Page 47 of Deliver us from Evil

Gabriel used her as bait.

And I fell for it.

My shoulder hits the ground first, and then the rest of my body, the force of the impact driving the air from my lungs and spittle from my lips.

Ha,literally.

So excuse the pun.

Chapter Eighteen

Trinity

4201.Beep.

4202.Beep.

4203.Beep.

I blink sweat out of my eyes and take a second to work my neck with my good hand. I don’t know what’s worse—hoping that I’ll hit the right combination before Gabriel comes back, or wondering if I even have the first two numbers correct to begin with.

Nope! Can’t think about that. Negativity need not apply.

4204.Beep.

4205.Beep.

Thump.

I freeze. If my heart wasn’t pounding so hard in my chest, I might have been able to make out if that sound had been my imagination or not.

Thump.

No. It’s not. Gabriel is back.

4206.Beep.

4207.Beep.

4208.BEEP.

My hand cramps up. Not from pressing numbers, but I’m guessing from the ropes and from the tugging. My left hand aches relentlessly at my side, but I ignore it as much as I can.

4209.Beep.

Thump.

Oh Lord, he’s coming.

4210.Beep.

My heart’s in my fucking throat. Every time I try to swallow, it bobs around like an ice cube in a glass of lemonade.

Fuck, why the hell did I have to think about that when I’m so thirsty?

Thump.

My hand shakes so much, I can barely punch the right numbers.

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