Page 111 of The Cult

“We need to leave this place,” Zero said. She peeked at the tablet attached to her palm and continued. “More assassins from The Firm are coming, and they will keep sending them until we’re all gone.” The frown on her face said it all. “We can fit everyone.” Zero hooked her thumbs behind the six vans. “And we’ll take you anywhere you want. But it’s not safe here.”

“Where are you going?” Two’s mom asked.

“Our war with The Firm is just beginning. We’re headed back to the East Coast to plan our strategy.” Tobias glanced at me, sadness in his eyes. Did he think I was letting him go? That I would leave without him?

“We’ll fight with you,” she said with conviction. “We have nowhere else to go. They robbed us of our life, and we will make them pay.”

“I’m with you until the very end,” I said, squeezing Tobias’s hand.

“I want you all to think of what you’re getting into,” Archer said.

“Kid,” Two’s mom said. “Look around. Do you think we don’t know? We all know what we’re signing up for.”

Archer chuckled. I was amazed he could find the humor in all of this. “I like you,” he said. He extended his hand to shake hers. “Archer.”

“Scarlet—but they call me Mama Red,” she said. “We need your help finding the rest of our boys.” She turned and addressed everyone. “Listen up, everyone. We’re leaving this hell in five minutes. Be ready.”

“Let’s go get Mom,” I said, running with Maddy and Tobias.

Forty-Three: Tobias

Two Days Later

Heath and Andrew’s Safe House, Somewhere in New England

Iwas once told that I was worthless and that my existence was nothing but an inconvenience to those who had the misfortune of being associated with me. Walking into my life could bring an unimaginable nightmare, where waking up was worse than death itself. Aurora, El Jefe, and Oliver had one thing in common: me.

When we were alone, Zero had told me that The Firm was the one who placed the hit on Aurora. She uncovered emails between The Firm’s leaders and the assassins who took her life. “Did you wanna read them?” she’d asked. I didn’t. Zero’s words were enough, and I refused to relive the horror again. They didn’t deserve what happened to them, but their deaths brought me closer to the truth among the chaos that had surrounded me ever since I could remember. I will avenge them.

I was once told that forgetting was the only way to move forward, letting go of the good, the bad, and everything in between. Believing that love didn’t exist made living my life devoid of any meaningful purpose much easier. It’d served me well—until it didn’t.

“You have two options: allowing yourself to be loved and risking getting hurt, or spending the rest of your life hurting because you never allowed yourself to be loved. You pick your poison.” Archer had said when I told him about me and Abel.

A strange emotion had burrowed in my heart from the first time I’d touched Abel, and, after almost losing him, I realized that I was falling for him. He’d seen the ugliest side of me, and he was still here. Somehow, this young man and the hard truth of believing I could be loved were all that stood between me and a lifetime of happiness. Happiness that I was made to believe I didn’t deserve.

It was funny how I could make myself believe almost anything. I could be loved, the voice in my head echoed. I, for once, believed it.

The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the room a glowing amber. I stood in front of the window overlooking the vast expanse of dark forest below. I pulled the metal lever open to let in the fresh air. The breeze whispered through the trees, carrying a sense of serenity that embraced me.

I was once told that my destiny had already been decided. For years, those words were engraved in the recesses of my mind, a constant reminder of my existence. I was merely a puppet in the hands of fate and the people who had the power over me. I closed my eyes, letting the gentle rhythm of my breathing soothe my mind while clarity washed over me like a cleansing tide. What if fate was not a chain binding me to a predetermined path, but rather a guiding hand nudging me in the direction of my true purpose? If my fate had already been decided, then it was up to me to shape my life into something meaningful, something worth fighting for.

“What’s on your mind?” Abel asked, taking me out of my reverie.

A smile tugged my lips before I turned around and faced him.

His hair was damp, his chest and abs glistening. A hint of soap lingered in the air, teasing me. “And you’re right, by the way. The shower was incredible.” Soft laughter escaped his mouth. “You should join me next time.”

I didn’t speak. Words would fail to express what I felt for this man anyway. I stepped forward, my eyes never leaving his.

“Where do you want me?” he asked, turning away. He brought his hand behind his back, glancing at me from his side. “I’m all yours.” An invitation too powerful to resist.

“I wanna try something different,” I said, heading to the nightstand and grabbing a small bottle of lube. I hurried back, my body already missing his warmth.

Abel moaned as I planted soft kisses on the side of his neck. His chest rose and fell, the sound of his breath filling the room. “Anything you want, Daddy,” he uttered.

I pulled him closer, his body molding into mine as if he was made just for me. “Tobias,” I whispered. As expected, he shivered when my lips brushed the back of his ear. With each tender kiss, goosebumps covered every inch of his skin. I spun him around and brought our faces together. I traced my finger over the small cuts and bruises on his face. “Tonight, I’m Tobias. Nothing more, nothing less. Just me.”

Abel nodded, pinning me with his sparkling eyes. “Tobias.”

---