Page 24

CHAPTER

TWENTY-ONE

Cam

The docks are quiet, the lapping water and faint hum of the boat engines the only sounds. But I feel it—the tension, the weight in the air, pressing down on us. Paigelynn stays close behind me, her steps cautious but steady. I keep my eyes on the path ahead, scanning for any sign of trouble.

Then I hear his voice.

“Still running, Cam?” Makiah Rooney steps out of the shadows, his presence filling the space like a storm. Holy shit. He took that stabbing better than I imagined. This really is a death fight, now.

Only one of us is walking away from this.

The sight of him makes my stomach churn. His face is calm, but his eyes burn with anger. The same eyes I saw back in the Gaia compound, when we were both just kids.

“This is where it ends,” he says, his voice cold. “For both of you.” Blood coats his shoulder. The stab wound must not have been deep enough to deter him, damn it, but I take note.

It’s his weak point. His pain point. I’ll exploit it.

I step forward, shielding Paigelynn with my body, wishing I had my gun in my hand. “Makiah,” I say, keeping my voice steady, feeling the press of cold steel against my spine. “You don’t have to do this.”

He laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “Don’t I?” he says. “You don’t get to do this. You betrayed all of us. How arrogant.”

I clench my fists, my anger rising. “You think I betrayed you?” I spit. “You let her twist you, control you. You don’t even see it, do you? How she made you betray your own God, for fuck’s sake!”

Makiah steps closer, his face darkening. “Don’t talk like you know me,” he snaps. “You don’t know anything.”

“I know more than you think,” I counter. “I know what it was like in Gaia. I know what she did to us. How she broke us. I'm not your enemy. My mother is.”

He flinches at the mention of Gaia, but he doesn’t back down. “Gaia saved us,” he says, his voice rising, denial dripping from his tone. “Your mother gave us purpose. She gave us hope.”

“She gave us lies ,” I insist, stepping closer. My voice shakes, but I don’t stop. “She made us believe we were special, chosen. But we weren’t. We were pawns. Tools she could use and throw away. The same lies she used on Paigelynn.”

Makiah’s jaw tightens, his hands curling into fists. “That’s not true,” he growls. “Angelina saved me. She gave me a future. She gave me a whole, thriving church and a following and purpose and success —”

“She took your pain and used it against you. She made you think you owed her, but you don’t. You never did.” I point to his shoulder. “She did that to you.”

He stares at me for a moment, his expression hardening. “You couldn’t handle what she asked of you. That’s why you ran. That’s why you’ll always run,” he says, his voice low.

“I’m not running now,” I say firmly. “I’m standing right here, Makiah. And I’m telling you, you don’t have to be her puppet anymore. You can walk away.”

He laughs again, louder this time. “Walk away? From everything we’ve worked for? You’re more delusional than I thought.”

“Makiah –”

Makiah’s sneer deepens. “This is your fault,” he says, his voice shaking with rage. “You destroyed everything. The Mother’s plans, our future. All for her .” His eyes dart to Paigelynn.

“No,” I say, my voice calm but firm. “I destroyed your lies. I destroyed your control. And I’d do it again.”

Makiah lunges at me, his fist swinging for my jaw. I duck, stepping to the side, and counter with a punch to his ribs. He grunts, stumbling back, but he recovers quickly. He’s stronger than I remember, his movements sharp and precise.

“You’re nothing without us,” he growls, throwing another punch. It catches my shoulder, pain shooting down my arm. “Dominic should’ve left you where he found you.”

“You mean in Gaia?” I counter, blocking his next hit, trying to reach behind me for my gun. “The hellhole she created to groom us into perfect little soldiers?”

Makiah swings again, his fist connecting with my stomach. I double over, gasping for air, but I don’t go down. “She saved us,” he spits. “She gave us order. Purpose.”

“She broke us,” I snap, my voice trembling with anger. “She took our pain, our fear, and turned it into something she could use. She made you believe you were chosen, but you’re just another victim. Like me.”

“I’m nothing like you,” he snarls, driving his knee into my ribs. Pain explodes in my side, but I twist, grabbing his stabbed shoulder and slamming him into piled fishing nets. He screams, struggling beneath me, bucking hard, but I hold him down and reach for my handgun.

It's not there.

“You don’t have to be this,” I say, my voice desperate. “You don’t have to betray your God.”

He glares up at me, his face twisted with rage. “God? What do you know about God? You’re wrong,” he says, his voice low and cold. “I chose this. I believe in her. I believe in the prophecy. And don’t you dare lecture me about God, you soulless heathen. I swear you’re the Antichrist.”

His eyes cut over to Paigelynn.

“No. If anyone is the Antichrist, it’s Angelina.”

He throws me off, rolling to his feet. I stumble back, barely catching my balance as he comes at me again. His fist connects with my jaw, and I taste blood. My vision blurs, but I shake it off, focusing on his movements.

He’s fast, but I know his weaknesses.

I’ve fought him before.

“You’re fighting for nothing,” I say, dodging another punch, wondering how he does it with the injured arm. “You’re just another fool she’s using.”

“Shut up!” he roars, swinging wildly. I duck, driving my shoulder into his chest. He stumbles, but he doesn’t fall.

Instead, he grabs me, slamming me into the nearest fuel barrels.

The impact knocks the air from my lungs, but I don’t let go.

I grab his shoulder again, losing purchase as the blood makes my grip slick, twisting it hard, and land a punch to his face.

Blood drips from his nose, but he doesn’t back down. “You can’t win this,” he says, his voice shaking with rage. “You’re nothing without us.”

“I’m more than you’ll ever be,” I say, my voice steady. “Because unlike you, I’m free.”

Makiah swings again, his fist grazing my temple just as I hear a gunshot ring out behind us. My vision spins, but I recover, grabbing his bad arm and driving my knee into his stomach. He grunts, doubling over, and I slam my elbow into his back. He collapses to the ground, gasping for air.

I stand over him, my chest heaving. Blood drips from my face, my knuckles raw and aching. “It’s over,” I say, my voice low but firm.

Makiah looks up at me, his eyes blazing with hatred. “You think you’ve won?” he spits, blood staining his lips. “You’ll never be free. The Mother will never let you go.”

“We’ll see about that,” I say, stepping back. “Stay down, Makiah. This is your last chance.”

But I know he won’t take it.