Page 86 of Their Will be Done

“Cass should go instead.” Rube should have taken my glare as a warning, but he just keeps going. “He’s got a reason to talk with Gabriel.”

“So do I.”

“Yeah, but—”

“He’s sacrificed enough.” Rube goes quiet, but I can sense he wants to say something. “What?”

“Cass. He was—”

“What, Rube?

But Reuben shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. You’re right—you should go.”

I frown at him. “What were you going to say?”

He turns to me, a faint smile on his mouth. “We’re getting close. Can you feel it?”

Is it the weed, or is he being weird on purpose? “Close to what?”

His smile inches up, but it doesn’t grow warmer. “To the end.”

I shove my hands under my neck and massage those suddenly tight muscles. “You excited or something?”

He takes a moment to consider. “Eager.”

“For vengeance?”

His dark eyes latch onto mine. “You know what you’ll have to do?”

I blink, thrown by his sudden change in direction. “What, tonight?”

He nods.

Yeah, I fucking know. I’ll have to do whatever it takes. Just like Cass.

“Like you said, we’re getting close. Can’t fuck it up now, can we?”

He grabs my ankle and squeezes. I wince, but the pain I feel is ephemeral. He keeps his thumb there, digging into the sensitive spot behind my Achilles tendon. It doesn’t seem intentional, but I learned a long time ago that Reuben does everything for a reason. He puts other psychopaths to shame.

“Then do whatever it takes, brother, and let’s finish this.”

* * *

Gabriel’s door is open.I stand in the hallway for a moment, my face slack and my body non-responsive no matter how hard I try to force it to move forward.

He knows you’re coming. No need to postpone the inevitable.

I wrap my hands over my chest, grabbing my elbows as I step inside. No use going in like a warrior in a battle charge—I must be the epitome of calm-as-fuck Brother Zachary. I can’t let my mask slip for even a second.

Not like it did last night with Cass.

I broke him.

But he’s still alive.

For nothing.

We don’t know that.

---