Page 56 of Girl, Unseen

'Yes, I did. I'm sorry,’ Luca said.

Another beat of silence. Ella held her breath. She found her hand instinctively reaching for the door handle.

‘But Brother Eight was adamant that those texts were accessible.’

‘Well, they weren’t. Whaddaya want me to say?’

‘Not now, Hawkins,’ Ella shouted at the laptop. ‘Save that sarcasm for when you get out of there.’

‘Yet you tried. The seeking itself has value. Let us begin.’ Pages rustled again.

Crisis averted.

Ella let out her breath. Four months of partnership and she still underestimated Luca. He’d never let her down, even when she asked him to do stupid things like this. Maybe she didn’t deserve someone with a heart as golden as his.

Tonight we speak of transmutation. Of passing between states of being. The ancient texts tell us that matter is neither created nor destroyed - merely transformed.’

Basic physics dressed up in mystical language. Ella recognized the tactic – cult leaders often twisted scientific principles into profound revelations. Made their followers feel special for understanding basic truths.

‘We gather tonight under the watchful eye of Hermes, the great conductor of souls, he who walks between worlds. The elements are in flux, the veil grows thin. Can you feel it?’

Through the speakers, Ezra continued his sermon. She checked her watch. Barely fifteen minutes had passed since Luca entered that room, but it felt like hours. All she could do was listen. And wait. And pray she hadn't just sent her partner into a death trap.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Two hours felt like twenty when you were listening to a lunatic in cyberpunk goggles preach about cosmic consciousness. Luca’s ass had gone numb an hour ago, and his bladder was staging a full revolution. Ella had warned him about stake-outs, about sitting still for hours, but she'd never mentioned what it was like watching a man in designer tactical gear draw circles on the floor while spouting cosmic word salad.

Ezra hadn't stopped moving the entire time. He prowled the circle like a shark testing aquarium glass, pontificating about elements and energy and things that made Charles Manson sound like Gandhi. He'd talk about earth spirits one minute, quantum physics the next. The guy could probably sell enlightenment to the Buddha.

At one point, Ezra had produced a copper bowl filled with what looked like mercury. He'd made them all breathe in the fumes while chanting something in Latin. Luca had faked it, holding his breath while wondering if mercury poisoning would be covered under FBI health insurance.

If one of these masked figures was their killer, they weren't giving themselves away. Everyone played their part perfectly - nodding at the right moments, murmuring agreement when Ezra hit his dramatic peaks. These were like theater kids who'd traded Shakespeare for the occult.

And through it all, Luca's bladder had gotten steadily more insistent. Maybe this was what hitting thirty meant - your body turning against you one organ at a time.

Ezra raised his hands toward the ceiling. His modified welding goggles caught the light and turned it into tiny explosions. ‘The hour grows late, brothers. The elements rest, and so must we.’

Luca breathed a sigh. He’d made it. Two hours of living in bizarro world, surrounded by seven armed cultists and a Viking-cyberpunk hybrid guy who seemed to be on a perpetual acid trip.

And through it all, no one had suspected that the part of Felix Blackwood was being played by Luca Hawkins

Thank Christ it was over. Luca's kidneys were about ready to file for divorce.

‘No homework this week. Take the time to meditate on the mysteries. But prepare yourselves for the next gathering. The veil thins, the eclipseapproaches. Our time comes.’ Ezra's voice carried that specific tone that made everything sound profound.

The others nodded like they actually understood what this discount Neo was talking about. They rose from their chairs in perfect sync, like they'd rehearsed it. One by one, they collected their weapons from the floor. Luca waited until several others had retrieved theirs before making his move. No need to draw attention. Once everyone was sufficiently armed again, Luca retrieved his Glock. He made a show of checking it, like he hadn't felt naked as a jaybird without it all night.

The urge to suddenly bolt was strong. His piece was back in hand, his prostate was playing xylophone on his bladder, and he'd got a whole load of nothing from this little venture.

But still, Luca had come this far. No point bailing before he’d milked his stay here.

‘Ezra?’ Number Four’s voice squeaky voice carried that reverent tone cultists seemed to perfect. ‘May I use the facilities?’

Ezra smiled. Even that looked practiced. ‘Of course. As above, so below. The elements flow through us all.’

Seriously?Guy couldn't even talk about taking a leak without turning it into philosophy.

Still, Luca wasn't about to miss his chance. He raised his hand. ‘Yeah, me too. I need to piss like a racehorse.’

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