Page 17 of The Cult

“And who are you?” He jumped out of the ring, walked in our direction, and stood in front of me.

What a petite mess. He was proof that the smaller the guy, the louder they were—kind of like yapping chihuahuas. I stepped closer, towering over him to assert my dominance. It wasn’t the smartest move, but I didn’t have time for his outburst. This was child’s play. I enjoyed eating guys like him for a snack.

“Enough,” Orcus said. “This is Toby.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

“And what is he doing here?” Bite-size asked.

“He saved my life. And he’s one of us now,” he added proudly, as if I was his new prized possession.

Shorty fumed, balling his hands into fists. He puffed his chest, which brushed my stomach.

“I said, enough.” Orcus didn’t have to repeat himself a third time. Every guard made their way out of the ring and huddled around Orcus and me. “As I said”—Orcus combed the small group, all of whom were paying attention to every word coming out of his mouth—“Toby is one of us now. Make yourself useful and show him around. Give him everything he needs.”

Zero was right, this fucker was easily dazzled.

I glanced up at Abel, trying to figure out a way to get him one-on-one so he could lead me to his family. But it would have to wait.

He seemed to have gathered his wits. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but the words remained trapped, his lips forming soundless syllables. There would be a place and time for an explanation, but for now, I needed to adjust to the new wrinkle in my plan. Letting Archer and Heath know about the slight hiccup was at the top of my list while I still had access to my phone. I was certain they would confiscate it; I’d already dodged a bullet by not going through the metal detector when I arrived with Orcus.

Three armed men walked in front, including Shorty, as we headed toward the back, sandwiching the six young men. The cacophony of footsteps and distant chatter was overshadowed by my racing thoughts. Did Abel know where his dad was? Why was he separated from the rest of the commune?

The sight of Abel from behind was as spectacularly impressive as his front. His broad back tapered down to a trim waist, and his pants hugged his athletic ass in all the right places. I swallowed hard. This guy was jacked. It wasn’t often I admired a man for his appearance, but Abel deserved all the kudos for this hunky physique.

“Welcome to The Creed,” the man to my right said.

“The Creed?” I asked.

“Yeah, the name of our community. I’m Sterling.”

That’s right. Orcus had mentioned it earlier. I nodded in acknowledgment. I wasn’t here for chit-chat, and history had taught me that the less you said, the more advantage you had over your enemies.

“Are you from around here?” he asked.

I blew a breath of annoyance and shook my head.

“What brought you here?” Sterling pressed on, undeterred by my lack of enthusiasm. This guy wouldn’t shut the fuck up. “Do you know anyone from here?”

Abel must’ve heard his question. His posture perked up, his shoulders tensing.

I clenched my jaw. Halting my steps, I stopped and faced Sterling. “You gotta ask Orcus if you have any questions.” It was a dick move, but I didn’t want to fucking be here. This was a colossal waste of my time.

Abel shook his head. What I wouldn’t give to have seen his reaction.

“Chill, man. I was just asking,” Sterling said, taken aback by my disinterest.

On second thought, I had questions of my own. It wouldn’t hurt to play along to get my answers. “My bad,” I said. “It’s been a long day, you know. Saving Orcus from those guys who ambushed him,” I explained, shaking Sterling’s hand. Milking that story would only benefit my image, so I needed to sell it. “That was a close call, man. Orcus was lucky I was there. Who knows what could’ve happened.”

“No way!” he exclaimed.

“Those guys who attacked him were definitely expecting Orcus to be there,” I said.

Sterling whistled. “No wonder he’s rolling out the red carpet for you.”

“Is that right?”

“Yeah. He never brings an outsider here. At least, not without background checks.”

“Well, I guess I’m the lucky one, then.”

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