CHAPTER 29 - Bryan Trevor #2
“But fear isn't an ally in situations like this, not for him,” he retorts, and I keep my eyes on the road ahead.
The courtyard is enormous, but there's nothing unusual about it.
Just a luxurious entrance with a well-maintained garden, a pool, and even a hot tub.
“There are cameras everywhere.” Travis points them out, and I count eight.
They're not obstacles!
“All under Hunter's control,” I respond, knowing he's already in the back house, taking down the only employee in the camera room.
The Primordial House should be more careful with their security.
It's not that hard to get in here.
I park the car off to the side to stay as hidden as possible.
I pull up my hood, put on my sunglasses, and get out of the car with Travis beside me.
“Sarah's phone password opens the external entrance,” I murmur, and he nods as we pick up the pace.
When Dominic inspected the device, he found the coordinates to this mansion. There were also passwords written down, including one labeled external access to the Primordial House.
The information was perfect—if we were going to break in, we'd need to either disable the alarm or announce our presence immediately.
The first option would cost us time.
And the second could put Noah and Brittany in danger.
“I'll get my sister and you get your girl. Once they're both safe, we finish off the vermin.”
“If it's just the two of them in there, we can handle everything at once, but if there are more people, the priority is getting the girls out,” I remind him, going over what we agreed.
I'm also thirsting for blood, but Noah first, revenge later.
The back of the house follows the same pattern as the front.
We head to the glass door.
I punch in the code I memorized, and the door opens automatically.
We step directly into the kitchen.
The place is completely silent. The only light comes from our weapons.
As soon as we leave the kitchen, we pass through a dining room and then into the living room.
It's not set up like a normal living room, and I immediately think of the video with the girl.
There's a divan in the middle of the room with chairs arranged around it.
There's also a large sofa near the glass window, armchairs scattered throughout the space, a bookshelf filled with books, a Bible on top of an altar, and further back, a bar setup.
I clench my jaw as disgust and hatred surge back, but I don't linger on the inspection and soon start climbing the stairs.
We pass through a room with a sauna.
Library.
Office.
Several bedrooms.
Bathrooms.
Every damn room we enter is empty.
“What the hell!” I curse as I enter the last room—just like all the others, there's nothing.
“They're not here,” Travis shouts, and right then I hear voices downstairs.
“But it sounds like someone just arrived,” I whisper, closing the door carefully so it doesn't make a sound.
We retrace our steps and hide in the hallway, near the stairs.
As soon as I look downstairs, I spot seven men coming in.
I have no doubt they're the leaders.
“Should we take them hostage?” Travis murmurs beside me, and I shake my head. “Why not?”
“I need to be certain the girls are with them. If they're not, it'll just be more people on our tail making things harder,” I whisper, and he grunts. “Let's wait and see what they do.”
I look again, noticing that five of them have sat down on the huge white sofa.
One of the others, who looks older, heads to the bar.
I look away to avoid being spotted.
“I believe everyone already knows the reason for this sudden meeting,” someone begins, voice irritated.
“Those idiots Gavin and Elias,” another voice chimes in.
The hatred surprises me since, as far as I know, the nine are leaders who run this cult together.
“What are they doing?” I peek again, noticing it was the redhead who asked.
“They're setting up their own house!” the one holding a glass of whiskey responds.
Interesting information—it reminds me of the Redoubt folder.
“What?” most of them ask, incredulous.
“I always suspected Elias wasn't committed to our rules, our doctrine, because he tried to change them several times,” the one at the front continues, mentioning my friend's father. “But I never imagined he'd join forces with Gavin to create something new.”
“This is insane, Harold,” one of them says, confirming they really are the leaders.
I remember that name perfectly from the list.
“We can't stop them, and in the end it's even better this way, so those two don't lead our house to ruin, let alone our devotion to God.”
“Elias always wanted more. He always tried to convince us to increase the rituals,” one of them says irritably. “But God spoke to Gavin's great-grandfather and showed that purification happened only twice in a lifetime, not as frequently as he wanted.”
The bastard speaks as if twice were normal.
As if they weren't also raping innocent children.
They really believe this sick shit will bring salvation.
“He's not devout, he doesn't believe in our religion, he's a sick man who thinks he's superior to God!”
You're sick too!
I want to scream, but I clench my teeth to hold the words back.
“They're filthy, so I agree with Harold when he says it's better that Elias and Gavin stay away from our house, away from us.”
“But Gavin owns the prescriptions. Will we lose access to them?”
What the hell is he talking about?
My hearing seems to sharpen even more.
“He certainly won't provide us with the medications, but Gavin is ambitious, so he won't keep them just for himself,” Harold responds, sitting in an armchair. “A middleman can easily get the sedatives for us.”
“Do you think he'll sell the long-term sedation and the memory-altering medication?” a man with graying dark hair asks.
“The son of a bitch is going further than I thought!” Travis murmurs, and I squeeze his arm, telling him to be quiet.
“I'm certain,” Harold responds.
“Where is their headquarters?”
My heart races and my hands turn cold and clammy.
That's where Noah and Brittany are, not here!
Hell!
“I don't know the exact location.” I clench my jaw at the response. “But as far as I've discovered, it's far away and isolated from civilization.”
“What happens now? He leaves and there are no consequences?” another voice cuts in.
“There are consequences for everything, Samuel,” Harold declares. “There's God's, but also man's, especially if what they're creating comes back to bite us.”
“I never liked Gavin, honestly. The only reason he was with us was because his great-grandfather founded the house.”
“I second that, Sebastian,” the redhead says, and when I glance over, he’s walking to the bar. “He always thought he was God’s favorite.”
“I don’t think our Father favors him at all—after all, he couldn’t even produce a son, and his first daughter went insane.”
“The only thing that kept him from being expelled is that, by some miracle, Sarah got pregnant,” another says. “Actually, the girl’s initiation ritual was supposed to be in a few months.”
“Let’s remove all the Blacks from the rituals and events.” The man who went to the bar returns. “And we need to decide on consequences for both of them, because this won’t go unpunished.”
“I want everyone to stay vigilant,” Harold says, standing up, and something tells me he’s the spokesperson. “I don’t think Elias and Gavin will cause us any trouble, but it’s always good to be cautious. You’re dismissed!”
I watch them get up one by one and head toward the door.
When the room is empty again, I turn to my friend.
“We need to find out where this Redoubt is,” I say, stepping out of the shadows.
“As fast as possible!”
“Let’s head back to the house and come up with a new plan,” I say, already hurrying down the stairs.
I notice all the leaders parked out front by the garden—that’s the only reason they didn’t see my car in the side garage. Once they disperse, I leave the mansion.
Lauren releases the security guard’s family, and Hunter and Darius leave without any problems.