Page 82 of Lethal Deceit

Jake flips one of the pizza boxes open, and my stomach grumbles as the scent of basil and salami wafts toward me. “He’s going to show up here sooner or later. Can guarantee it.”

Caleb must be exhausted, but rather than dig into the pizza, he gestures for everyone to take a seat, including me. It’s a little cramped, but I tug off the gloves and sit down as everyone bows their heads.

Oh, right. Here we go with the giving thanks thing again. I glance at Mick—he shoots me a quick smile, then closes his eyes and bows his head over the table I really should’ve wiped down. I drop my head and look at the cloudy green pattern and a chip in the Formica as Caleb begins his prayer.

“Thank you for this food, Father. Keep watch over Luke and Silas. Blind the enemies from seeing them, and confuse their plans so we may do your bidding. Thank you for the army of soldiers who stand ready to take up arms and fight at your command.”

My brow wrinkles, and I fidget in my seat as everyone else says “amen.”

I sneak a look upward and aim my question at Caleb. “What army? Are there more Hightower people coming in?”

Caleb opens his mouth to speak, but Jake answers before anyone else can. “He’s talking about angels.”

My eyes pop. “Oh, come on. You can’t believe in that too.”

But given everyone’s body language and hesitancy to reply, it’s apparent they do.

“Now’s not the time for a Bible lesson. We need to eat,” Caleb says.

Adena takes a piece of pizza and nods. “And you need a shower. Lucky for you, I cleaned it.”

A smile grows on my lips as Caleb chuckles and tries to swallow a piece of pizza. “I owe you.”

Adena covers a smile. “And I’ll absolutely hold you to that.”

Despite the easy camaraderie between them, Mick isn’t eating, and he isn’t looking at me either. He’s playing with the pizza in his hand and hasn’t said a single word since Caleb’s strange prayer. I pick up my own piece of pizza and take a bite, ignoring the rubbery smell lingering on my fingers, and slowly reach out my foot to nudge him.

While the other three Hightower members dive into the pizza and make small talk, Mick meets my eye. This might be business as usual for everyone else, and they might have complete faith in their God, but Mick’s starting to unravel. He’s radiating tension. His shoulders are bunched, his jaw is clenched, and he’s trying to soothe himself by spinning his watch on his wrist.

The desire to comfort him is so strong, I have to tear my eyes away from him.

I don’t belong here. With him. Sitting at this table, surrounded by people who have wild ideas about God and even wilder ideas about me. I force down a piece of pizza, every bite going down in hard lumps as I struggle to swallow.

Caleb finishes first and pushes back from the table. “Sorry, kids. I need a shower, then I’ll check in with Luke. Adena, can you check in with Delilah and pull up the blueprints when you’re done?”

Adena nods and finishes her pizza, reaching for a paper towel to wipe her hands. “I’ll go make sure they’re up on Silas’s laptop, then I’m going to get ready to take the twins out.”

He gives her a thumbs-up then looks longingly at the coffee machine. “Kudos to whoever cleaned that beast. Someone want to put a pot on?”

As Mick volunteers, my face twists into a grimace. Caleb doesn’t seem too concerned about the potential risk. He just breezes out of the room, taking his radio with him.

With Jake playing third wheel, I leave Mick alone and watch Jake instead, wondering how he ended up here—and why Hightower draws such a strange mix of misfits.

Jake catches me looking at him and cocks his head. “What? I have sauce on my face?”

I wave my hand in the air. “Just wondering how you got here.”

He swallows and reaches for his water bottle. “Long story. Maybe I’ll tell you if you stick around.”

If I wasn’t so distracted by Mick, maybe I’d put more time into figuring Jake out, but he’s the least of my concerns.

As the coffee machine gurgles to life behind me, Caleb returns, freshly showered but with a grim expression that makes my stomach tighten.

“We have a visual on Brooke,” he says.

From where he stands at the counter, Mick fires questions at him. “Is she okay? Did they hurt her? Which room is she in?”

Caleb answers them in order, his voice clipped. “We can’t confirm that. Luke only got a passing glimpse. She’s either asleep or unconscious on a bed in the back bedroom, closest to the exit.”

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