Page 86 of Forged in Deception

He complied, not wanting her to know that her drug had seemingly failed, but dozens of questions threatened to spill out.

He didn’t like the sound of a ritual, particularly one described as being ‘final.’

Both he and Karlin had dismissed the cult rumors out of hand, but now it was clear that their lack of interest had been a huge mistake.

It seemed impossible to believe that this ritual wasn’t connected to the missing teenage girls.

However the whole cult thing fit together, it was clear that Cora Trejo had gotten caught up in something terrible.

He wanted to know what it was, and to try and help her if he could, but for the moment, he had only one priority.

“Wait,” he said, laying his head obediently against the top of the mat. “Where is Ms. McKenna, exactly? Can you at least tell me that?”

This time, he didn’t have to fake stumbling over his words. His terror had done that work for him.

He could barely bear the quiet seconds that passed as he waited for her to answer. The very thought that Karlin might not be okay was enough to send him reeling.

At last, Cora spoke.

“All you have to know is that she’ll be fine, and so will you,” she said, getting to her feet and adjusting the belt of her jeans. “We just need you guys out of our way. Tonight, we only need one victim.”

His heart was pounding so loud that he was sure she would hear it.

The temptation to pull out his gun was strong, but he forced himself to remain where he was, breathing in and out as slowly and deliberately as he could. He watched as Cora’s combat-boot clad feet walked toward the door of the hut.

He would take a chance and ask one more question, and then he was going to have to put the rest of his plan into action.

“You–are you–are you going to kill her?” he said, closing his eyes as he slurred each word out slowly, guessing at the sex of the ritual victim.

Cora stopped short and turned to look back at him, but she did not move to speak.

Her eyes looked hollow now, like some dark, malevolent force had taken over the woman’s being.

“Cora? Cora, are you planning to hurt someone?” he pleaded, remembering at the last second to slur his words.

She didn’t seem to suspect anything. She didn’t seem to hear him at all.

Without another word, she turned again and walked out into the night.

As she opened the door, a gust of freezing wind swept into the hut, sending a shiver rushing along Asher’s spine.

He hardly noticed it.

The emptiness in her eyes had already chilled him straight through to his bones.

KARLIN

Apparently, knowing how to start a fire and actually doing it were two very different things.

Karlin’s legs were aching as she knelt in front of the old cabin’s woodstove, watching as yet another pile of kindling ignited, only to burn out a few seconds later.

It probably didn’t help that outside, she could hear a deluge of rain pounding on the roof and gusts of wind blowing over the top of the chimney somewhere above her.

The only consolation was that there was no thunder, at least, not yet. Thunder had terrified her ever since she was a little girl.

Her parents had never had much sympathy for her fears, but John had always tried to soothe her, explaining why there was nothing to be scared of. She’d never been fully convinced–even now, her rational understanding of the science of thunderstorms did little to comfort her–but she was thankful that he’d cared.

She shivered in her damp clothes, wishing she still had her lab coat that she’d tossed aside back at the hut.

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