Veneration of Dreams // Ransom Drysdale

twelve // twinning

"I'm not going to fight you, Matthew. You tell me I'm right and I'll open this door myself," Katarina said, her cheek pressed to the door which quivered as a weight- Matthew -leant against the other side.

"He was the last person any of us would have suspected," Matthew said, "And he was lucky it was me who found your DNA all those years ago. Anyone else would have-"

"Mine?"

"Yours. You were maybe eleven at the time, same as my girls now."

"That was...that was nearly twenty years ago," Katarina said, feeling sick to her stomach. She wasn't sure he heard her.

"I was young. I wanted the case all to myself. I knew one of the guys at the lab. He agreed to keep things quiet while I found evidence, supplied what I needed to wiretap Gabriel's office...Didn't ask any questions. It was too easy, I should've wondered why. Twenty minutes into the recording, your dad's secretary walked into the room. He asked her for an espresso and he said, "Thank you, Cassandra, what would we- I do without you?" Right into the mic, word for word."

Katarina felt her heart drop.

"She was only my girlfriend at the time but when she left, he told me how lucky I was to have her and then he, he said something to me, Lago..." Matthew trailed off and Katarina stayed still, controlling her breathing as if too loud a whisper would awaken some terrible monster, worse than reality, "He threatened my wife, ruined my career...He knew I was listening, he was playing me from the very beginning and somehow, it feels like he still is."

"But he's dead, Matthew, so who else is involved? Who's doing this to you now?" Katarina asked, her mind whirring as she listened to his shaky breaths. She pushed open the bathroom door, clutching her shoulder with one hand and holding her other in front of her.

"I can help you," Katarina continued. She reached forward gingerly, touching his arm, "You said...you said he had your children, what about Cassandra?" She asked.

Matthew's head jerked up, his eyes narrowing onto her with the truth written on them before he could say it out loud. Katarina held her ground but when he flung her hand away, she felt her stomach drop with fear.

"Who wants me dead, Matthew-" She asked, a last ditch effort cut short by his hand raising.

"I've suffered enough," Matthew said but when his gun rose in line with her body, she didn't hesitate.

Katarina grabbed his arm, pivoting on her heel so she could swing her elbow into his chin as he fired. Wincing as the bullet flew into the drywall, she pushed the gun away from her face, feeling a hand grip her hair as the front door burst open. When a second gunshot echoed through the room, Katarina didn't know who had been hit until the pressure on her neck weakened. She staggered back as Matthew fell. The gun clattered onto the floor. She didn't let herself stare.

She had done this before, Katarina reminded herself and strode forward, grabbing Ransom's hand. She felt the slickness of blood on her skin, stamping his red.

"Run!"

As they scrambled out of the door and across the parking lot, Katarina made a silent promise to Matthew and herself.

She would find his girls and she would keep them safe.

a/n

highly rec veronica roth's chosen ones if you're looking for a good read with attractive villains