Forty-One Tobias

Isnapped my head up when the sound of pounding boots neared my room. The door swung open, revealing an out-of-breath Sterling. Sweat dripped down his wrinkled forehead. "Tobias! Hurry!" He leaned on the doorframe, gasping for air. "It's Nine," he panted.

The urgency in his voice jolted me out of bed. I'd been cooped up in my room since I found out about The Creed and Orcus's connection with The Firm, planning my next move, so I hadn't had a chance to check on Abel. And frankly, I needed to distance myself from him after my declaration last night.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked. I stood in front of Sterling, bracing myself for his next words.

"The guards—" He pointed to his left repeatedly as he caught his breath.

Without bothering to put on a shirt, I brushed past him and bolted out of my room before Sterling finished his sentence. I sprinted down the corridor, bumping into guards passing by.

"Hey, slow down," one of them yelled.

"Watch it!" another chided.

I ignored them and bolted toward the exit. I searched for Abel, peeking through the windows of all the rooms lining the hall, but they were empty.

"Where are they?" I yelled when Sterling caught up to me. "Sterling! Where did they take Abel?" I didn't care whether anyone could hear me, I'd deal with the consequences later. Finding Abel and making sure he was safe was my top priority. My only priority.

"I dunno. This is where they tackled him, but I hid before I saw them take off because they were threatening me too," he answered, motioning to the floor.

"Tackled?"

Sterling nodded in dismay. "Yeah. They tied his hands and there was duct tape on his mouth too."

Shit. Why would they do that to him? "Was he with the other trainees?"

"No, just him."

Panic swept through me. Did they find out about our escape plan? But why only take him? Fuck! Did they find his phone? Realization dawned. That had to be the reason. Abel never disobeyed Orcus nor the guards. That phone was his only delinquency. If that was the case, he was in deep shit, and we needed to find him soon.

"I wonder if they took him to the interrogation chamber," Sterling said.

"Take me there," I demanded.

"This way." He rushed to the quarters at the end of the hallway. He entered the code with a shaking hand. The pad beeped and a red light flashed on the screen. "Shit!" he mumbled. Sterling re-entered the digits, but it was the same result. "They must've changed the code and didn't tell us."

"Let me try." I keyed the numbers on the pad, but it didn't work. "Damn it!" Not wasting another second waiting, I stepped back and swung my leg forward. My foot connected to the door with a loud thud, but it remained shut.

"Keep it down," Sterling said, glancing behind me anxiously. "We can get caught."

"I don't give a fuck," I barked. My charade was out, Orcus would already know my real identity. I kicked the door again, pouring all my frustration and impatience into the blow. It refused to budge.

"I'll be on the lookout." Sterling ran to the corner, his attention bouncing between me and the hallway. "It's clear."

My anger simmered to the surface as I drew back for the third time. I launched forward, and my force finally broke through the door.

The room was bright, exaggerated by the white walls and floor. Mirrored walls lined one corner of the room. My heart galloped as I approached the metal chairs arranged in front of each other. Blood stained the floor next to one. "They were here," I said, turning on my heel and bursting out of the room, without any destination. I felt helpless; a foreign emotion I hadn't felt since I left the life on the streets. I would burn this hell to the ground if they hurt him.

I shoved the back door open, the breeze cooling the inferno brewing inside me, but the air was no match for the fire ignited by Abel's disappearance and the urge to keep him out of harm.

I spotted a swerving line etched into the dirt between three sets of footprints leading to the back woods. There! I chased the trail, ready to fight whoever came between me and saving Abel.

I pursued them into the forest, Sterling not far behind. "Abel!" I called, even though he wouldn't be able to answer if they had muzzled him with fucking tape, but I wanted him to hear me so he'd know that I was looking for him. Maybe it would ease his fear. I gritted my teeth, channeling my anger through vigilance. Trees whipped past in a haze as I pushed my speed to the limit, thrusting past branches blocking my way. Every second ticking away could be the difference between life and death.

The wind carried voices between the rustling of the leaves.

I stopped running and listened as Sterling caught up. "Wait." I raised my hand, stopping him. "Did you hear that?" I scanned the forest, looking for any signs of the guards and Abel.

He tilted his head up, listening. "I don't hear anything." He frowned, shaking his head.

"That," I said. A faint conversation drifted on the breeze.

Sterling and I looked at each other as a loud splash echoed in the distance.

"It's coming from the quarry pit! Follow me," he urged.

My pace quickened as I tried to push the worst-case scenario out of my brain. There was only one outcome I was willing to entertain: Abel safe and sound.

The hair on the back of my neck stood as three guards behind the copse appeared in my line of vision. One was helping another off the ground. I searched frantically, craning my neck to find Abel. He was nowhere. Where are you, baby?

I was a man on a mission. I closed the gap between me and the guards. "Motherfuckers," I growled. I hurled myself into the first guy holding a gun, while Sterling fought the other.

He aimed the weapon at me. His cold eyes narrowed.

I grabbed his wrist, twisting until his grip on the gun faltered. It fell to the ground; I kicked it away.

Someone grabbed my shoulder and yanked me back. I turned around and elbowed his face. "Ahh!" the second guard grunted when he staggered back. Blood poured into his lips. "You broke my fucking nose!"

The first guard scrambled to retrieve his gun. I lunged at him and pulled him down with me as I hit the ground. With him on top of me, we wrestled for control of the gun. I curled his hand, aiming the barrel at his chest.

The fucker's eyes widened when he realized that he was no match for me. He jostled to get out of my grip, but I had his thighs locked with my legs. I forced him to pull the trigger on himself, and our tussle for control was over when a shot rang out. His hold on me loosened and his body turned limp.

I pushed him off me and jumped to my feet.

"What the fuck?" the other guy hollered. He leaped forward with his billy club, but I swatted his arm away and met him with a punch to the jaw. He landed on his side, wincing. He crawled to reach for his club, but I straddled him and pinned his body to the ground.

"Where is he?" I demanded. My hold on his neck tightened.

His eyes bulged; his face turned crimson.

There was a commotion a few feet away from us, followed by a thud and a groan. I glanced over to see the third guy crumple to the dirt, blood dripping onto his closed eyelids.

Standing above him was Sterling, holding a thick tree limb. He stared at his weapon. Other than his heavy breathing, Sterling didn't appear to be hurt.

The guard writhed beneath me as I continued to straddle him. His face was turning a deep shade of purple. His eyes were bloodshot. One of his hands reached for his radio while the other tried to unclench my viselike grip on his neck.

I released one of my hands and ripped the beeping radio from his vest, tossing it into the pit below. I drew close to his face. "Where is Abel?" I snarled.

He didn't answer. Instead, he scratched my face and neck.

It didn't faze me. Pain was irrelevant. "I'll give you one last chance." I eased my hold on him, allowing him to speak.

"I hope he's dead," he sneered. "Just like his fa—"

I snapped the fucker's neck before he could speak another word. I stood, my chest heaving.

"Tobias," Sterling called out. He narrowed his eyes, scanning the water below. "Down there," he said, motioning to the pit. "Abel's in the water."

Without any hesitation, I jumped. I'd be damned if I let the one beautiful treasure I had slip through my fingers. I'm coming for you, baby.

The shock of the cold water momentarily stole my breath. But fueled by the desperation to reach Abel before it was too late, I pressed on. Below the surface of the pit lake lay a murky blur of grime and algae. Finding him would be hard; I couldn't see past twenty feet and the sunlight only reached parts of the pit. It wasn't complete darkness, thank goodness, but I would scour every inch of it to find him.

I plunged deeper, scanning the depths. There! A shadow resembling an arm floated nearby, so I hurried to get to him before he drifted away. Fuck. I balled my fists; it was a floating log. I willed myself to calm down, to slow the beating of my heart. I would need to conserve my energy, because I didn't know how long it would take me to find Abel.

A shimmer caught my attention. I trained my eyes on the source, watching as the current shifted, parting the hazy veil below. My heart lurched in my throat; the shiny reflection was coming from the duct tape on Abel's mouth. He materialized into view. His eyes were closed, hands behind his back, and he was sinking toward the bottom.

With a surge of adrenaline, I propelled myself toward him, my hands and legs cutting through the water. My lungs burned, thirsty for air. I reached out, grasping his arm and pulling him close. I wasted no time in tearing away the tape binding his mouth. Abel's eyes remained closed, his body sagging in my arms. I pressed my fingers to his neck to find his pulse. Come on, baby. I tried the other side, but I couldn't feel anything.

NO!

I kicked my legs hard, propelling us upward. The race to get to the surface was interminable. Each stroke was a battle against the weight of the water pressing down on us. Stay with me, I pleaded silently.

Finally, we breached. I gasped for air; Abel didn't. I stroked furiously to the quarry edge and dragged Abel onto the rocky shore.

His body was motionless, his face slack, but his skin was still warm beneath my hands.

Stay with me. I kneeled beside him, tilting his head back and pinching his nose shut before sealing my lips over his. I blew air into his lungs. "Come on," I said before sucking in another lungful of air. I repeated the motion four more times, but there was nothing, only the sound of my own ragged breaths mingling with the gentle lapping of the waves against the pebbles on the small beach.

I shifted my focus to his chest, placing my hands over his sternum and began a series of rapid compressions. With each press I willed his heart to beat. "I promised to never leave your side." Water dripped from hair onto Abel's skin. I lost track of how long I'd been doing compressions, but I wasn't willing to give up.

Abel's chest remained still, his skin turning a lighter shade of pale. His lips were almost ash.

I tilted his chin once more, pinched his nose, and pressed my mouth against his. The taste of Abel's lips filled me as I breathed life into him. I repeated the process, counting each agonizing second, until …

Finally, a gasp of air.

I cried. I fucking cried when Abel sputtered. His body convulsed, so I rolled him onto his side as he expelled water from his lungs. His chest heaved, his body trembled as he fought his way back to consciousness.

I sat back on my haunches, joined my hands together, and brought them between my eyes. My chest hurt; I struggled to stop crying. A hollow ache settled in me, a reminder of what could've been lost. The gaping void that could've been left behind when Abel slipped from my grasp. I no longer wanted to live in pain and sorrow. A sob tore from my lips when Abel's eyes fluttered open.

"Tobias," he whispered, reaching for my hand. "I knew you'd come."

I scurried next to him and intertwined our fingers. "I'm here, baby. I'll never leave you again." I leaned in, my lips finding his, pouring all my emotions into a kiss.

We were safe. For now.

I tore the zip-tie bound on Abel's wrists before helping him stand. He shifted his weight against me as he struggled to find his footing. Gently, I guided and supported him as he peeled his wet shirt off.

"Hey," he said, his voice soft but assured. He reached out, his hand resting on my tensed jaw, urging me to look at him. His eyes searched mine. "I'm okay."

Despite his words, I couldn't shake the sense of unease that gripped me. It had been too close a call, and the fear of losing him lingered in the air like a heavy fog. "I almost lost you," I said, leaning into his touch.

"But you didn't." He pressed his hand over my heart. "I'm right here."

I nodded. "What happened?"

"A guard found the guys' phone and sent me to Orcus," Abel explained. "And I refused to give them the passcode." His voice faltered slightly as he recounted the ordeal he suffered under the leader's hands. "I remembered the guards dragging me outside, and before I knew it, I was sinking to the bottom of the dirty lake." He shivered, so I pulled his trembling body closer, wrapping my arms around him. "What happened to them?" he asked, looking up at the ledge.

"They're dead and they can never hurt you."

The clatter of loose rocks abruptly sounded. Someone was descending the hill. I braced myself and positioned my body protectively in front of Abel, ready to confront whatever threat approached. My fists clenched tightly at my sides, prepared for a fight.

My tension eased when the figure drew closer. Sterling rushed toward us carrying three guns in holsters. "I'm glad you're safe," he said, handing me and Abel a gun each.

"D'you know how to shoot one?" I asked Abel.

He nodded. "A little."

"We were taught how to fire a gun before," Sterling concurred.

"I'll be fine," Abel said, reading the apprehension on my face.

"Stay close to me." I wrapped the belt and holster around his waist.

A distant hum coming from the sky grabbed our attention. "What are those?" Abel looked up and shielded his eyes with his hands.

"Those are drones," I answered, and not just any drones—these were armed with grenade launchers and automatic rifles.

"What are those doing here?" Sterling asked.

"Aren't they The Creed's?" I asked.

Sterling shook his head. "No. We don't have those here."

Abel rested his hand on his gun. "Are they here to get us?"

"I dunno, but we need to get the fuck out of plain sight before they see us." I grabbed Abel's hand, beckoned Sterling, and headed for the woods.

We sprinted across the small rocky beach, passing boulders scattered around the quarry lake. The drones overhead edged nearer, their buzzing intensifying. It was safer under the canopy of trees, but not by a lot, because the drone cameras could still spot us. I wondered if they were sent by The Firm to finish me off. They knew I was here, after all.

I gripped Abel's icy hand tightly. I could breathe a little knowing that he was safe with me, even though it was temporary.

We hiked up the hill, holding on to whatever vines and branches we could grab. The incline was growing steeper, and loose rocks made every step treacherous—one wrong misstep would send us tumbling down. As we neared the top of the hill, the distance between us and the drones grew.

"I think we lost them," Abel said.

The humming faded and relief washed over me, but our respite was short-lived when we reached the top. Waiting for us were Orcus and his guards.

Outnumbered, we tried to head back to the woods, but we were surrounded by more of The Creed's armed men, closing in on us from every direction.

"We're screwed," Sterling hissed. "What's the plan?"

I squeezed Abel's hand before letting it go. "I'm the one they want," I said. "So, they can have me."

"No!" Abel protested.

"It's okay. I got this," I assured him. I raised both of my hands and walked toward Orcus.

"Tobias!" Abel called, but I continued walking.

Orcus watched me approach. His eyes glinted with malice.

"Let's cut to the bullshit," I yelled.

Orcus's men aimed their guns at me.

"You know who I am." I squared my shoulders, meeting them head-on.

There was a scuffling behind me. "Let go of me!" came Abel's voice.

I glanced over to make sure Abel and Sterling were all right. They were surrounded by guards and being stripped of their weapons. Don't do anything stupid, Abel.

I returned my attention to Orcus, hoping to negotiate Abel and Sterling's release. "I'm the one you want. Not them."

Orcus's puppets raised their rifles when I neared them.

"The Firm don't want 'em," I said, taking one step closer to Orcus, which agitated his minions.

"Back off!" one of the guards barked.

"It's okay, boys," Orcus said. He raised his hand to stop me. "Toby …" He smirked as he studied me. "Or should I call you The Savior?"

It was amazing how grating my alias sounded now that I was no longer a paid assassin. "You have me, so let them go."

Orcus whispered something to the man next to him. The man stepped forward and took my gun.

Once I was disarmed, Orcus circled me like a predator. If he thought he could intimidate me, he needed to try harder. "I was hoping to flush your friends out here for a big family reunion, but you're in such a hurry to die," he said when he was behind me. Orcus continued his display of authority once he stood in front of me. "You didn't think I wouldn't find out, did you?"

I knew he would, but I thought we'd be long gone by the time he did. A lot had changed since my first meeting with Orcus, including his connection to The Firm. I shouldn't be shocked. The Firm's intricate web was vast.

"You want your friend and your lover boy free?" he asked.

What the fuck? He knew about me and Abel? How? I narrowed my eyes.

"That's right. I know about your little adventures." I didn't miss the disgust on his face. "Did you really think you could roam freely throughout my compound? When I saw the key fob logs which showed you accessing the trainee's building, I had to check to see if you were just a run of the mill pervert or snooping around. Imagine my surprise when Ti verified that you worked for The Firm. My most influential client," he explained. "I need one thing from you and then I'll let them go. I'll let them all go."

It was a bluff, but I'd play along. "What do you want?" I asked, looking around and calculating my chances.

"Tell me where The Reaper and the rest of the traitors are, and those two are free to go," Orcus answered, motioning to Abel and Sterling.

I shrugged. "I don't know where they are. We lost track of each after we got away a few months ago."

Orcus slapped me with the back of his hand. "Don't lie to me. Where are they?"

I kept my cool, even though all I wanted to do was slam Orcus's face into the ground until he was unrecognizable.

The overhead humming returned. The guards, including Orcus, looked up at the sky as the drones appeared right above us.

A ratatat cut through the air—shots fired from the drones. Four guards shielded Orcus as they ran toward the buildings, while the others shot back at the drones.

I took the opportunity to rush to Abel and Sterling. The guards that had restrained them were lying on the ground, dead. "Back to the woods!" I yelled, my voice cutting through the staccato noise. They didn't wait. Bullets ricocheted everywhere, kicking up dust. I swooped for the dead guards' guns before joining Abel and Sterling.