Page 55 of Cup of Lies

I’m numb.

Have been since the emotional reunion of LuLu with her parents at the Tulsa International Airport yesterday morning. I gave her one last hug and then I had to walk away.

It was like losing Calista all over again.

So fucking painful.

Nees, from the driver’s seat of his pickup truck, beats on the steering wheel in time with the rock music he’s listening to. I’m just grateful he’s driving for the last leg of our journey.

I’m going back to New York.

Not the city. This time, we’re traveling upstate to a location that was difficult to find. But we did.

Because Huxley is the president now, all his properties and businesses have been locked down tight by the government. But between me, Koyn, and Bermuda, we figured it out.

I hope to God Romy and Kaitlyn are there.

“I know you want to go in there guns blazing,” Nees says as he turns down the music. “I can see it in how tense you are. Prez ain’t gonna go for that.”

Sighing heavily, I shift to look at him. “Why the hell not?”

“We need to get a lay of the land first. See what we’re up against.”

“They don’t have guns. We do.” I scrub my palm over my face. “I don’t see why we can’t just rush them.”

“Just sayin’,” Nees states with a shrug. “I’m betting Prez will want us to settle somewhere close and regroup.”

“Maybe I should just go on my own.”

“You promised the head of the king cobra, man. Being stupid won’t get us that kill. Trust the process.”

I have no choice.

“There are five entry points in total,” one of the bikers named Payne says as he gestures at his laptop. “The main entrance would be the most obvious. There’s a break room on the southeast side of the building. Probably our easiest access with lowest risk of getting seen.”

I’m tired of being cramped in this hotel room with a bunch of burly guys, making detailed plans of attack. Why can’t we just act already?

“We’ll hit them at midnight,” Koyn states. “I doubt they’ll have a lot of staff at that hour. Not sure of the patients who’ll be there. Our goal is to capture those who are useful and subdue those who are not.” He glares pointedly at Dragon. “Don’t kill anyone. Least not yet.”

“Boring,” Dragon mutters with a fake yawn.

Cove sniggers from beside him and playfully elbows him.

I’m glad someone’s having fun around here. I feel like I’m going to go fucking insane if we don’t do something already.

Hours later and we have a solid plan. I check over the weapons I’ve been given, ready to use them if necessary. Since the hotel is close to the location, we all slip out on foot, dispersing into the woods.

This is a more covert operation than I’d expected. Now that we’re doing it, I’m glad I didn’t get what I wanted earlier. Ifwe have any hope of saving Romy and Kaitlyn, and getting information from these people, precision beats force.

The bikers, usually loud for the most part, are silent as they prowl through the shadowy trees and brush. It’s unnerving knowing they’re all around me, but I can only see Koyn and Nees just beyond my peripheral.

Some vacation.

If only Dad knew what I was up to right now. He’s going to be most unhappy when he learns I turned my “sister” over to her parents and rescued Kaitlyn and Romy.

As I do my best to keep in step with these silent bikers, I can’t help but feel the sting of betrayal. I’ve worked so hard my entire life building a wall around me while I dig a tunnel to find Calista. I knew the type of man Dad was, which is why I kept him at arm’s length.

But, despite all that, he provided for me, taught me, and loved me. I can’t seem to shake off that part of me that aches to lose connection with my family, even though they’ve done nothing but lie and deceive me.

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