Page 56

D appled shadows filter through the canopy overhead as I recline against the mossy trunk of an ancient oak, one leg dangling lazily off the fallen timber. Fingers tap an idle staccato against the sleek glass cradled against my wrist, mercurial gaze flicking towards the illuminated SmartWatch every few seconds.

11:07 PM.

Less than an hour remains before that ominous chapel bell tolls midnight’s arrival, signalling the culmination of this latest twisted crucible. Nostrils flaring, I exhale a sharp snort of disdain, digits flexing against the smooth aluminium casing. As if having to partake in this mediaeval farce wasn’t degrading enough for someone of my profession and skillset.

I’m a bloody hacker, for Christ’s sake—an elite cyber warfare savant who’s dismantled multinational corporations and rerouted satellite trajectories with a few dexterous keystrokes. Not some bumbling grunt meant to blunder about in the underbrush playing at being a hunting dog.

Lip curling in disgust, I leverage myself upright with a grunt, dangling leg swinging around to brace both boots against the loamy soil. Fingertips dig against the bark as I push to my full height, arms raising overhead in an indulgent stretch that pulls taut across my shoulders. A satisfying series of pops ripple down my spine as I roll the knotted tension from hunched muscles, allowing the motion to bleed off my simmering frustration.

For now, at least.

Muttering an aside about how fucking pointless this antiquated display remains, I pivot on my heel to stride deeper into the copse shielding me from prying eyes.

Slipping my free hand into the pocket of my cargoes, I extract the sleek burner nestled inside, keeping it below waist level so as to avoid broadcasting my actions to my own cam. Thumb gliding across the glossy screen, I swipe through multiple biometric and encryption sequences until the device blinks to wakefulness. My own customised OS blooms into existence, desktop icons arranged in a dizzying kaleidoscope of shorthand codes and rapidly updating status feeds.

One particular thumbnail catches my eye, that same digit jabbing out to enlarge the video feed currently displayed at half-scale. Trees. Nothing but a blur of verdant foliage and bark whipping past as Arius’ body cam captures his laboured breaths and the crunch of leaf litter beneath pounding strides.

So, he’s already en route to our designated rendezvous point, then. Smart bastard must’ve concluded this whole charade has outlived its usefulness, too. I can only hope he managed to extricate himself from that last unfortunate encounter with Briar without sustaining further injuries… or worse, doing something they’ll both regret in the heat of the moment.

Another dismissive snort whistles past my lips as I minimise that feed, fingers flying across the holographic interface to enlarge Hayes’ and Jace’s perspectives next. Judging by their vantage points, those two should intersect with Arius’ path within the next few minutes if they maintain their current bearings. Perfect—less chance of getting separated or disoriented once the endgame commences.

Satisfied with my silent calculations, I swipe my thumb across the screen to reopen my personal directory, scrolling until the appropriate script module populates the display. Fingers glide across that glowing azure matrix like a concert pianist, deftly tweaking parameters and executing the final encryption sequence that will blind our body cams for the next ten minutes.

Just enough leeway for us to convene and get on the same proverbial page without watchful eyes or prying ears eavesdropping on our sedition.

The command initiated, I slip the device back into my pocket and emerge from the sheltering alcove, tracking towards the northernmost edge of the copse. Motion from the periphery of my vision draws my gaze up just as Arius’ imposing silhouette parts a thicket of brambles, the muscled column of his throat working with each ragged inhale.

Jace and Hayes materialise a handful of heartbeats later, their own strides betraying similar states of exhaustion from the endless stalking and pursuit. For several fraught seconds, we simply regard one another in taut silence, the tension radiating off Arius in tangible waves. His broad chest rises and falls with uneven heaves, jaw so tightly clenched I expect to glimpse sparks at any moment from the friction of grinding molars.

Finally, I dip my chin in a subtle nod of acknowledgement before checking my smartwatch again. “Nine and a half until the feeds resume from my end, gents,” I announce in a hushed undertone, not daring to raise my voice above a murmur in case sound carries further than expected. “I can’t extend the loop any longer without raising red flags.”

As if my words serve as the catalyst, Arius’ jaw abruptly unlocks on an incoherent snarl of outrage. I watch with arched brows as he whirls on the nearest solid object—a hefty branch lying in the brush—and lashes out with brutal force. The impact of compacted wood against oak bark reverberates through the clearing, sending a shower of splinters and bark shrapnel sailing in every direction.

Hayes flinches away from the debris cloud, but neither Jace nor I so much as blink while Arius proceeds to hammer the hapless bough apart with almost primal ferocity. Each blow is punctuated by a snarled profanity or ragged grunt of exertion, his body a whirlwind of unleashed violence until the solid timber skeleton surrenders to entropy.

What feels like an eternity later, Arius comes to a standstill amidst the scattered wreckage, sagging back against the tree, chest heaving and shoulders trembling from the lingering aftershocks of that outburst. No one dares break the weighted silence, allowing him those precious seconds to regroup.

I’m the first to chance stealing a glance at my wristwatch, exhaling a sharp breath through flared nostrils. “Seven minutes, forty-five seconds,” I announce gruffly, shifting my unblinking stare to where Jace loiters near Hayes.

The blonde arches a brow in my direction, then snorts a soft chuckle while shaking his head almost imperceptibly. “Cutting it a bit fine there, aren’t you?” he murmurs, just loud enough for us all to hear the mocking lilt buried in that barb.

Jaw clenched until that prominent bone threatens to slice through taut skin, Arius grinds the heels of his palms against closed eyelids with a growl. The rest of us maintain respectful stillness while he wrestles his inner demons back into submission through sheer force of will.

Finally, after what seems an eternity, those broad shoulders rise with a fortifying inhale before his hands drop to brace against denim-clad thighs. “Right, back to it then,” he rumbles in that gravel-rough baritone, pinning Hayes with an inscrutable look. “You good to let the little vixen work her jaws for a spell?”

Hayes arches one dark brow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth even as the rest of his expression remains unreadable. “Yeah, mate. I’ll manage somehow,” he deadpans, the rasp of resentment unmistakable despite his clipped words.

Pivoting on his heel, Arius lasers Jace with that same scorching stare. “And you’ll take turns keeping our boy here all worked up until we can wrap this sick joke, yeah?” Though phrased like a query, the words brook no argument from the blonde.

Jace’s jaw twitches almost imperceptibly before he grunts an affirmative, dipping his chin in a shallow nod of acceptance.

“Fabulous,” I can’t resist the sardonic snark dripping from that single syllable, gaze flicking pointedly towards the illuminated face of my watch. “We’re down to seven minutes before the loop disengages, just in case you wankers were still unclear on that point.”

Shooting me a withering glare, Arius shifts his weight from one booted foot to the other, spine straightening to emphasise the considerable difference in our statures. “Better keep your shite locked down then, . Because if that scrap of a girl so much as winces from what you do to her arse…” Trailing off, he simply allows those mercurial depths to bore into me for several pregnant seconds.

I bristle, chin canting up a fraction until my jaw practically grinds together from the molars grinding. “I’m not a fucking animal, mate,” I bite out, each word enunciated with crisp precision. “I know how to properly prep a chick before I rail her any which way.”

Arius’ countenance remains impassive, seemingly disregarding my assurances entirely. “That won’t fucking matter in the slightest when we don’t have any lube,” he rumbles. “Or know if the girl’s even been arseways before now.”

Well… he does have a point there, as much as it pains me to concede. Chewing the inside of my cheek, I reluctantly nod before casting my gaze towards the mottled shadows dappling the forest floor between our boots.

“We’ve got one fucking goal here,” Arius continues in that same low rasp, waiting until my stare rises to meet his pitiless slate-grey again. “Get this whole bloody thing over with as quickly and painlessly for the girl as we can muster.” An almost imperceptible twitch feathers along his jaw as he pins each of us with a lingering look. “Have I made myself utterly fucking clear?”

My molars grind together at Arius’ brusque words, jaw ticking with barely restrained irritation. Right, because we’re all just a pack of undisciplined mongrels who’d gladly tear into an innocent girl like rabid curs. I open my mouth to respond with a scathing retort when Jace clears his throat, effectively silencing me.

Arius whips his head around, narrowed eyes lasering in on the smaller bloke. “You got something to add, Jace?” he growls, the threat in his tone unmistakable.

Shrugging one shoulder in a seemingly careless gesture, Jace rubs the back of his neck and avoids meeting any of our stares directly. “Hayes and I may have… caught up with the girl after you left her by that stream earlier.” His gaze darts briefly to Hayes before returning to the scuffed toes of his boots.

The weighted pause stretches unbearably taut until I’m certain I can actually hear the throb of blood pounding in my ears. Finally, Arius lets out a slow, controlled exhale through flared nostrils. “And?” he bites out, each syllable enunciated with crisp precision.

If Jace senses the barely leashed violence simmering beneath that deceptively calm facade, he gives no outward sign. Worrying his lower lip between his teeth, he shoots another sidelong glance towards Hayes before continuing in a rush. “I… could have, possibly… slipped a little something into her system to take the edge off. You know, numb her up a tad, make her head a bit fuzzy.”

The resounding crack of snapping twigs underfoot reverberates through the uneasy stillness as Arius takes an abortive step forward, hand half-extending as if preparing to wrap around Jace’s slender throat. For one pulse-pounding heartbeat, Hayes and I both tense in obvious shared readiness to intervene if necessary.

Then, just as swiftly as the murderous impulse ignited, it seems to leach away again, leaving Arius rocking back on his heels as that hand curls into a livid fist at his side. “Christ, Jace,” he chokes out around a frustrated growl, bowing his head until a loose swathe of raven strands veils his expression. “What the bloody fuck were you thinking, you fucking knob?!”

Jace recoils a half-step at the vehemence in that gravelly bellow, palms lifting in a gesture of placating surrender. “It wasn’t anything major, I swear it!” he rushes to assure, eyes blown comically wide. “Just a mild sedative to soften her up a bit, nothing too hardcore. She’s been walking around with it for over an hour already, so it should start wearing off right around the witching hour if my dosage calculations were on point.”

He risks another fleeting peek at Arius, carefully maintaining his distance like one might retreat from a wounded, thrashing beast. “At least this way, she shouldn’t be in her right mind for whatever fresh hell we unleash tonight, yeah?”

Christ, from the way Arius’ entire body seems to vibrate with pent-up fury, it’s a damn miracle one of us isn’t sporting fresh gashes from those rock-solid knuckles already. When he finally speaks again, that rich rumble is so hoarse and stripped of inflection, the words may as well have been chiselled from granite.

“If anything… anything whatsoever happens to that girl tonight because you couldn’t keep your reckless, impulsive shite in check, Jace…” He trails off, abandoning that ominous threat to dangle unfinished between us all. The weight of that implicit vow settles over our group like an executioner’s hood—utterly suffocating.

No one dares so much as draw an unnecessary breath during the span of several taut, interminable heartbeats. Then, Arius shifts his unblinking stare to Hayes, grey irises reflecting nothing more than cold, hollow assessment.

“Take your mate and get the fuck out of my sight before I do something I might regret later.”

We don’t even need to exchange glances to reach the same solemn conclusion, with Hayes, Jace, and I all dipping our chins fractionally in mute acknowledgement of Arius’ current mental state.

Arius exhales a blustering breath, tension bleeding from those broad shoulders as he glances sidelong at me. “Wait until we’re back in the tree line to toggle the feeds, yeah? Need to establish some space first, make it look convincing.”

I arch one brow, then shake my head almost imperceptibly. “Yeah, I know, mate. But the cams were fitted with audio pickups, too. We’ll need to stay frosty with what passes our lips no matter where we relocate.”

Nostrils flaring, Arius sucks in a sharp inhale through gritted teeth—but elects to remain silent, simply whirling on his heel to stalk in the direction we’re meant to ‘coincidentally’ intercept our prey. The rest of us exchange wordless looks before falling into silent ranks behind him, resuming the next gruelling phase of this hellish gauntlet as dusk begins to bleed crimson streaks across the heavens.