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“Yeah, well, I doubt you’ll be able to get any more information from him,” Zane says casually, his hand steady around the hilt of the blade. “Because, you know, he’s being forced to fight to the death on a weekly basis. Makes it kind of hard to talk.”
Raymond winces. “That’s The Divine One’s way of punishing him, of making sure the cult members know what will happen to them if they dare try to cross him.”
“You do know that someone betrayed Reece, right?” Beckett asks, folding his arms over his chest with a scowl. “And that he believes it was his contact in the FBI?”
Even before Beck finishes speaking, Raymond’s shaking his head adamantly. “I didn’t betray him, but…”
“But?” Ryker snaps, when it becomes apparent that Raymond isn’t going to continue.
My uncle releases a weary sigh. “But I have a suspicion of who did.”
“One of the agents who visited here the other day?” Ryker asks, his eyes narrowing.
“No. At least, I don’t think so.” Raymond scratches at the scar on his check, almost as if it has begun to itch. “But I’d received enough information from Reece to put a very powerful senator behind bars for the rest of his life. I took the information to my superior, and…” He blows out an agitated breath. “And, suddenly, I couldn’t get in contact with Reece and was nearly killed on one of my cases—a case that had nothing to do with POP, by the way. It was too much of a coincidence.”
“So, you…what? Ran?” Landon stares at him incredulously. “Are you even still an FBI agent, then?”
“Things are a little more complicated than that.” Raymond once again scratches at his scar, and I wonder if that’s how he got it—from his attempted murderer. “I knew I couldn’t trust anyone in the FBI, so I got a hold of someone I knew in the CIA. He helped me disappear for a bit and got me in contact with Marsha and Jefferies, the agents assigned to the POP case. Assured me they were trustworthy. I’ve been here ever since.” A smile hooks up one corner of his mouth. “Benefits of being a trust fund baby, I suppose. I’d already bought this land and started construction on the hotel before things went to shit, and since no one knows this place exists?—”
“Because you purchased it through a shell company.” Ryker quirks an eyebrow. “What law-abiding Fed has shell companies?”
“The kind that makes children do his dirty work,” Raymond deadpans.
“You’re not a good guy, are you?” I ask, canting my head to the side as I consider him. My heart constricts in my chest at the knowledge. I’m not sure what I expected when I first met Raymond, but it wasn’t for him to be the villain of my story. Maybe it’s a different type of villain than POP and The Divine One, but he’s still a man who manipulated a bunch of kids, abused his power, and committed a plethora of unspeakable acts.
All in the name of revenge.
Raymond seems pained by my outburst, his shoulders slumping. “Ellie…”
“You can try to pretend you’re on a moral crusade all you want, but are you even any better than POP and The Divine One?” I stare at him in disgust.
“Don’t compare me to those monsters, Ellie,” he warns.
“You’re a monster too!” I jump to my feet, the unfettered energy inside me demanding an outlet in the form of physical movement. “God, how can you sit here and try to justify all that you’ve done? You groomed my best friends to become full-blooded killers?—”
“They were killers well before I got myself involved,” Raymond hisses.
“They were kids! You were the fucking adult! What the hell is wrong with you?”
Raymond jumps to his feet as well, a red flush exploding on his neck and cheeks. “What’s wrong with me? Ellie, all I’ve been trying to do since your parents were murdered is protect you! To save you from her! You don’t understand all of the despicable things POP and The Divine One have done. They reel members in by convincing them that they’re a part of something grand—some religion that will grant them power and riches. And then they begin to acclimate them with the dark side of the cult. There’s no escaping once you’re that deep into it. Fuck, Ellie, I’m just trying to keep you alive!”
His words replay on a continuous loop in my head, but something he says stands out more than anything else. I can’t help but focus on it, ripping it apart and then painstakingly stitching it back together again.
“You said…she.” I swallow around the ball in my throat.
Raymond’s face pales. “I meant she, as in Cassia. The cult. You know what the fuck I meant!”
So far, in all our conversations, Raymond has referred to The Divine One as he. We did as well, mainly because that’s what we assumed. We haven’t told him about our discovery concerning my masked tormenter.
A crate of hairy spiders are unleashed in my stomach, and they begin to skuttle around aimlessly, their tiny legs piercing my flesh.
“You know The Divine One is a woman, don’t you?” I whisper. “You knew this entire time.” I search his face for any indication I’m way off the mark, any sign that I’m wrong, but I only see despondent resignation on his face. “You know the identity of The Divine One.”
It’s not a question.
Zane’s blade digs in even deeper, and his eyes flare with rage. “I’m going to fucking kill you.”
“You knew this entire time and didn’t tell us?” Landon laughs out loud, the noise bordering on hysteria. “So, not only are you a damn Fed—with enough dirt on us to send us to prison for the rest of our lives—but you also allowed us to run around like headless chickens?”
