Page 106 of The Cult

“What are those doing here?” Sterling asked.

“Aren’t they The Creed’s?” I asked.

Sterling shook his head. “No. We don’t have those here.”

Abel rested his hand on his gun. “Are they here to get us?”

“I dunno, but we need to get the fuck out of plain sight before they see us.” I grabbed Abel’s hand, beckoned Sterling, and headed for the woods.

We sprinted across the small rocky beach, passing boulders scattered around the quarry lake. The drones overhead edged nearer, their buzzing intensifying. It was safer under the canopy of trees, but not by a lot, because the drone cameras could still spot us. I wondered if they were sent by The Firm to finish me off. They knew I was here, after all.

I gripped Abel’s icy hand tightly. I could breathe a little knowing that he was safe with me, even though it was temporary.

We hiked up the hill, holding on to whatever vines and branches we could grab. The incline was growing steeper, and loose rocks made every step treacherous—one wrong misstep would send us tumbling down. As we neared the top of the hill, the distance between us and the drones grew.

“I think we lost them,” Abel said.

The humming faded and relief washed over me, but our respite was short-lived when we reached the top. Waiting for us were Orcus and his guards.

Outnumbered, we tried to head back to the woods, but we were surrounded by more of The Creed’s armed men, closing in on us from every direction.

“We’re screwed,” Sterling hissed. “What’s the plan?”

I squeezed Abel’s hand before letting it go. “I’m the one they want,” I said. “So, they can have me.”

“No!” Abel protested.

“It’s okay. I got this,” I assured him. I raised both of my hands and walked toward Orcus.

“Tobias!” Abel called, but I continued walking.

Orcus watched me approach. His eyes glinted with malice.

“Let’s cut to the bullshit,” I yelled.

Orcus’s men aimed their guns at me.

“You know who I am.” I squared my shoulders, meeting them head-on.

There was a scuffling behind me. “Let go of me!” came Abel’s voice.

I glanced over to make sure Abel and Sterling were all right. They were surrounded by guards and being stripped of their weapons. Don’t do anything stupid, Abel.

I returned my attention to Orcus, hoping to negotiate Abel and Sterling’s release. “I’m the one you want. Not them.”

Orcus’s puppets raised their rifles when I neared them.

“The Firm don’t want ’em,” I said, taking one step closer to Orcus, which agitated his minions.

“Back off!” one of the guards barked.

“It’s okay, boys,” Orcus said. He raised his hand to stop me. “Toby …” He smirked as he studied me. “Or should I call you The Savior?”

It was amazing how grating my alias sounded now that I was no longer a paid assassin. “You have me, so let them go.”

Orcus whispered something to the man next to him. The man stepped forward and took my gun.

Once I was disarmed, Orcus circled me like a predator. If he thought he could intimidate me, he needed to try harder. “I was hoping to flush your friends out here for a big family reunion, but you’re in such a hurry to die,” he said when he was behind me. Orcus continued his display of authority once he stood in front of me. “You didn’t think I wouldn’t find out, did you?”

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