Paragon

Chapter 7

Don't tell Stellan?

I take a deep breath and redial his number, crossing my arm over my body. It's late so I don't know if he'll pick up now.

"Hello? Iris?"

"Yeah, I got your message."

"Thank God."

"What's going on? What did you find? Is it something that can help us?"

"Well... yes. It absolutely can."

"Okay, that's great! What is it?"

"Well... uh, is Stellan with you?"

"No. He's not... Charles, what is it?"

"I need you to get to your computer."

I'm immediately frightened. "Okay. Okay- but fucking tell me what it is."

"I found a video- I hacked into one of Vance's drives- it's taken me weeks just to open this damn file- and- and-"

"And what? Jesus Christ, you're scaring me," I utter, walking to get to my computer. I pull open the bedroom door, hearing the shower already on. Unzipping my bag, I pull my laptop out and turn for the door.

"Well, it's-"

"Iris?"

I grimace, gaping. "I'm on the phone with Charles. I'll be there in a sec!"

I close the bedroom door quietly and walk out towards a different room. I pull open on directly across the hall and shut myself into it. "Okay, tell me. A video."

"Of Stellan."

I stop in my tracks and almost feel my fingers let go of the heavy device in my hands. "What do you mean of him?"

"It's of him and Constantine, Iris..."

"In- bed?" I manage to utter.

"Yes... yeah."

"Well, I can't see that! I won't see that!"

"You have to! It's- she-"

"She what?"

"It was like the other video- the other men. She was- hurting him."

I shake my head, gasping. "No, Charles. No! He told me..."

I feel bile rise, fast and I shake my head in horror. God, he never told me she didn't. He never did.

"Oh God."

"I wouldn't ask you to see it but you need to know. You need to see it."

"Why would she record it? Did he know?"

"It doesn't look like it. I've only seen the beginning portion of it. It was set up somewhere in the room- it's at a strange angle."

"Charles, I-I can't."

"Iris, unless you want me to inform him about it, I need you to at least see it. I need to know whether to wipe this or not. Whether we need to send it to the lawyers."

I breathe deeply, swallowing with difficulty and force my feet around the wood desk in the middle of the room. "Send it to my personal email."

"Just did."

I take a seat slowly and pull open the screen, typing in my password with shaking fingers. "I'm scared he's going to come out of the shower."

"Then hurry."