Page 58 of Prophet
I could barely see his face as wherever we were was dark.
“All hell has broken loose,” he whispered to me.
The hell he spoke of would be that they were looking for us.
“I heard some of the men talking,” he went on in a low whisper as he sounded puzzled. “They said something odd.”
“Like what?” I whispered back.
“The Saints are coming? This is the Dixie Line and I know that, but what the hell?”
I paused as I thought about what he was saying. My brain was slow right now. Then it occurred to me.The Saints go marching in...an old song in the South. With a jolt, I realized what the men here had meant. I smiled and chuckled a little.
“What is it?” he asked me.
“They mean the Rebel Saints.” I kept my voice low.
He paused as if he didn’t seem to know about Hawk’s MC. “The what?”
“They are with Prophet,” I explained.
He went quiet again as he took in what I meant and let out a breath of relief. “Thank fuck. Um...Beg your pardon on the language, Miss.”
I actually grinned at him not that he could see it in the dark. “I’m Jewel,” I finally told him my name.
“By any other name,” a voice growled from somewhere further in the room.
I sucked a deep breath in as I knew the voice and that brutish growl. “Maxim?” I whispered fearfully.
“Da, little precious, it is me.” Then he laughed and it turned into a hard, ragged sounding cough.
Prophet’s dad slowly knelt down and carefully set me down.
I felt fear all over again. Funny, how it had left me briefly and I never noticed until Maxim spoke. “No!” I tried to hang onto him, so he wouldn’t fight this man. Maxim was the largest guy I think I’d ever seen and that was saying something with the bikers and the Walkers around. Not only that, but Maxim had the eyes of a killer. I failed to keep Prophet’s dad back and I could hear him moving away from me, stubborn just like his son.
In the dark, I could barely see, so I exclaimed, “Don’t, he will kill you!” I sat up against the wall and felt very afraid for Prophet’s father.
A choking laugh echoed through the room and then Maxim spoke again, “I’m dead already, sweet Jewel.” Then he groaned loudly. “Ahhh, don’t touch me!” Maxim exclaimed. “I know who you are, Zed...” He coughed again. “I assume you are trying to—escape…” In a breathless voice, he spoke in Russian, “Chertov Dikon ubil menya. I’m harmless. Fucking Deacon killed me.”
I listened and slowly realized Maxim was dying. This must be the Pain Room, Deacon sent him to. Or was he really dying? I couldn’t see him at all, so I didn’t know.
“You are in the third hall, Zed. You can’t…” Maxim’s voice faded again.
I waited for him to finish as did Prophet’s dad, I assumed.
“… can’t use the bin stairs,” Maxim went on as he sounded breathless. “You have to go down this hall to the right to another exit…Look for t-the ceiling vent.”
“Won’t Deacon be using that?” Zed asked.
“No, he is gone…” Maxim’s voice paused again as he took a deep shuddering breath. “...if I know him at all, him and that bitch—” More coughing and gurgling sounds.
“Why should we believe you?” Zed asked suspiciously.
“He has killed me!” Maxim actually shouted. “He needs to lose thhhiiiss gaaame,” he croaked the words out.
My eyes widened as I heard a loud gasping sound, and then nothing.
Silence reigned in the dark room and I shivered as I felt chilled to the bone.Did Maxim just die?Then I heard movement coming closer. Tucking my shaking knees up, I had no idea if it was Zed or what the hell was really happening.
