“Lexi,” Cole calls me out of my daze. From the expression on his face, I can tell he knows I’m reliving every inescapable and horrific moment of it.
He brings his first two fingers to his eyes and mouths the word “focus.” I thrust out my chest and clench my jaw. I can’t let the past cloud the future. After all, I still have him and Sutton. Because we will get him back.
The siren’s wailing when we exit the underground. Its piercing scream rattles my nerve endings, and my hands shake just the slightest bit. It’s early, but no one’s going to work anymore, so I’m not sure why they even bother with the siren. Maybe it’s just habit or maybe it’s to keep the Sinners on edge. Either way, it has an unnerving effect.
Our mission has changed slightly. We didn’t expect for things to go this way. We came here to get Sutton. However, now that all but one of the monitors is dead, we need to find a way to get the information that will put Wilson away.
Roméo, the monitor Bill captured in the underground, has quite a bit of interest in how things in the Hole work. I guess having your colleagues slaughtered on arrival will do that to a person. But, as optimistic as I am, I’m having a hard time believing that he survived and miraculously found his way to the underground.
Cole and I creep silently through the streets. Our objective is to figure out where the records are kept and do reconnaissance for Roméo. Deep down, I’m torn about doing anything that delays rescuing Sutton.
The siren stops, and I realize I haven’t really been paying attention. Deafening silence permeates the air. Cole holds up his fist. I stop in my tracks. He kneels in place with Zeus at his side. I hunker down beside him with Zeus at my elbow, panting and slobbering all over my pants.
“Ew, thanks a lot Zeus.”
Of course, he licks my hand, and I give him a quick hug and kiss the top of his head.
“Hey, do me a favor and don’t get hurt, okay?” I say to him. His wounds, luckily, have healed nicely, and there’s no puss or drainage anymore.
And then something strange happens. A blaring sound of feedback, like that from a microphone too close to a speaker, deafens my ears. A voice, high-pitched and sharp, strikes me immediately.
“Miss Hamilton,” the high-pitched voice says.
I stop breathing and cringe. It’s Wilson. My hands grasp my gun tighter as I contemplate what to do.
“I want to personally welcome you back,” the voice continues.
I suck in air, pushing myself against the wall of the cement building, using it to hold me up while looking around, left, right, up, and back at Cole, whose face slowly turns red.
“That bastard … ” Cole says. His jugular vein bulges from his neck as he looks around, his finger tense above the trigger of his gun.
“You have a decision to make. But let’s think about everyone at stake here, shall we?” Wilson pauses and breathes into the microphone. “There are a few people left in your life that I know you care deeply for, and if you want the opportunity to save their lives, you will turn yourself in by midnight tonight. But, if you refuse, I promise you this: you will be hunted down, and I will stop at nothing to find you.” He clears his throat and coughs. “And your refusal to surrender won’t only cost the lives of the ones you love, but it could very well cost the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of Sinners, as well. Do you want thousands of lives lost when you could spare them all? Think about all the blood you could shed, Lexi Hamilton. And to everyone listening, the person who delivers Miss Hamilton to me, alive, shall be set free.” He laughs, but I hear the vicious edge to his tone. “Oh. I almost forgot. There’s one last thing. Sutton’s clock is ticking. Soon his body will rot for weeks in the burning sun, just like your brother Keegan’s did.” And then, the microphone shuts off with a loud banging noise.
I’m stunned. My jaw hurts from grinding my teeth, and I have to tell myself to breathe to keep from screaming obscenities.
So Clayton was telling the truth. Wilson did have Keegan’s body on display for days after his death. I want to rip out Wilson’s throat with my bare hands. But now that he’s promised freedom to Sinners, we have to be much more careful. We can’t afford to let anyone we encounter live. The thought makes me ill.
God, why can’t I be as merciless as Wilson?
But I can’t be that way. It’s against everything I’ve been taught. I won’t leave Sutton behind. I won’t fall for Wilson’s lies. He’d never let my friends, Cole, and Zeus walk away alive. And they’d never agree to hand me over to save themselves. We just have to figure out a way to beat him at his own game.
Cole places a supportive hand on my leg, and I catch eyes with him. He shakes his head, his mouth set in a firm line.
“Don’t you dare believe a word of it,” he says. “He won’t get near you; I’m not going to let that happen.” Cole holds his gun ready, his jaw set in place, determination in his eyes. If he’s not afraid, then I’ll be strong too.