EPILOGUE
3 MONTHS AGO
BEXLEY
“It’s done,” I announced, making sure that my chin remained high and unwavering in the presence of The Order. I had to lace my hands together to keep them from trembling each time that I was face-to-face with those blacked-out masks.
The underground room felt damp, like a humid spring morning. I could hear the drip of water somewhere in the background, the sound echoing through the concrete chamber.
“Are you certain?” the leader asked.
I had never seen his face. In fact, I had never seen any of their faces. Nothing but those soulless black masks hidden beneath the black hoods. So much black. So dark and dreary, and utterly terrifying.
“Yes,” I answered confidently from where I stood in the center of the room, at the foot of the dais that put them a step above me. Another intimidation tactic, I was sure. Regardless, it worked.
“Landry and Cashton will stop looking into it,” I continued. “They are no longer a threat.”
The leader looked to his right, to the imposing figure who stood taller than any other in the room. If only I could see through those masks, to rip them off and reveal the faces beneath. Finally, he turned back to face me.
“Good.”
The pig’s blood still lingered beneath my fingertips, the container still stashed deep enough in my room that it would never be found.
WATCH OUT I had written, the message clear and concise. Landry had to leave, Cashton too. The Order was after them. But if they just dropped it, just left, they might still have a chance at safety. They just needed to leave.
Neither of them had any idea how deep this went. The Order was everywhere, and not something to be messed with. I wish I had known before getting involved.
Taken wasn’t just a game. It was a life sentence. And I wished more than anything that I had backed out before I had unknowingly sold my soul to the devil.