Page 107 of Forged in Deception

Asher pressed his face against the cool concrete wall.

He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, but of course, he knew that he couldn’t.

Years of frustration were bubbling over now, mingling with his terror.

“Seriously God? Seriously?” he said quietly, not wanting Karlin to hear his anger at the Lord, but at the same time, not really caring if she did.

It wasn’t like there was any chance she was going to stay where he told her to, so now she was exposed like he was, which just gave him one more panicky thing to panic about.

Just perfect.

“I learned my lesson, okay?” he continued in a whisper, slamming his free hand against the wall. It made a dull, ineffectual thumping sound. He hadn’t even managed to make himself feel pain. “I’ve never even been scared of drums before. I actuallylikelistening to loud drums. Is this a sign? Because I hear you loud and clear. I’m sorry I’m out here in the field. I’m sorry I didn’t listen last time.”

He didn’t want to think about the recent fiasco he’d accidentally caused on one of their last cases, a kidnapping that brought him and Ben to South Padre Island.

He should have told Gabe the truth, that he’d been struggling with panic attacks for years, but he hadn’t. He hadn’t wanted to be held back at the office while his brothers had all the fun.

It was clear to him now how prideful and stupid he’d been. And it was way too late to do anything about it. All he could do was hope that God’s mercy would be granted. He didn’t deserve it, but Karlin did.

And so did whoever it was that the cult was trying to murder within these walls.

CHAPTER

FORTY-FIVE

KARLIN

Karlin rushed along the wall, trying not to stumble on the rocks and other debris littered all over the ground. Finally, she reached Axel, who was standing in place, muttering something to himself. Pity swelled within her chest. As much as it saddened her to see him like this, it had to be so much worse for him tolether see him.

“Hey,” she said, pressing a hand gently to his back. He stiffened, but didn’t pull away. Then again, he didn’t turn toward her, either.

“I guess this desert keeps reminding me of the other one,” he said flatly. “I’m sorry this keeps happening. I’ll be okay in a second. Just gotta keep breathing and remembering that I’m standing on solid ground.”

She wrapped her arms around him from behind as best she could, feeling the shudder in his chest as air rushed in and out of his lungs.

“I hope you know that none of this changes anything about how I feel about you,” she said. “If anything, I’m thankful to see more of who you are.”

Finally, he turned toward her, pulling her into his chest before she had a chance to try and look into his eyes. “More than just a pretty face?” he joked.

“More than just the class clown.”

“I’ll take it.” They waited like that for several long seconds. She could feel his heartbeat beginning to slow and his breathing to even out. But that didn’t mean her own fears would pass so easily. What if the same thing happened again five minutes from now?

“What happened in Afghanistan was a tragic mistake,” she said after a while. “I don’t blame you, and I don’t blame you for struggling with the consequences of that trauma now. But I do think we’re in over our heads. We should run and get help before we get ourselves killed.”

For a moment, she thought that he might actually agree with her.

The thought of running away was so tempting, especially now that the sun was beginning to bathe the desert with light. She could feel the hints of a warm day ahead. They could get away from here, and with what they knew now, they could take down not just Senera, but Lily and Cora and their cult, as well.

Instead, Axel leaned back and looked down at her, cupping her jaw gently in his hands. “We can’t do that, Karlin,” he said firmly. “If there’s any chance that the sacrificial victim is still alive, I need to save them. I need to do it for Nico. And for Rome.”

“You might have another panic attack.”

He nodded. “I might, which is why you should leave. Go for help. Let me handle this.”

She was smart enough to know that, logically, he was right. It was the best thing to do. But she also knew her heart well enough to realize that leaving him was absolutely not an option.

“I promise I’ll wait to follow you until it’s safe.”

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