I wasn’t. And it wasn’t just because my father was dead. I wouldn’t be good until we dealt with Corbyn, and until we figured out what we were going to do about the Church.
Unlike Beast, Zel, Many, and Seth, I had no desire to go back to my job as a deacon. I wanted my freedom. I wanted to wake up and go to bed beside my wife every day without fearing someone coming in and taking it from me. I wanted to hold my sons without always looking over my shoulder.
However, now wasn’t the time to discuss that. So, my lie had to suffice. I wasn’t sure if Beast believed it or not, but he didn’t ask me any more questions.
“D.O.E has now eliminated fifteen of Corbyn’s known residences,” Red says briefing us. “They were all vacant at the time. He’s still in the wind.”
“He won’t come out of the woodworks yet. There hasn’t been enough pressure on him,” Maksim confirms. “We need to continue to track down my siblings.”
“Has he tried to contact any of them yet?” Red asks Lucien, who has been keeping tabs on the cellphones of the siblings we’ve killed.
The goal is to keep him from finding out our plan before we are ready to go after him. That’s why we clean every crime scene and dispose of the bodies.
“No. As of right now, there hasn’t been any attempts to reach out.”
“Good.” The sound of soft footfalls walking across the floor lets me know Red is moving. Tapping has my head turning in that direction. She’s standing in front of the whiteboard in the room. Priest explained the layout when we first transferred the dining room into our makeshift headquarters.
Recently, all the names of Corbyn’s kids were written on the board. So far, the only names that have been eliminated are Archie and Zeke.
“Okay, how are we coming along with tracking down Micah?”
Lucien lets out a deep sigh that precedes the sound of something solid clunking to the table. I’m assuming they’re his glasses. I worry about him. I fear he’s being stretched too thin. I also worry that we have not heard from Seth since we were in Doc’s home. Although Lucien hasn’t said anything to us about it, I think he’s worried too.
“No word from him yet. I think our best option is to wait for Nolan to take our bait.”
Last week Maksim explained that Nolan was a very high maintenance man. He spent thousands of dollars on facials, pedicures, waxes, tanning and massages. Lucien set up a free spa day at an upscale spa in the city. It’s one of the most sought-after places. He made it seem as if Nolan had been chosen for a giveaway. He has yet to claim the award. The moment he walks into that spa, Lucien will be notified.
“Be patient,” Maksim grumbles. “He’s going to take the bait.”
“Well, until then we need to move on to—”
Before Red can finish her statement, Lucien’s phone rings on the table. There is a slight delay before I hear his voice.
“Hello?” he says. He pauses to wait for a response. “Thank you, Veronica.” The phone clunks down on the table.
“That was the spa. Nolan is on his way.”
That was convenient.
“Okay, we need to move fast. This needs to be a quick kill. In and out,” Red says. “We don’t want too much for the cleaning crew to clean up. It also needs to be quiet as possible.”
“I’ll do it,” I say.
There is a pause in the room.
“Are you sure, Hawk?” Red asks.
I understand her question. There was a reason I’d left the Church. This killing thing wasn’t for me anymore. But this was different. This was personal.
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
Beast’s heavy hand smacks me in the back. “Welcome back, brother.”
This will be my first solo kill in a very long time.
“Alright, Maksim and Beast, you two take him into the city. Zel, you’re going to be his guide. The floor plan isn't too complicated, but that place has a lot of twists and turns."
Standing to my feet, Beast joins me.