Page 164 of Ruin Me With Lies

“According to Sanders, comms are down and there’s been radio silence.Either they’re all dead, or they switched sides and walked out.”I shake my head.“I’m hoping it’s the latter.Otherwise, I’ll have to accept that I’ve been surrounded by incompetents this whole time.”

On the east side, we park across the straight from the garden park, and I pass Lorenzo my Glock mounted with a tactical pistol light.We take the rear path behind the Diner Hall then cross over to the garden park.Once we’re in a tactically solid position, we switch on our lights.

From the sound of it, all the dogs have gathered here for some reason.Snarling and losing their shit.But the area’s pitch fucking black.

We move cautiously, covering each other’s backs as we follow the barks.Until we close in on them.They’re clustered around one of the lightposts, growling, barking up at it.Some even trying to scale it.

To see what has them in such a feral fit, I angle my battle torch upward and…

Fucking hell.

“Wait, is that…” Lorenzo trails off and moves closer, sweeping his light up along the pole.

But I don’t need better lighting to be sure.My dreams already told me this was coming.

“Luca,” I confirm.“It’s Luca.”

~

THE MAINTENANCE TEAMarrives with floodlights, flooding the scene in harsh white clarity.All the light posts are smashed out.Sturdily affixed to one of them is a wooden cross, and shackled to it, arms spread, head slumped to the side, is Luca.A barbed wire crown pressed into his scalp.

Taped to his chest is a piece of cardboard with words scratched out in block letters:

ALL HAIL, THE NEW KING OF VEGAS.

Scribbled beneath that in smaller letters…

You know what you’ve done,

and you will not be forgiven.

Lorenzo leans close and mutters, “I’m starting to think this isn’t an attack, but anassist.”

“If you’re right,” I reply, “then I bet there’s a gift for us in that fanny pack around his waist.”

Voice tight with disappointment, Lorenzo shakes his head at the scene before us.“Luca, you fucking idiot.What the hell did you do?”

Sanders arrives just then and reports that the Uppermen on duty were found unconscious at their posts, but alive.Everyone accounted for.

Definitely not an attack.

A wave of exhaustion rolls over me.

Sanders is still rambling, apologizing profusely, but I’ve got nothing left in me right now to deal with his inept ass.“Get the fuck away from me, Sanders.”

He’s gone before I’ve taken my next breath.

“If I stay in this state, I’ll start shooting people.And that’s not conducive,” I say to Lorenzo.“I need to go get some shut eye before I make any decisions.”

He claps me on the shoulder.“Go rest up.I’ve got this.”

As I’m heading off, a hair-raising sensation coasts across the back of my neck.Afamiliarsensation.Familiar with one person in particular.The same sensation that swept over me the first time our eyes met.

She’s near.She’shere.Watching me.

I stop and glance around.But all eyes are locked in horror on Luca.None on me.

“Lo?”I call out.