Read Online Hunted (A Sinners Series Book 2) by Abi Ketner, Missy Kalicicki - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Abi Ketner, Missy Kalicicki
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escaped. You have no fear of retribution from Wilson or the guards.”
More silence.
“What is the United Powers?” Grace asks in a soft voice.
“More importantly, what can they do?” I ask.
Sutton’s head turns toward me, a sigh escaping his lips. “They’re a coalition of international leaders formed after the fifth World War. Their main purpose is to prevent another outbreak of wars. Everyone’s still reeling from the damage of the last one.” He makes a circle motion with his hands. “The entire east coast is pretty much destroyed. They have laws written in their mandate that are supposed to protect people from genocide. And crime? There’s still such a thing as due process. Or at least there’s supposed to be.” When his eyes meet mine, I have to pull up my lower jaw to keep from standing with my mouth wide open. “You probably weren’t taught much, if anything, about them in school. But there are other powerful countries in the world that still exist, and their interests would be best served by intervening here.”
“What sort of time line are we looking at here?” Bruno asks, lowering the paper. He passes it to an eager Grace.
“Wait just a second.” Cole motions with a hand out in front of him. “So all of this has been going on for over fifty years, and no one in the rest of the world knew about it? How could that be?” Cole pauses, glances at Bruno, Grace, and me, and then focuses on Sutton. He seems to be challenging him.
“There was a time when that would not have been possible. At one time, our technology was so advanced that we could see what was happening in other parts of the world on a daily basis. But after World War Five, everything changed. Most of the technology that connected nations was destroyed, partially as a way of isolating themselves from the conflict.” Sutton looks tired as he tries to explain the history of the world to us.
He turns to Bruno and offers a slight smile. “The monitors should be arriving in High Society within the week. I’ve contacted some underground members to arrange a meeting before they enter the Hole. I want to make sure they get the full picture before going in.”
“Are you sure you can trust these people?” I ask. “I mean, how can they even question what they’ve seen in the footage already? Why would they need to come and see for themselves?”
“Nothing beats the conviction of eye-witness accounts,” Sutton says. “Besides, some of the people in the Hole deserve to be there. They did exactly what they were accused of to earn a place there. Some became criminals doing what they had to do to survive once there. But criminal or not, this is not how we’re supposed to treat people. We’re capable of much more, and the rest of the world will hold us to a moral standard we seem to have forgotten long ago.”
“Good thing, because Wilson would probably wine and dine them to death,” Cole says. “He’d make a big show of it, making himself out to be a hero rather than the monster that he really is.”
“Without a doubt,” Sutton says. “I’m just hoping they stick to their agreement. That they truly and thoroughly investigate, question, and hold Wilson and his regime accountable for their crimes against humanity.”
“Why wouldn’t they? What motivation would they have to turn their back on us?” I ask.
“Because a weak United States makes everyone else’s position stronger,” Sutton says, twisting his hands together.
We are all silent as that sinks in.
“So you trust them or you don’t?” Bruno asks, pacing.
“I trust they’ll do their job once they’re here,” he says. “They know they have some atoning to do since the last World War.”
“Then that’s all that matters. I’ll do whatever you ask of me,” I say.
Sutton’s sympathetic eyes rest on my face.
“Lexi, it’s our only chance.” Sutton takes the paper back from Grace and tucks it away in the pocket of his coat. “It must be done. We
More silence.
“What is the United Powers?” Grace asks in a soft voice.
“More importantly, what can they do?” I ask.
Sutton’s head turns toward me, a sigh escaping his lips. “They’re a coalition of international leaders formed after the fifth World War. Their main purpose is to prevent another outbreak of wars. Everyone’s still reeling from the damage of the last one.” He makes a circle motion with his hands. “The entire east coast is pretty much destroyed. They have laws written in their mandate that are supposed to protect people from genocide. And crime? There’s still such a thing as due process. Or at least there’s supposed to be.” When his eyes meet mine, I have to pull up my lower jaw to keep from standing with my mouth wide open. “You probably weren’t taught much, if anything, about them in school. But there are other powerful countries in the world that still exist, and their interests would be best served by intervening here.”
“What sort of time line are we looking at here?” Bruno asks, lowering the paper. He passes it to an eager Grace.
“Wait just a second.” Cole motions with a hand out in front of him. “So all of this has been going on for over fifty years, and no one in the rest of the world knew about it? How could that be?” Cole pauses, glances at Bruno, Grace, and me, and then focuses on Sutton. He seems to be challenging him.
“There was a time when that would not have been possible. At one time, our technology was so advanced that we could see what was happening in other parts of the world on a daily basis. But after World War Five, everything changed. Most of the technology that connected nations was destroyed, partially as a way of isolating themselves from the conflict.” Sutton looks tired as he tries to explain the history of the world to us.
He turns to Bruno and offers a slight smile. “The monitors should be arriving in High Society within the week. I’ve contacted some underground members to arrange a meeting before they enter the Hole. I want to make sure they get the full picture before going in.”
“Are you sure you can trust these people?” I ask. “I mean, how can they even question what they’ve seen in the footage already? Why would they need to come and see for themselves?”
“Nothing beats the conviction of eye-witness accounts,” Sutton says. “Besides, some of the people in the Hole deserve to be there. They did exactly what they were accused of to earn a place there. Some became criminals doing what they had to do to survive once there. But criminal or not, this is not how we’re supposed to treat people. We’re capable of much more, and the rest of the world will hold us to a moral standard we seem to have forgotten long ago.”
“Good thing, because Wilson would probably wine and dine them to death,” Cole says. “He’d make a big show of it, making himself out to be a hero rather than the monster that he really is.”
“Without a doubt,” Sutton says. “I’m just hoping they stick to their agreement. That they truly and thoroughly investigate, question, and hold Wilson and his regime accountable for their crimes against humanity.”
“Why wouldn’t they? What motivation would they have to turn their back on us?” I ask.
“Because a weak United States makes everyone else’s position stronger,” Sutton says, twisting his hands together.
We are all silent as that sinks in.
“So you trust them or you don’t?” Bruno asks, pacing.
“I trust they’ll do their job once they’re here,” he says. “They know they have some atoning to do since the last World War.”
“Then that’s all that matters. I’ll do whatever you ask of me,” I say.
Sutton’s sympathetic eyes rest on my face.
“Lexi, it’s our only chance.” Sutton takes the paper back from Grace and tucks it away in the pocket of his coat. “It must be done. We
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