night a failure?" Naomi asked.

"No,Aria was right. We left with fewer questions." Harry replied.

"I was right about you and her being in danger still and now we know why. And we know what the motive was on that home invasion." Niall added.

"And this little note,of numbers,what are we gonna do with it now? There's no translater." Zayn pointed out.

"There was five people in the world who knew this language,three are gone and one can't read it. Which leaves one,I'll find him."

My mind went back to Tim's farewell letter and recalled how he spoke. As if he knew that someone was after them,so did he know who? Who's house did they break into? The stench of blood radiated off my arm and choked my lungs making me scrunch up my nose. I took the hankerchief from the cup holder beside me and roughly tried to wipe it off my skin but only made it red and burn,I sucked my teeth and put the napkin back as the car pulled up to the hotel entrance.

I took off my heels before stepping out and walked to the elevators. When we were locked back in the room I tossed the heels aside and spoke to the people behind me without turning, "I'm sleeping on the couch tonight."

Behind me I heard someone sigh then, "You can't be serious Aria."

"Actually I'm very serious,"I turned to Zachary "like I was when I asked you not to kill him. But magically you were deaf when I said that so don't suddenly hear me now,your not even gonna apologize either,are you?"

He shook his head. "I won't say sorry for protecting you."

"So that's what your telling yourself now? That it was a protecting act?"