Darn Stupid Brother You Are by Mairee

Chapter 108

(Angel's POV)

The air in the center felt different that day-heavier somehow, like the walls themselves were pressing in. My nerves were already a mess from the constant pressure of planning the escape and managing my messy emotions between Hendrix and Thomas. Something was coming, I could feel it, but I wasn't prepared for the storm I was about to step into.

It happened in the far wing of the center, the one rarely used except for storage. I had been wandering aimlessly, needing space to think, when I heard voices. Muffled at first, then clearer as I edged closer. Thomas's voice stood out. It was firm and commanding a side of him I rarely saw.

I pressed myself against the wall, heart pounding.

"I told you, I'm working on it. The group trusts me, but I need more time to gather what we need," Thomas said sharply.

Another gruff and impatient voice responded. "Time is running out, Mitchell. If you can't deliver, we'll have to take action ourselves. You know what's at stake here."

Mitchell? My chest tightened. That wasn't his name. What was going on?

I peeked around the corner and saw Thomas speaking to a man I didn't recognize. His posture was tense and defensive. Papers and files were spread out on a table between them, marked with strange symbols and codes. My eyes darted to the corner of the room where a camera blinked steadily.

What was he doing?

The conversation ended abruptly, and Thomas's companion left through a side door. I didn't have time to hide. Thomas turned and froze when he saw me, his face going pale.

"Angel," he barely got my name out.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded and stepped into the room. My voice echoed.

He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "You weren't supposed to see that."

I crossed my arms, trying to steady my breathing. "See what, Thomas? You lying to me? Who even are you?"

His jaw clenched, and he avoided my gaze. "It's not what you think."

"Then explain it to me," I said, my voice trembling. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you've been playing me this entire time."

(Thomas's POV)

I ran another hand through my hair. My chest was rising and falling like I'd just run a marathon. I couldn't look at Angel at that moment, not when I was about to say everything I had kept hidden. "Angel, listen... You deserve the truth, and it's long overdue." My voice was barely above a whisper, but it carried the weight of everything I had buried for months.

"My name isn't Thomas Allen. It's Thomas Mitchell," I began, my throat tightening with every word. "I'm not just some guy trying to get by in this hellhole. I'm an undercover operative. I was sent here by a private agency that specializes in dismantling underground organizations. The center? It's not just a place for recovery or rehabilitation as you already know. It's a front. A well-oiled machine hiding illegal operations, organ harvesting and even trafficking. And I was sent here to gather evidence and take them down."

I paused and glanced at her face. Her eyes widened and her breath got shallow as the weight of my confession started to sink in. I pressed on because there was no turning back now. "They knew what this place was long before I came here. The disappearances, the forced treatments, the unusual experiments-they all point to something bigger. But what we didn't know was how deep it ran or who's really pulling the strings. My job was to get close, blend in, and find the answers. That's why I painted that picture of myself-a version of me that you could trust, someone who fit into this place without raising questions. I never meant to hurt you, Angel, but it was the only way."

The words tumbled out faster now as I finally let her see the whole truth. "The center is more dangerous than you realize. The things I've seen, the things they've done to people-it's worse than I ever imagined. And now, I'm running out of time. My cover's starting to crack, and the people in charge are getting suspicious. If I don't act soon, everything we've worked for will fall apart, and more innocent people will suffer."

I finally met her gaze, and the look in her eyes nearly broke me. "I know I lied to you, and I know you might never forgive me, but you have to believe me when I say this-I care about you, Angel. I care more than I ever expected to. And that's why I'm telling you all of this. Because when the time comes, and it will, you're going to have to make a choice. Stay out of this and stay safe, or help me finish what I started."

(Anya's POV)

The words spilled out of him in bursts and each one hit me like a punch. He was an undercover operative, sent to investigate the center and gather evidence on its illegal activities. His real name was Thomas Mitchell, and his life before the center was nothing like the picture he'd painted for me.

everything,"

everything," he said quickly and stepped toward me. "I never lied about how I feel about you, Angel. That was real.

expect me to

looking desperate. "Yes, I came here with a mission. But I didn't expect to meet you. I didn't expect to fall

my face.

you?" the question slipped

turned 24 last month." He

I was trying my best to

me, but I stepped back. "I was trying to protect you," his voice cracked. "Everything I've

me from the start. How is that

less you knew, the better," he said. "The people running this place they're dangerous, Angel. They wouldn't hesitate to hurt you if they thought you were a threat." "And what about you?" I asked. "What

silence was

do this," I whispered and

he was pleading.

I cut him off. "You

you," he said,

hand on the doorframe. "Maybe you

as the sound of

•

(Hendrix's POV)

voices. The tone in Angel's voice drew me closer, and my curiosity

sight, listening as Angel's world crumbled around her. Thomas's confession was a gut punch, even to me. An undercover operative? It explained so much the secrecy, the...evasiveness, the way he always seemed to hold back when we were all putting ourselves on the

instinct urged me to burst in and stop whatever was happening. But I

against the corner. My jaw clenched as I watched her walk away, broken. I could see Thomas through the doorway. His head was hung low and his fists were clenched at

What a coward.

The moment Thomas looked up and saw me, his expression darkened. "What do you want,

I want to know how you thought you'd get away with playing

a hand through his hair. "This isn't

the table. "This is the perfect time.

between us. When he met my gaze, I noticed his own eyes were filled with something that almost

laughed bitterly. "Right. Just the parts that matter, like who you

voice was rising. "This isn't about you

me that self-righteous crap," I growled. "Angel trusted you. She cared about you, and you used

jaw tightened.

bullet. "You don't know the

and stepped closer. "You're so busy wallowing in your own self-pity that you can't even see how much she's

on me," I snapped. "At least I never lied to her.

her away? Made

hit their mark. He smirked and shook

closer with clenched fists. "Stay the hell out of my way, Thomas. Whatever game you're

not playing a game," he said. "But if you want to

with suppressed anger. "You have no idea who you're messing

you," he said quietly,