The Unmasking

Part 10

Sang POV

If I'd had dinner yet, I would have surely lost it by now.

Will had first shown me a video of a meeting between Principle Hendricks and Mr. McCoy in his office. Just seeing McCoy's shark-like face had been enough to get my stomach churning, but the whispered discussion itself had been the turning point to wanting to up-heave.

Do you have it arranged?

Yeah, Miss Sorenson will be taken care of soon.

We don't need any problems from the authorities, McCoy. The last girl you took out you weren't careful enough with and I had to clean up your mess. Don't do that to me again and wrap up your shit, understand?

Don't worry. She won't give me or you any more problems.

Another video dated over a month later showed Hendricks shoving McCoy into a restroom. I squirmed as I watched them scuffle, and then McCoy had Hendricks by the throat against a urinal. Hendricks cursed at McCoy and asked him why he couldn't have taken care of that slip of a girl, and McCoy had grinned and uttered one word before shoving Hendricks away from himself and leaving.

Soon.

The video was paused and Will turned to look at me. I looked back at him and searched his face while my stomach did nauseating flips. The videos implied I was in serious trouble, but that really didn't have anything to do with the guys or the group in front of me. I wanted to know why he had showed me this, and what it had to do with the boys and their enmity.

"He's blackmailing us Sang."

I looked over at Jay. His arms were still folded and his serious tone showed the gravity of his words. I lifted an eyebrow. Although the news wasn't surprising, this wasn't exactly helping explain why he, Karen, Derrick and Will were messing with us. He sighed and unfolded his arms, making fists at his sides. He turned his head away from me to look down at the floor.

"McCoy and Hendricks have my sister. After she got expelled she disappeared. My parents think she ran away from home. It's a lie. Hendricks has me keeping your team busy by tailing them and keeping Korba and Taylor under close surveillance. If I don't do as they ask, I am very simply put in their own words, never going to see her again."

"He has my sister too. She's been missing for over a month though. Hendricks has me trying to set up your group so they get pinned with something illegal."

I looked back at Will, who had closed his eyes and dropped his head to his chest. I didn't know he had a sister, but then I hadn't known he was Volto either. I guess there was a lot I didn't know about any of them. I looked at Karen and Derrick, who were waiting quietly while the confessions were being made.

"And you two?"

They both looked at each other and then back at me. Karen cleared her throat noisily, and spoke up, finally meeting my eyes for the first time tonight.

"Our reasons are of a more personal nature and we'd rather not discuss them, but yeah. He has shit on us too and he's not afraid to use it to get what he wants. And what he wants is your team to leave Ashley Waters for good, by any means necessary."

I shifted nervously to one foot and balanced on it. Principle Hendricks had no scruples with making threats to get things he wanted, this I knew from personal experience. Karen had cast her eyes down to the floor again and then Derrick had the floor as he stepped forward into my personal space. I cringed at his close proximity and his cologne, which I had had enough whiffs of for the evening, thank you very much.

"Show her the other video, Will. The one that helped us decide that she needed to get the hell away from Mr. Blackbourne and his merry troupe of men, as if getting a hit taken out on her just for association wasn't reason enough."