Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 93412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Adam stilled but didn’t stop leading Gabriel to the stairs and then back into the pyramid. “I know. But… it’s a baby. We can’t take care of it on the run.”
Gabriel found it hard to breathe as he hugged the newborn in its bloodstained swaddle. “It will get a fresh start. Without all this madness.”
Adam’s finger traced the child’s forehead as he squeezed Gabriel. “The children who weren’t picked for the ritual… what kind of life did they have here?”
“It was a good place. The caregivers are good people, and despite limits on technology, we had access to the outdoors and played a lot. We could leave the child with Mrs. Knight…” He had to stop speaking when he choked up. He would miss her dearly but knew she would take care of the baby as if it was her own.
Adam exhaled and hugged Gabriel from behind. “Hope he never learns why he was born. Let’s take off the plaque with your name. It doesn’t belong here.”
Whether it was God’s will to delude Adam into thinking he was the Angel Abaddon, or a freak turn of events, all that mattered was that no child would ever suffer at the hands of Father John and his companions again.
22
ADAM
The address on Adam’s license led them to a suburb of Charlotte, NC. It wasn’t a fancy area, but most of the homes were well-cared for, and the trees growing on one side of the street added a sense of tranquility to the sunset.
They’d driven for over ten hours, passing through four states and only stopping for absolute necessities before parking Martinez’s vehicle in an area of ill repute a couple of towns away, unlocked and with the keys in the cupholder, before calling a cab.
Adam’s head was starting to hurt as they neared the address on his license, as if memories were trying to break free of their confines but something still kept them under lock and key. He flinched when Gabriel squeezed his hand, but the touch brought him back from the darkness eating him from the inside.
“Are we there yet?” Gabriel asked, yawning. He still had traces of blood under his nails, but they were proof of his dedication to their cause and didn’t change the fact that he was the cutest kitten with big dark eyes and a tangle of dark hair that felt so soft to the touch.
Adam had a vague idea of where the ID forger was based, but this street, where he apparently lived was like one big déjà vu. Memories locked into place as he took in the driveway, the mailbox, the crack in the gray siding covering the two-storey home. It had a plain yet tidy lawn at the front, and a garage for two cars.
He knew it. Which was exactly why he froze to the seat when the cab stopped.
A part of him believed the sense of recognition was due to there being many similar dwellings all over the country, but in his heart he knew that they weren’t here by mistake. Just like he’d been familiar with the secret passages at the orphanage as if they’d been imprinted on his mind.
But not being certain scared the hell out of him.
Gabriel looked around, still sleepy from a brief nap, but stroked Adam’s hand with his thumb. “No? Or are you not sure?”
Cloud’s white head poking out of the box was the sign Adam needed. Already sweaty from the heat, he paid the driver and dragged himself out of the vehicle, staring into the twin windows on the second floor. He recognized the circular trophy standing behind the glass, but bristled when something moved behind the blinds.
“So… did you live with someone?” Gabriel asked in a quiet voice, but there was anxiety attached to that question, because what he really wanted to know was whether there was a boyfriend, or even husband waiting inside.
Adam dragged his feet, wanting to turn on his heel and stop the taxi before it went on its way. He had not considered what he might find at the end of their journey, but it could be a whole life here—partner, picket fence, and all that. His newly blossomed relationship with Gabriel would not fit into that picture, no matter how hard he’d try.
But while he stalled, the world around him didn’t wait. The front door opened and a man in his thirties rushed his way. Tall, bearded, and with runes tattooed all over his arms, he resembled a Viking despite a rather slender posture. A long blond braid whipped behind him as he walked with purpose.
It was the man from one of Abaddon’s visions, only more mature.
“What the fuck, man? Where have you been?” he shouted, making Adam’s knees soften with worry. But instead of going for a kiss, or a more tender gesture, he pulled Adam into a hug, patting him on the back like an old friend.