Page 11 of Martyr
“Why did you ask me to meet you here?” He makes a show of looking around the abandoned boardwalk.
Bow & Arrow, quiet and closed down, is just down the block. The beach is deserted, but the weather is biting. There’s a layer of snow on the sand. Tourist season is over, which is what makes Ouranos’ plan so brilliant.
By the time the ground thaws, he’ll have control over the whole fucking city, and the people who flock to Sterling Falls for vacations will be none the wiser.
“I wanted to make sure you’re okay.” I rub my hands together. The cold has officially sunk in, and my fingertips are tingling. “Again.”
“Your act of saving me… It didn’t do much, did it? I’m still here. Still stuck trying to figure out how to be better.”
“Better?”
“Than my past.” He shakes his head carefully, his gaze finally cutting to my face. “And maybe that means stopping Ouranos on my own.”
I reach for him, but he rises and steps out of range.
“You wouldn’t help me, Kade?” His expression turns pleading. “Why are you so invested in him? Helpme.”
“Tell me where Saint is.” I stand, too. “You can keep Artemis. But Saint?—”
He shakes his head fast. “No.Saint?You’re so focused on him, now? No.”
“Why?”
“Just accept the no, Kade.”
I grit my teeth. “I’ll follow you. I’ll find them through you.”
He laughs. “Good fucking luck with that one.”
He turns and walks away. Shoulders back, head tall. My throat tightens, my jaw clenches. I look to the ocean again, but all it does is remind me of Artemis.
Asking for Saint’s location and not hers is some sort of cruelty, but it’s all self-afflicted.
I almost follow him, like I just threatened.
Instead, I sit back down.
5REESE
I stepinto Kora Sinclair’s house. We’ve kind of taken the place over in the past few weeks, but it still doesn’t sit right with me. Every time I enter, I feel like a trespasser.
Daniel Kline sits at the kitchen table with two laptops in front of him. He’s a friend of Artemis and Apollo—and the rest of their group, I assume—but he left Sterling Falls after thelastgang war. He was able to get back in after we got Artemis out.
He’s been diligently working on tracking Ouranos and the sheriff. Honestly, though, my eyes glaze over when he talks about the technical aspect of it.
Hacking.
He’s in Bow & Arrow’s security system, which has cameras pointed at the exits and throughout the building. He’s managed to get into the sheriff’s cell phone as well as some other businesses’ security feeds.
Ouranos, however, has proven to be harder to pin down.
Vittoria, Antonio’s wife, is in the kitchen. My mouth waters at the smell of whatever she’s cooking—something with garlic, I’d guess.
I drop my hat on the table and peel off my jacket, and Daniel pauses his frantic typing to meet my inquisitive gaze.
“Anything interesting to report?” I ask.
He smirks. “How was the meeting with Kade?”
