Page 84 of Lust
“To stop you from coming after me.” Daisy stuffed the gag back into Liza’s mouth. “You’ll thank me one day.”
When Daisy straightened, the light had completely left her eyes. Liza had her answer. There had been no silver hair in the locket. Daisy’s hope was extinguished.
Maybe it had been stupid of Liza to hope that Daisy would see how much she meant to them, that Liza could reach her. But some people can’t be reached.
All Liza could do was squeeze her eyes shut, embrace the pain, and pray that she wasn’t despairing, because if she was, then Daisy would attack her, not the enemy. And she couldn’t protect herself. When silence answered her prayer, Liza opened her eyes and found the room empty, the cooler door closing with a thunderousclick.
27
Joe wasthe first to arrive at the abandoned meat packing plant. He parked his car down the street, filled his pockets with ammunition, and put his Kevlar vest on. He didn’t expect the Deadly Seven to wait for him, so he wasn’t going to wait for them.
With his gun in hand, he jogged through the darkness to get to the old shrubbery-covered stockyards. Dried weeds crunched underfoot. The entire compound was enormous. Multiple buildings, warehouses, and animal-holding facilities. As he drew near the buildings, he noted a light in the windows and smoke spewing from chimneys. Not abandoned as it should be.
This is it.
He found a spot near the fence on the outskirts of the property and hid behind a bush. Fifty feet of weeds separated him from the main buildings. The silhouette of a dormant helicopter looked out of place against the backdrop of the black buildings.
It was dark. Joe looked up. No stars. No moon. He smelled wet earth as it started to rain. It would get heavier soon, maybe storm. That could be a good thing for him. It could be bad.
Soldiers swarmed everywhere, black helmeted wraiths patrolling the perimeter with rifles and night-vision goggles.Damn it.If Liza was inside, he’d need an army to get to her.
He considered calling it in but knew he’d need the okay from the captain or the director for SWAT backup. And even then, he’d need a warrant. The building may be abandoned, but it was still registered to Gareth Smith’s family.
The cops at the station had wanted to help. He considered the risks. They might find out about Liza’s identity if they came, but they also knew she was one of them. They might turn a blind eye.
He rolled back to face away from the plant and contemplated the darkness of the field surrounding him. His priority was saving Liza. But he couldn’t do it alone, which meant that if he didn’t call for backup, he’d have to wait for the Lazarus family.
Minutes ticked by.
Thunder rolled. Lightning flashed. Giant drops of rain splatted the ground around him as he contemplated, torn. It was bad enough he was breaking the law, but to involve the others?
He’d give the Deadly crew five more minutes, and then he was calling it in. Briggs and Houlahan would come, regardless of a warrant being issued. He was sure of it.
Movement in the field caught his eye. He strained to see through the dark. Was it them?
Two dark figures moved so softly and swiftly that he wasn’t sure if they were there at all. They drew closer, one of them spotted him and broke away from the other.
Joe tensed, his hand gripping his gun. He lifted it and aimed through the white cloud of his breath. The figure paused, looked up.
Two eyes glinted in the low light.
That wasn’t one of the Deadly Seven.
Black clothing and a cowl covered the head. A dark red face mask covered the nose and mouth. Painted in the middle of the chest was a large crucifix. The figure tiptoed closer. He steadied his aim to prove he was serious.
The figure, now ten feet away, held up their palms, and then slowly reached for the mask. He narrowed his eyes but allowed it.
Slowly the mask came down.
It was a young woman. Freckles across her small nose made her look innocent and like your childhood next-door neighbor playing dress-up. But there was caution in her eyes, and when he looked deeper, a monster that crept in the darkness.
Alarm skated down his spine.
“I’m not your enemy,” she said, voice deep and low.
“Who are you?”
No longer satisfied with intermittent drops, the rain became a steady light stream, pitter-pattering faster than the beat of Joe’s heart.
