Page 80 of The Cult

“Seven,” the guy in front of me said. “They call me Seven.”

“No.” I shook my head before bringing my face closer to him. “I wanna know your real name. Not the bullshit number they call you.” I was furious at the way these young men were treated, plucked from their families, for … what? So they could be a spectacle. “What does your family call you?”

“Tyler.”

I nodded once. “You gotta keep it together, Tyler. Can you try to do that for me?” I knew what I was asking was unfair, especially moments after disclosing the truth.

“I guess.” Tyler sat on a lower bunk, eyeing the rest of his friends.

“What about you?” I pointed to the young man with brown eyes that matched his rich skin. He was sitting on the floor, his back against the metal post of the bunk bed.

“Mateo,” he answered, pulling his knees closer to his chest.

I turned to the guy sitting on Abel’s right. “And you?”

“Theo.” He hunched over and cradled his face with his palms.

Abel consoled his comrade, rubbing his back. “We’re gonna get through this,” he whispered to Theo.

“I’m Collin,” the guy standing by the door, acting as our lookout, said.

“And I’m Franklin,” the last one said.

Abel’s eyes softened. “We’re all gonna get through this,” he repeated, scanning the room. His eyes begged for my agreement. “Right, Tobias?”

“We’re gonna find a way to get outta here.” I couldn’t find the will to lie to these men, but offering a glimmer of hope was the best I could do.

Abel seemed satisfied when his face drew a tight smile.

I admired the way he held his composure, reassuring his friends that everything was going to be all right. It was false hope because only time would tell, but a sliver of assurance must have been what they needed to hear because the mood in the room shifted from frightened to a fraction more optimistic. I’d misjudged Abel, he deserved more credit than I’d given him. He might be young, but he had more emotional intelligence than people twice his age—something I didn’t think I even had.

“What are we gonna do now?” Franklin asked Abel.

“We can’t fight for shit. You’ve seen us train.” Tyler was again on the verge of melting down.

“We’re a lot better than we used to be,” Abel assured him.

“Not by much though,” Mateo chimed in.

He had a point. I’d seen their sessions, and they were no match for the outsider Sterling and I watched on tape—not by brute strength or skills. These guys would be eaten alive.

Six pairs of eyes were fixed on me, including Abel’s. Their gazes were heavy with expectation. I felt the burden of their hope and reliance. This was exactly what I didn’t want to happen. But when I met Abel’s eyes, not a single fiber in my body doubted that I’d made the right decision. I never sought to be their hero or savior, yet they looked to me as if I held all the answers to their questions and the key to their escape. How ironic that I was once called The Savior in The Firm—but not for reasons they should ever know.

I resisted the urge to walk away, reminding myself of my promise to Abel. I vowed to protect him and get them out of this mess. I couldn’t turn my back now, even if I tried. I wouldn’t let Abel down the way I let his father down.

“What are we gonna do, Toby?” Franklin asked me.

“It’s Tobias,” I said.

“Huh?” The lines on Franklin’s forehead deepened.

“Tobias is my name. And we’ll pretend like nothing has changed,” I said.

The young men mumbled among themselves. It probably wasn’t what they hoped to hear, but we had to be thoughtful and deliberate about our next steps. One miscalculated move and the game was over. “Never let your enemies anticipate your moves,” El Jefe once told me. How I wished he was still alive to guide me through this. He didn’t deserve to die the way he did. He paid the ultimate price when he risked his life so The Reaper and I could finish what we started.

“Just for the next few days,” I quickly added, hoping to placate their unease. “I have friends outside who can help us.” My thoughts drifted to Archer and Heath. Maybe Zero could hack into The Creed’s system and cause a disruption to aid our escape. I really need to charge my phone.

“I trust Tobias,” Abel said. “We gotta believe in him.”

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