Page 75 of Martyr
I keepmy back to the wall and my gaze on Gabriel. I do not trust the asshole, even though his zip ties have been replaced with metal handcuffs and he has Apollo and Jace like armed guards on either side of him. Saint hovers next to me, and he keeps glancing my way like he’s worried I might explode.
Honestly? I’ve been considering it.
“Have you spoken to your friend?” Saint asks under his breath.
Currently, Jace and Kade are arguing about Olympus. It’s a weird discussion—Jace thinks it would be good to reclaim that space and use it as our home base. Kade’s pointing out how easy it was for Ouranos to wipe out the Hell Hounds’ clubhouse because they were all in one centralized location.
But, we’re in a centralized locationhere, and it’s a lot less secure. Hidden, yes. The only way we’ve remained safe is because Ouranos and the Cyclopes haven’t known where to look for us. Everything else in Sterling Falls is under scrutiny. This little house, with its long, nondescript driveway that makes it invisible from the road, is gold.
And we need to continue to keep it safe by not drawing attention to it. The moment we mobilize, the potential of outingourselves increases. Even tire marks in the snow could be suspicious.
“I haven’t wanted to…” I shrug.
“Did you know she’s from Sterling Falls?”
“We used to talk.” I wince. “Her partner got involved with the Cyclopes. Drugs, gambling. The coward fled, and Ouranos took Elodie in as payment. It wasn’t Terror, but she wasn’t free to leave. She was the entertainment for the lower-level guys, so I saw her around. It took a while before I realized it wasn’t consensual on her part.”
“Shit.” Saint exhales. “But when he moved his operation up here, she remained?”
“He sold her to the gang leader in Emerald Cove as some show of… I don’t fucking know. All I know is that I couldn’t do anything as a teenager to stop the abuse in Terror—but I protected her as long as I could when I was there. And then she was gone.”
Saint claps his hand on my shoulder. “You freed her from that shit.”
“Too little, too late. Why couldn’t I have gotten her out sooner? Why didn’t I just open the door and let her run?” The guilt eats at me. In my mind, I had a mission to absolve myself, and it didn’t include Elodie.
Dumb idiot.
Then, when I realized Icouldfree her—that I needed to move on to Sterling Falls immediately, because Ouranos was closer than ever to enacting his plan—she was already gone.
Sold.
The feeling of stepping into the club and expecting to see her, the nervous excitement that I was going to be able to take her out of there, quickly turned to dread when it was a new face that greeted me.
“You should go,” Saint urges. “She’s upstairs.”
I grimace. “I will. But not right now.”
“Olympus is defendable,” Jace says. “It’s on a freaking cliffside, and the surrounding area is cleared out. There’s no way for someone to sneak up on us there.”
“So when Wolfe’s father took it over, it was because you let it happen?” Daniel asks. “I’m sorry, but I remember hiding out at Tem’s club coming up with plans to disrupt the war. Olympus was already gone.”
“Bow & Arrow is out of the question,” Artemis says. “Ouranos wants to bring Terror back, and my club stands above it.”
Gabriel twists his fingers together. “Perhaps that is where the trap shall be laid, hmm?”
She goes still.
“He wants Terror, but he doesn’t know the meaning of the word.” Gabriel leans forward. “I think he likes the stench of others’ fear. It’s why being a judge wasn’t enough. He wanted to be judge, jury, and executioner. He’s never had a reason to be afraid, himself. He’s never felt the cold sweat on his brow, the prickle of horror sliding down his spine. He doesn’t know Terror like we do, sweet Artemis, but we could show him.”
Slowly, she nods.
I close my eyes.
“It’s decided, then.” Her voice is a lot surer than I could’ve guessed. “We’re going back to Terror.”
32ARTEMIS
Reese.Saint. Kade. Jace. Apollo. Gabriel.Me.
