Enough excuses but I'm sorry this chapter took so long. Hey on the bright side, at least school is over for me! So HAGS I guess? These next few chapters are going to actually pull together the entire plot and be full of twists and hopefully surprises! Also, I'm going to have a ton of free time haha now that school is out so updates should come more frequently!

Also, does anyone know how to see how many exact votes are on this story? I know it's over 1k (THANKS AGAIN BTW) but like exactly how many? I'm just curious. Oh and good luck to anyone still in school or doing finals. You all are gonna do great! Please enjoy! Don't forget to comment and vote! :)

We arrived at the address provided on the invitation. My first thought was how narcissistic Joshua must be. His house was big, white and colonial style. No joke it looked like the ones our founding fathers lived in. But hanging from the second story balcony were three two-story banners with Joshua's face plastered on it. And just as I suspected, Joshua Hallal's face. There were fancy cars rolling up to the front as the valet started to take them away. It was a very crowded and classy event. It seemed very suspicious of Joshua to invite us to this event out of all of them.

Nonetheless, we entered the vast wooden doors in Joshua's house. All of us were on high alert, very cautious of everyone around us. It was packed. Everyone was dressed super nice and mingling in the crowd. Posters and merchandise with Joshua's face was everywhere. It was very unnerving and uncomfortable. Waiters with silver platters of chaminage and finger sandwiches wove through the crowd. Mike immediately picked up one and shoved it in his mouth. Classy.

Most of the people were congested near the front door so once we shoved past all of them, there was room to stand. Along the far wall was a bar, complete with a bartender and bar seating. I might need a drink before this night is over.

There was an impressive buffet spread along the wall closest to us. Mike made a beeline for it, while the rest of us followed closely behind. We were hungry. We loaded our plates with food, intending to leech all the money away from Joshua as possible.

It was weird to say the least about being in Joshua's house. His living room was set up in a party way, with the bar, buffet and tables, but it also did feel like a house. There were rugs and homey furniture all around. One key thing to point out is that there were no pictures, however. There is a distinct possibility it isn't Joshua's house too. I could tell Hailey's emotions were complicated at the moment. This guy, an old friend, is apparently a former (or even current) evil mastermind. He lived at their house and even took her father's job. And now she was seeing him again to figure out if he did something malicious to get the position. It was very confusing.

We didn't want to talk shop while we were here. There was no reason to draw even more unwanted attention. Joshua was nowhere to be found. At events like these, the host normally waits until everyone gets there and does a grand speech, and then mingles with the supporters. It was no surprise we didn't see him yet.

As we were done eating, Erica stood up and announced to all of us, "I have to go to the bathroom. If I am not back in the next ten minutes, assume something bad has happened. We've got to be careful around here."

"What if you're really constipated?" Mike asked with a cheeky grin. I bit the inside of my mouth to stop the laugh that was threatening to spill out.

Erica merely replied with a deadly stare that shut Mike up pretty quickly. She left after that. We really didn't know what to do. I didn't want to speak with his supporters as they might be in disguise for Joshua, so we awkwardly stood in a circle and just talked about boring things. It occurred to me that I was being overly paranoid, but when Joshua is concerned, it's better to be over paranoid than under. Erica came back and we just all stood there. Some guys kept trying to hit on Erica and Hailey, but they were just brushing the guy's attempts off. It was hilarious. I didn't mind anyone hitting on Hailey because it was so funny to see them rejected or Erica giving them a death stare until they bugged off.

Finally, after about forty five minutes, they announced Joshua was going to come out. There was a makeshift stage by the fireplace, elevated about four feet so he could see everyone. This is the moment where we can see with our own eyes the man who tried to kill me multiple times.

Everyone's attention turned to the stage. We were all wary, but most of the guests here were excited. In the grandest way possible, complete with an entire live band, Joshua entered and took his place on the stage. Everyone cheered and he gave a charming smile.

He honestly looked the same as he did ten years ago. He still had a chiseled jawline and a dashing smile. He was taller though, which I don't know how that's possible if he has prosthetic legs. Maybe he had them adjusted to seem taller and give off an aura of authority. He was wearing a full suit, thus hiding his prosthetics. Though with all the new cell regeneration and advanced technology, even without hiding his fake limbs he could still pass as normal.

It's hard to explain the feeling of seeing him here again. Last time I saw him, he was trying to blow up the United Nations meeting. Ten years ago. It was unnerving to say the least. His general presence, even being over twenty feet again, made me anxious. However, it did give me a sense of nostalgia. I've missed the days of spying and now I was back in the game. Not going to lie, it did feel a little bit good.

Erica studied Joshua. I could tell she was already profiling him and dissecting his every move. He wasn't saying anything too exciting. He was thanking us for being here, asking for donations and their votes. Typical politician stuff. He spoke for about ten more minutes. Zoe, Mike, Jawa and Chip stared daggers at him the entire time. Hailey was torn between so many emotions, she just looked overwhelmed.

He finally finished and jumped off the stage, only to be swarmed by supporters and sponsors. He laughed with them and shook their hands graciously. We were in absolute no rush to talk to him, so we backed away and let the people who actually wanted to talk to him have his attention. We hung in the back, all still a bit shocked.

After about another half hour, we realized the crowd had thinned a little bit. Instead of six hundred people, there seemed to be only about four hundred. That was probably due to the fact that Joshua wasn't out here anymore and wasn't talking to anyone. It was weird. Why would he invite us to his event when he doesn't even want to talk to us?

Just as I was completing my thought however, a huge guy built like a tree approached us. He was wearing a suit and an earpiece, looking like a security guard of some sort. Erica immediately shifted her body weight to defensive. The rest of us were on edge too. I was half expecting it to be Dane Brammage, one of Joshua's old henchmen from back in the day. It was a crazy thought though. He was probably nowhere to be found now a days, after all of the illegal things he's participated in. But again, the same could be said about Joshua.

"Hello," the man said politely. He had a deep voice, but it didn't sound threatening. Not yet anyway.

No one replied to him. He tried smiling, but it came out as just weird and awkward. It seemed like he had little experience in this type of situation and was probably only hired because of his unique build.

"Ah... Well... Congressman Duncan requests your presence." He said to us.

There it was. I knew it would be weird if Joshua didn't even talk to us. It was very suspicious he wanted to talk to us in private. There was some merit to it though. We are talking about sensitive topics and it would be bad if someone overheard us. Luckily, there were still a bunch of civilians here so if anything was to happen, they would surely hear it. Hopefully.

Erica looked excited and intrigued. Haily seemed hesitant, but wasn't objecting. The rest of us were just suspicious.

"Lead the way," Erica said.

"Um... not all of you. Only um..." he looked at our faces and pointed with his sausage fingers, "You, you, you and uh... you."

He pointed at me, Erica, Zoe and Mike. Chip looked relieved and Jawa seemed offended. Hailey was a bit offended, but mainly happy that she didn't have to see him at that time. She wanted to talk to him before we all left, but she wasn't ready at the moment.

It wasn't really a wonder why Joshua only picked us four. We've been investigating the longest and were part of the spy school gang. Chip and Jawa only learned of this last night and Hailey wasn't a spy. I was cautious as we followed in through the crowd. Off to the side, there was a hallway with marked bathrooms and closed doors. The guy knocked on one, and it swung open to reveal a mean-looking guard standing there. When he saw who it was, he gruffly opened the door and alerted everyone in the room that we were here.

I entered first and immediately took note of everything in the room, including Joshua Hallal. The vast room was an office with a grand wooden desk and bookshelves lining the walls. Papers were strewn all over the desk, like someone was actually working. It occurred to me that even if Joshua was plotting something evil, he still needed to put in the work and make it seem like he was a legit congressman.

Joshua was leaning casually on the desk, looking passively around the room. There was an agent/guard at each corner. None of them were people I recognize from the spy days or even seemed particularly evil. The only one that seemed likely evil was the one guard who answered the door. But he had a mean resting face, so that could just be how he looks all the time.

Joshua smiled brightly as we entered. He hopped off the desk and offered a hand to shake with Zoe. She made no motion to shake his hand and glared at it like he was offering a dead possum on a stick. He smiled again and was undeterred. Erica was on high alert.

He went back to his desk and leaned on it once more. "Sit!"Joshua said in a friendly tone, gesturing to these big leather chairs set up in front of his desk.

"We'd rather stand," Erica said coldly, looking at him with a deadly glare.

Joshua grinned yet again, "Of course! Whatever makes you most comfortable."

He was making me even more anxious than I was before. Not only was he not threatening or trying to kill us, he was being friendly and kind. What was his game here?

"Look," he finally said, hopping on his desk and letting his prosthetic legs swing off the slides, "I'll cut straight to the chase here. I know you've been trying to investigate me. I know you're all suspicious of me and my position."

Before he could proceed, Zoe spoke up, "Why would you think that?"

He let out a big sigh, "I'm not stupid. I got a call from Diana Dazy, the daughter of Mark Dazy, the man who mentored me. Immediately after you arrived at the farm and started to ask questions about me, she rang me. We've stayed in touch after I left the farm when Mark died. They're all so kind. I was heartbroken when Mark died."

Was he though? I wondered to myself.

"Anyway," he continued, "She rings me and says a group of people are asking about me. I ask her to describe them. He tells me a very pretty girl, nerdy guy, athletic guy and a short girl. I piece it together pretty easily. It's you guys. And I have to say, it's good to see you all again."

"Short girl?" Zoe spits in disdain.

Joshua raised his hands in surrender, "Look, her words, not mine. Anyway, so I know you guys have been suspicious of me. And it makes sense after my questionable past. But I invited you here to prove to you that nothing is going on. I'm not like plotting anything. Those days are long over."

"It seems awfully coincidental you were at the dinner when Mark died. And happened to have taken his position, fast tracking you right to the House of Representatives." I told him.

He nodded, "It does seem like that. And you're not the only one who thinks that. My fellow congressmen are suspicious of the means it took to get here. They're thinking the same thing you are." He let out an exhausted sigh, "I have to work twice as hard just to prove myself at this job. It's a lot of work.  And I'm trying my best. It certainly doesn't help when you guys show up. Can't you see my position? I invited you here to prove nothing was going on. Can't you see? Nothing is going on. What more proof do you need?"

He was repeating that phrase about nothing going on a lot of times. It makes me believe the complete opposite.The only part that I remotely believe is that his fellow congressmen don't trust him. In the research we've done on Joshua, it seems like he's isolated from his co-workers. Good.

"A lot more proof," Erica said, crossing her arms loosely in front of her chest.

He gave a desperate look around the room, like he was out of ideas. It seemed forced, although I wasn't sure. At this point, there was a genuine chance he was really an honest congressman.

"I'm trying to rebuild my life," he explained with a seemingly sincere look on his face, "like all of you are. I mean, Erica, you're an international celebrity. Good for you! You all changed your last names, like I did. I'm trying to switch around my life. Once everything in DC failed a decade ago, I was sick of failing. I was losing so much credibility in the evil terrorist circles because I kept getting defeated by this nerdy teenager. So I walked away from that life. I was only nineteen. I had so much more to do with my life. I adopted a new last name and tried to start fresh. Like you all did."

"There's a difference between taking a new last name and stealing it from someone else." Erica stated.

His smile faltered a little bit, like this caught him off guard, "If I was going to get into politics, it needed to be legit. I know politics seemed like an odd choice for me. But I figured, why not? While I was busy trying to undermine the government, I learned a lot about policies and laws and regulations. So I buried myself in my studies and got the amazing opportunity to work for Mark. And I took that chance."

"I don't believe a word you're saying. You're spouting BS right now, expecting us to believe it." Mike said plainly. We all nodded in agreement with him. Joshua looked exasperated.

"Fine, all I'm saying is please don't come after me without hardcore evidence. And as of now, I'm sure you don't." Joshua's cheerful facade dropped into cocky for a second. His familiar smirk was on his face.

"You don't know what we have," Mike said coolly.

Joshua waved his hand dismissively, "Sure, you're right. I'm just saying if you keep trying to expose me and it gets in the way, I'll expose you Erica. Be careful. I'm not up to anything but if you want to keep pursuing this, you might be in big trouble."

His threats were in a casual tone, but we felt the weight of his words clearly.

"I could expose you," Mike said, matching Joshua's tone, "We have proof of you working for SPYDER in the past."

Joshua shrugged, like this didn't affect him in the slightest, "Okay, sure, Mike. I'll just rebuke your claims, saying it was due to the drugs you're on."

Mike glared angrily at Joshua, but didn't give into his bait. Joshua was obviously egging him on, expecting a reaction. 

"If this is about getting revenge for Hailey, as I see you, Ben, have gotten close with her, then we can talk about that. That's a whole other conversation." Joshua said, staring directly at me. I felt my heart rate spike.

"What about Hailey?" I asked, very concerned.

"You didn't know?" Joshua smikred, obviously enjoying the fact he had information over me, "Hailey and I dated for a while. I even asked her to move with me out to DC. We had a messy breakup after that."

It made sense! Hailey was telling me about her boyfriend who wouldn't let her see his arms or legs! Joshua's prosthetics! And he was the one who moved too fast? No duh! He wanted to move to DC quickly and Hailey wasn't ready for the jump or the next step! It made sense now! But why didn't she tell me when we revealed our history with Joshua?

Before I could respond, Joshua quickly cut in. "Alright!" he said, clapping his hands as he jumped off the desk, "I just wanted to prove to you all that I'm not up to something. If you don't believe me, well, I tried. Enjoy the rest of the party."

Joshua motioned to the guards along the wall. They were out of earshot, but when they saw Joshua's signal, rushed forward to escort us out. As the guards were trying to shove Erica, she bumped into Joshua's desk, making a bunch of papers flutter to the ground. Joshua huffed in annoyance. The guards shoved us out of the office.

We didn't want Joshua to hear us debriefing after the weird meeting we just had, so we walked silently back to the main living room. I was still having a hard time comprehending their relationship.

The crowd was still about four hundred people. They were all happily chatting and completely unaware of what just happened. I was hungry so I grabbed a cucumber finger sandwich off a lady's tray that was coming out of the kitchen area. I saw Erica grab a peanut butter and jelly mini-sandwich too. I hated to admit it but it was really good. I felt bad grabbing two more, but then I remembered it was Joshua. I grabbed four more instead.

We walked over near the bar so we could talk. Good, I needed a drink. Zoe led us in a beeline. Suddenly, as she was nearing the bar, Zoe completely stopped in her tracks. I ran right into her. Without even apologizing, she did a complete one-eighty and stormed off angrily, shoving people out of her way.

I watched her storm way and turned to the rest of my friends, who were as puzzled as I was.

"What just happened?" Chip asked, emerging from the crowd with Jawa. Hailey wasn't with them.

"I don't know," I replied, "She was just walking towards the bar and just spun around and stormed away."

Erica gave me a confused look, "I'll go after her." And she disappeared into the crowd, following Zoe.

"Ben!" I heard Hailey call out my name. She was sitting at the bar, facing me, talking to a man with his back turned to me. I made my way over to her. I wanted to talk to her about the Joshua situation. I wasn't mad that she didn't tell me before. It was obviously a very rough patch in her life. I was just wondering why she didn't tell me before coming here.

"Come meet this guy I just met!" Hailey said as I was walking over, "He apparently went to Comlubia as well! I wonder if you guys know each other."

I turned to face the guy. Our conversation had to wait. The smile on my face immediately fell. On the guy's face too. Oh I knew him alright. Not from Colubmia though. No, I doubt he even went to Columbia. He was clearly trying to impress Hailey. I wanted to punch this guy straight in the face. Kurt Andrews. Zoe's cheating husband.

We just stared at each other, neither one of us moving. The tension was palpable. Hailey could feel it as well.

"Um... do you know each other?" Hailey said uncretainly, but already assumed the answer.

Wordlessly, Kurt tried to get up in a hurry, nearly knocking the barstool down. Without thinking, I grabbed his arm and dug my nails into it. He hissed in pain. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Erica shoving through the crowd, her eyes blasing in anger. Zoe must have seen Kurt or recognized the back of his head. When he saw Erica, Kurt's eyes went huge in fear and tried to wrench his arm out of my grasp. I held on tight and he was at the mercy of Erica.

Not wanting to cause a scene in the event, she relentlessly grabbed Kurt by the scruff of his neck and literally dragged him across the floor. Supporters and guests were confused to say the least, but made no motion to stop her. And anyone who was thinking about it quickly decided against it after Erica shot them a warning glare.

Hailey was very confused as she stood up. We walked behind Erica and Kurt, while Chip and Jawa were looking equally confused as they followed us.

"What's going on?" Hailey whispered to me.

"That's Kurt Andrews, Zoe's husband. He cheated on her multiple times. They're not officially divorced yet as they haven't gone to court yet, but he was rude and abusive." I told her. Hailey's expression turned furious. Jawa and Chip's matched Hailey's.

Erica dragged him outside and around the corner of the house, into this little area where Joshua stores his garbage. Zoe was sitting on the front steps of the house, but when we approached, she joined us as we followed Erica.

When we got out of the eye and ear sight of everyone else, Erica harshly threw Kurt against the garbage cans. One fell over and landed on top of him. Mike laughed at him. This fueled his anger and attempted to throw the can back at Erica. She caught it and threw it farther into the alleyway.

Zoe was not taking this sudden appearance very well. I don't blame her. The last time she spoke to him was when he was threatening her children. She was clearly trying to hide back tears.

"What the hell are you doing here, Zoe?!" Kurt snarled, "Is this your high school reunion or whatever? Going to a campaign event?"

She didn't rely. Now tears were starting to fall. Chip put a comforting arm around her.

"What?" Kurt taunted, "Too baby to answer?"

This was a very bad idea to make fun of Zoe. He was outnumbered seven to one. And Erica was having none of it. She just socked him in the face. Hard. A bruise was already forming on top of the one that was just healing that Erica put on his face from the last confrontation with him.

"What the hell are you doing here Kurt?" Erica asked him harshly.

"What? I can't support my politician?" Kurt snapped back.

It was very suspicious he was here. Why would a guy from Illinois support some random politician from Nebraska? And one that happens to have history with Zoe? The only thing that came to my mind was that Joshua set this up. I wouldn't be surprised. He was malicious. Maybe he invited him here to throw us off? It only fueled my suspicion that Joshua was up to something.

"Tell me why you're here." Erica repeated in a deadly calm tone.

"Zoe, you have no power over me," Kurt smirked cockily, completely ignoring Erica, "In fact, you should be on your knees BEGGING me to stay with you."

"Why would she do that?" I snarled at him.

"Why?" Kurt laughed, "She and the kids are homeless. She lost the house in court. Even your fancy-ass lawyers couldn't save you this time!"

I wheeled on Erica, "Is this true?"

She had a bit of a guilty look on her face, "I wasn't going to tell you Zoe until after this whole thing is over because it doesn't matter. I'll buy you a house wherever you want. But all of the house documents have Kurt's name in them. Despite what happened, there's absolutely nothing me or my lawyers could have done. Legally, you're technically just a houseguest in his house. You have no legal ownership over the house."

After all the shocks of today, Zoe barely had any reaction to it. She just kept silently crying. I felt so bad for her.

"But you," Erica growled, kicking Kurt hard in the ribs, "Tell me why you're here. The real reason."

"Fine," he huffed, "If you must know, Joshua Duncan flew me out here. Because he's sponsoring Jackson's class, he flew all the parents out ahead of time."

Zoe pushed forward, "What was that about Jackson?!" She looked angry and concerned.

"You didn't know?" This time Kurt looked genuinely confused, "I thought your mom was going to tell you. Congressman Duncan is flying Jackson's class out here to Washington DC to have a tour of some congress meeting or something. Since we haven't gone to court yet and thus the kids are still my children as well, I can make executive decisions. Plus, your mom thought it was a great opportunity. She was actually the one to make the decision, not even me. Their class is taking an impromptu field trip to DC for this government thing. It was all paid for by Joshua Duncan. Some part of a campaign publicity thing. I just got the email for the free flights. Parents get to come a day early for free. Is that why you're here?"

I looked at my friends, deeply concerned. What and why was Joshua sponsoring Zoe's kid? There was no way that was a coincidence. He was using Jackson for liability or something. Now it was clear he was planning something. I felt my skin boil. I don't care if he tries to kill me or even if he kills me. He can't hurt Jackson. That kid is an innocent tiny child. Zoe was even worse off.

Her whole body started shaking. It was worrying. Panic was written all over her face. She didn't try to hide it. As a mother, their main job is to protect their children over all else. Zoe felt like she was failing.

"Cancel it." She said with a wild look in her eyes, "Right now."

Even Kurt seemed surprised and concerned at her reaction. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. I think she was having a panic attack. Chip wrapped his arms around her to attempt to stop her from shaking. Hailey comfortingly rubbed her arm and the rest of us were staring daggers at Kurt.

"What's going on?" Kurt seemed genuinely worried for Zoe. His cocky vibe dropped.

"You AS*HOLE!" Zoe screamed, trying to charge at Kurt. Chip held her back. Why? Let her go after him! He deserves it!

"I can't call it off!" Kurt said, "Jackson's flight left like a half an hour ago! He's in the air right now! What the hell is going on? Your mom approved it! He's going to be fine! Joshua arranged for him and his class to  stay in some fancy..." He was violently cut off.

In Zoe's blind rage, her adrenaline spiked. She wrestled her way out of Chip's grasp and charged full force at Kurt. Erica made no motion to stop her. He deserved it, and Zoe's been waiting a long time to do it.

Zoe dropped on top of Kurt while he was still on the ground and talking. She punched him right in the mouth and hard. His mouth instantly started gushing blood. The force of her punch made his head fall back on the concrete and it knocked him out cold.

Zoe was a sobbing mess. Jawa and Mike pulled her off of him. Zoe was freaking out, super concerned for her son. Joshua doesn't have enough of a moral compass that prevents him from hurting children.

Erica quickly checked Kurt's pulse to see if he was dead. He wasn't, although after this he would probably be seriously hospitalized. She unceremoniously threw him in Joshua's trash can.  Zoe's anger was not out yet. She was attempting to wrench her arms out of Chip and Mike's grasp.

"I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!" Zoe was shouting, "I WILL KILL JOSHUA!" She was slightly hysterical at the moment.To be honest, I wanted her to go in there and kill Joshua. But I'm sure it wouldn't work and it would make things worse if she just stormed in there. The guards were surely armed and Zoe would do no help to them if she were dead.

"Calm down," Erica put her hand on Zoe's shoulders. She was thrashing around like a wild animal at this point. It was scary to see Zoe in this state. Erica calmed her down a little bit, but she was still hyperventilating. Zoe had no idea if something bad was going to happen to Jackson's plane and there really wasn't anything for her to do to protect him at the moment.

"Go inside to the bar and grab a bunch of bottles of heavy alcohol. I think we're going to need it tonight," Erica whispered to me as she attempted to calm Zoe down. Erica let out a heavy sigh, "Meet us in the car."

I nodded and walked back into the event. People heard shouting, but didn't know what it was about and didn't care enough to investigate. The event was almost over, so the bartender let me have a lot of full bottles. I grabbed them and headed outside.

As I walked on Joshua's welcome mat, I stepped on something hard and painful. Curious, I put the bottles down and investigated what I stepped on. It was an old, bronze and silver color looking brass band. It looked like a ring, but it was carved very roughly, like it wasn't professionally done. It was very old and had a simple design wrapping around it.

Something tugged at the back of my memory. Hailey kept saying her father owned some sort of brass band with a simple design on it. She said he had it when he died and that no one took it off of him. I examined it again. It totally looks like it could have been carved from the barrel of an old musket or gun, like Mark's was. I nearly dropped it in surprise. This was Mark Dazy's ring, the one Hailey was supposed to inherit. It definitely wasn't there when I walked inside to get the booze or I would have felt it. Why was his ring here, miles away from Nebraska and supposedly on a dead man? A missing dead man? I slipped it in my pocket and felt a cold shiver run down my spine.