Page 38 of Martyr (Sterling Falls Rogues #3)
Listening to Artemis talk soothes something inside me. She’s smart and articulate. Those are traits I knew she possessed, but I absolutely appreciate and admire them. She sees the big picture and paints the picture for us.
Ouranos is the queen bee, and the Cyclopes are his soldiers.
Kade confirms that beyond himself and Gabriel, there aren’t true leaders within their ranks.
It isn’t like the military. They’re given orders at random, paired together as it suits Ouranos.
They’re just pawns moved across the board, sacrificed at will.
And, like a true cult leader, Ouranos has convinced all of them that his will can lead them to some sort of salvation.
He used that tactic on Kade, didn’t he? Maybe with a more personal touch…
maybe with a bit more manipulation. But the messaging is the same, and it’s widespread.
Surround yourself with like-minded people, become a mass or a horde or a swarm, and you’ll forget the individual.
They might’ve had objections, but there is nowhere to voice them. Ouranos perfected a combination of fear and adoration in his leadership.
And yet, at the heart of it, he is still Justice Marcus Graves of Emerald Cove. He’s still a man. He was once four years old. He was once sixteen and acne-prone.
What he won’t become is old, because his time is coming to an abrupt end.
Artemis has hinted at her plan for that, but what she’s decided to focus on is the worker bees.
The Cyclopes.
We took out their meeting spot—here. We killed some and piled them on the sidewalk out front as a warning. We turned on the Bow & Arrow neon logo above the door.
It isn’t much, but it kind of felt like a signal of a turning tide.
We didn’t find that many here, but Artemis has determined a few reasons:
One, it might not have been a night where Ouranos had anything major planned. We struck on a whim, and in a way, we got lucky that there weren’t more.
Two, the Cyclopes are in charge of enforcing a curfew across the city. I agree that it probably takes more manpower than we anticipated.
Three, they also have control of the sheriff’s office. To suspect that they might also be holding that building would be logical.
Ouranos wanted Bow & Arrow for what’s underneath.
But strategically speaking, the center of town would give him a better vantage point.
He would be able to dispatch the Cyclopes to all parts of the city faster, especially North and East Falls.
They took West Falls early. North Falls isn’t residential enough to cause a problem, especially once the club was theirs.
“Are you sure about this?” I call to Artemis.
She, Kade, and Saint are on motorcycles.
I’m in my truck, which has been packed to the nines with weapons. I am a driving arsenal… and I don’t even have a backseat.
She winks at me, then slaps the tinted visor down over her helmet. Her bike is all black, and she sits astride it like she was born there. I have no idea where she procured it, along with Kade’s and Saint’s. I got back from retrieving my truck, and there they were.
The plan is to ride through town, cause a ruckus, and get the Cyclopes to chase them.
The sub-plan is to not get shot in the process.
She drew paths on a paper map for us. My eyes bugged out when she pulled that from a random drawer in the apartment. It sits on the seat beside me, held down by two boxes of ammo and another rifle.
There’s a circled spot on the map where I need to meet them, and I should have about fifteen minutes to set up before they arrive—if it goes smoothly.
While they cause chaos, I’m going to head straight there. Apparently, as the only one who doesn’t have a lot of bike experience, I got vetoed from the chaos squad. Instead, since I do have experience with bombs… amongst other things… I got delegated this job.
I shake my head and climb out of the truck. I make a beeline for Artemis and gesture for her to take off her helmet. She does, her dark hair ruffled. She squints at me, confused, until I catch her face and slam my lips against hers.
This isn’t really a goodbye kiss, but it damn sure is a stay safe kiss. I lick at the seam of her mouth. Her lips part, and I take a taste of her that will have to last me until we get back.
Because we’re all going to get back in one piece.
She finally pushes me away with a smile and a shake of her head. She touches her lips, then puts her helmet back on.
I grin.
“See you on the other side,” I call to them.
I follow the main road in North Falls west. I drive slow, my headlights off, and coast to a stop whenever I see another car.
I avoid detection past the house Kade rented, past the dunes that mark the northwest edge of the town.
From there, the road curves south. The forest on my right is thick and dark.
To my left is West Falls, but there are no visible houses from here.
Artemis explained this road is used mainly as an access road for delivery trucks to get easily from the harbor in South Falls up to the businesses along the boardwalk.
There’s a turn-off for the reservoir on my right, and a driveway that leads up through the trees to an old, abandoned church.
Or something. She was fuzzy on those details—not that it matters.
Saint seemed uncomfortable at the mention of that, too.
I pass those and check the map. I compare it to the map on my phone and nod to myself. My nerves are wreaking havoc, but I take a deep inhale and blow it out long and slow.
It’s going to be fine.
I park and kill the engine. The windows have been down, just in case, and the faint sound of another engine pricks at my ears.
I sit perfectly still, straining to hear.
It gets louder.
Half a mile down the road, a truck slows to a stop at the intersection of this road and theirs. Their headlights shine onto the trees across the road, everything about the vehicle meant to be loud and abrasive.
“Don’t turn this way,” I mumble. I fold up the map and shove it in my back pocket, then quickly strap on the rifle. I drop the ammunition into the small space behind the passenger seat and haul out an old blanket. With as small movement as possible, I cover the boxes on the floor of the cab.
The truck turns in my direction.
“Shit.” I slide across the bench seat and crack the passenger door. I hop out and close it as quietly as possible, crouch- running into the woods in the darkness. I have no idea if anyone saw me, but I keep going, scrambling uphill until I can only barely see the oncoming headlights.
The rumbling engine is the giveaway. I press myself to a tree and peer through the darkness.
The truck pauses alongside mine.
A door opens and slams, then another.
“What the fuck is this?” a man gripes. “Was this here the other day?”
“I wasn’t on patrol out here,” another answers. “It’s been a week since I’ve been this way.”
“Aw, you were doing so good at getting out of the doghouse.”
The second man scoffs.
“Admit it, you’re an asshole. You say things at inopportune times.”
“Was I supposed to not tell the boss that his fly was down?”
“This truck is abandoned. They even left the windows down.”
“Fuck that, how many spiders do you think are in there?”
“Are you kidding me?”
“It’s a phobia. I can’t control it.”
A door creaks open. “I think this blanket has mold on it. Anything in the bed?”
“Fucking cobweb-covered boxes. Wait. Oh, fun, soggy bedding.”
“Ew. Look in another.”
There’s a sharp burst of static, then garbled voices on a radio. It’s too faint for me to pick up, and I have to resist the urge to creep closer. I know what it’s probably about.
“ Now we can go have some fun. Let’s go.”
They make a hasty exit. I exhale and wipe the back of my hand on my forehead. I was sweating. But now, as the truck peels out making a quick U-turn, I allow myself to smile.
They fell for it.
I scramble back down, pausing in the tree line until the truck takes a sharp left into West Falls, then go straight for the truck bed.
I climb into it and ignore all the boxes along the left side.
People are inherently lazy—there was no way they’d go through all of them if the first few they touched were worthless.
The good stuff was in the center four, and I stack them up and carefully clamber down with them in my arms.
Then, I get to work.