Page 93 of King of the Cage

“No.”

“You would like to see The Enclave exposed, true or false?”

I pushed my heels subtly into the floor to keep my heart rate steady.

“False.”

“You have taken a human life before?”

“Yes.”

“Do you regret hurting a person?”

“No.”

The Sentinel nodded to the polygrapher. Was this nearly fucking over?

The polygrapher turned the paper in front of him revealing another whole long list of questions.

Motherfucker.

It feltlike hours later when The Sentinel tapped the polygrapher on the shoulder and nodded.

“Brandon O’Connor, you have passed the second test.”

A light smattering of applause went around the room.

They unstrapped my arm, while I rotated my shoulders and tried to work the tension out of them. I caught Giada’s intense dark gaze for a split second, and my heart rate spike hard. She’d heard fucking everything. Thank God I wasn’t still hooked up; I would have exploded the machine.

“This test was the last psychological test. After this, if you survive the final, physical test, you will become a brother of The Enclave. Until then…” The Sentinel surprised me by pushing up his mask. He crossed over to me and held out his hand. “An unofficial welcome to the society, Brandon.”

I stared at the man who had been the ringleader of all the shit that had happened. He was so terrifyingly ordinary. Was the ringleader of The Enclave some nobody? He looked like every other banker wanker you might see walking around the financial district. Unremarkable, unoffensive, and utterly forgettable.

I shook his hand, gripping it tightly.

“My name is Archibald Calloway. This is my wife, Regina,” he said, peering over my shoulder.

The rest of the members in attendance had shed their masks, too. Giada stared around in shock, with an expression that made it seem like she was trying to memorize everyone’s face so she could put a hit out on them. I took her hand and tugged her to me.

I turned to meet Archibald’s wife. She hovered at my side, a nervous smile on her lips.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” she enthused and shook my hand, turning to Giada. “And I’m so excited to meet you, Giada.”

“Likewise,” Giada said coolly, shaking the offered hand.

“That was quite the thrilling polygraph, wasn’t it?” Regina enthused.

Giada’s eyes hit mine, and I couldn’t turn away.

After a moment, Giada nodded. “Yeah, it was illuminating, to say the least.”

I chuckled, trying to ease my discomfort. “It’s not really my first choice for an evening’s entertainment, but whatever floats your boat.”

Archibald cut in. “Brandon’s right. It’s time to have a drink and celebrate. Let me introduce you to your soon-to-be brothers.”

The introductions wenton for what felt like forever. I stopped trying to keep anyone’s name straight and settled for shaking hands and watching Giada out of the corner of my eye. The rest of the women looked they’d been washed in sloppy old dishwater and wrung out, next to the vivid colors of my wife. It didn’t escape my notice that her glowing tanned skin was the most diverse shade in the room.

The Enclave, where generational wealth, racism, and insanity came together.

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