Page 84 of Harmless
I rounded the corner, keeping my back to the wall and staying in the darkest areas of shadow possible. While ducking under windows and keeping light on my feet, I covered ground quickly, moving up the pathway until I was just past the house that the poor, sacrificed man had been removed from.
The road up ahead was clear, as were the side streets, and the main corridor behind me. I signaled to Santos and Devin, then watched them dart across to the house in question. LJ and Torr fanned out at the other end, where we’d come in from. Tezca was nowhere to be seen, but I figured I didn’t need to worry about the jaguar.
Devin made quick work of the flimsy front door lock and then they were inside. I went back to checking the area in front, letting my gaze follow the steps up to the gazebo, and nearly gagged.
The sacrificed man was still up there, a grotesque monument to their insanity and cruelty. His arms were still shackled to the posts, the rest of his body hanging limp and slumped down, no longer animated by life.
“I’m sorry,” I said in a faint whisper. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t help you.”
If we had more time, maybe more people and firepower, I’d take his body so he could be returned to his family whenever I found them and given a proper burial. I intended to find his people regardless, but it was wholly unfair that they would never get to say goodbye to him.
I didn’t know the first thing about this man, but there was a certainty inside me that he hadn’t deserved this. He hadn’t been a predator to women or children, and it was sickening that this cult had used him as a symbol for all the evil deeds of men.
I wanted to go up those stairs. The impulse was so strong that I had to dig the treads of my boots into the ground. I wanted to…what? I didn’t know, see him up closer. But why? The curiosity had come over me so strongly and out of nowhere. Never in my life had I wanted to see a corpse up close. Why now?
“Rori!”
A hand came to my shoulder and I nearly jumped out of my skin, spinning around with my gun pointed. Santos raised his hands. “Just us.”
Devin was right behind him, sheathing one of his throwing knives and giving me a look that seemed disapproving. I hated it, but he was right. I wasn’t paying attention. They shouldn’t have been able to sneak up on me.
“Sorry, guys.” I lowered my gun. “No Hudson?”
Santos shook his head. “There were a couple jail cells in the basement, but they were empty.”
“No children in there, but we silenced the guards.” Devin crossed his arms over his chest. “Permanently.”
“Okay then.” This was the outcome most of us expected but were still dreading. “Keep looking. We got your backs.”
“‘Til dawn approaches or we find him.” Devin leveled his gaze at me.
I nodded. “Whichever comes first.”
Neither of them looked thrilled, but I knew they wouldn’t stop searching for their friend. And no one was better equipped to do a snatch n’ grab job than the Butcher and the Ghost.
Not only did they have the right combination of skills, Hudson would recognize them and be more likely to comply with leaving than if it were me or anyone else.
“If he’s here, we’ll find him.” Santos seemed to be pep-talking himself just as much as Devin.
The other man nodded. “Let’s go. Time’s a wastin’.”
They both turned and then just stood there.
“What the hell’s wrong with you guys?” I whisper-yelled. “Get moving!”
Santos turned his body so I could see past him and pointed. “Look, paloma.”
Tezcatlipoca was sitting on a house’s front stoop, a large cat-shaped shadow with his haunches down and his tail flicking calmly over the ground.
“Well, that makes things a lot easier,” Devin mused.
Santos slapped his buddy on the back. “Let’s go.”
Together, they were off without another word. Using hand signals, I checked in quickly with Torr who was still guarding the opposite end of the pathway, then went back to checking my own surroundings. It wasn’t long before the impulse to walk up to the gazebo overtook me again.
I wanted to see…see what? Fucking hell, I felt like a child with no impulse control. This wasn’t right, wasn’tme. I had some anxious tendencies, but I knew how to focus, knew what was important. My job was keeping Santos and Devin safe, so why did I feel pulled away from that task?
They’re not important. They’re just men.
