Page 54 of Us Dark Few

“So,” she cleared her throat, “I noticed you’ve been absent the past few days.”

He stared straight ahead, not acknowledging her.

“You haven’t said a word since the medical ward.”

Silence.

“Okay, good talk.” Khalani’s gaze flicked up to the ceiling. The elevator was too damn small. In fact, Braderhelm wasn’t big enough to fit the two of them.

“Why do you have a sudden interest in my whereabouts?” Takeshi asked.

Her teeth ground together. “I don’t. I was holed up in my cell and was just surprised I didn’t see you. That’s all.”

“Really. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you missed me.”

“I’d sooner miss cleaning up shit,” she replied hastily. “I was worried you might back out of our deal. Nothing more.”

“So eager for me to hurt you, huh?” He gave her the side-eye, and her stomach flipped.

“Wha—no. That’s not what I—”

“Let’s go, Kanes.”

The elevator door opened to the lowest level of Braderhelm. A subtle shift flickered in his expression, but he rapidly crossed the entryway before she could decipher it.

Khalani huffed a deep breath and glanced around the dark hallway. The dim light from several torches did little to alleviate the eerie flutters in her chest. The hairs on her arms rose, and she had the sudden urge to pee.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll soon find out,” he replied cryptically.

A dark metal door lay at the end of the hallway. Takeshi’s biceps flexed with the weight as he opened it, and Khalani’s eyes widened at the sight. She walked over the threshold and stood in a church.

The ceiling arched gracefully, adorned with murals of angels wielding fiery swords as they soared through white clouds. At the front of the room, a large wooden cross hung from the wall, but there were no pews or worshippers in sight.

In contrast to the heavenly paintings, a sandy fighting square dominated the center of the room, reminiscent of the brutal pit. In the far corner lay a myriad of weights and workout machines.

Her brows knitted as she lifted her face back up to the ceiling, enraptured by the beautiful murals. Takeshi remained silent, studying her reaction as she took in her surroundings with her mouth agape.

“What is this place?” she asked breathlessly.

“This room was built when Braderhelm was first constructed,” Takeshi replied. “It was originally intended as a place of worship for anyone who wanted to pray to God to help cure the Earth.” His words bounced off the walls.

“After construction was complete,” he continued, “Frederick Braderhelm became the Warden and said prayer was for the weak. He decided that this space would better serve as a training area for the guards.”

She frowned. “Why did he leave the cross?”

Takeshi stared up at the cross, his lips set in a hard line. “Frederick Braderhelm had a taste for manipulating in cruel ways. He wanted the guards to see it and know that because of their deeds here, heaven’s gates would be forever barred to them,” his voice drifted off.

She looked at him, feeling a slight twist in her chest. “Do you believe that?”

He drew a long breath and turned to her. She nearly stepped back at his harsh gaze. “Don’t feel pity for me, Kanes. Every decision I’ve made was done consciously. If there is a God, my judgment day will come, and I’ll be ready.”

The words cut through the air with sharp confidence and resolve. In his all-black garments, standing in the middle of the church, Takeshi looked like a fallen angel, ready to confront any obstacle, even hell itself.

And damn, if the look didn’t suit him incredibly well.

Before she could open her mouth and say anything further, he walked over to the grey lockers against the wall. She studied the room and barely noticed the blur of clothes flying at her. She caught them and glanced at him in question.

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