Mayhem. And the Jackal.
As Apex looked across the debris field of weapons, ammo, and tactical supplies, he had a thought he should feel liberated or something. Especially as the pair raced in with guns—and was that a cell phone in the Jackal’s hand?
They came over and gave him and Callum a look-see—but their eyes kept returning to what was happening over on the floor. The head of the guards was still disintegrating, the venom, or whatever the hell it was, moving down from what was left of her face and beginning to eat her body away as well.
“She’s dead,” Apex said unnecessarily, as the Jackal put the cell phone up to his ear.
To protect Callum’s privacy, Apex reached out and pulled a blanket across the male’s naked body… and that was when he noted the bruising where the restraints had been, and the scratches, and the other patterns consistent with a male having been used sexually and as a blood source.
“You’re going to be okay, Callum,” he whispered. “Reinforcements are coming.”
People offered aid to him, made plans, and were reunited in the Jackal’s case. But as if Callum’s vegetative state was communicable, Apex found that he had nothing really to say in response and couldn’t really train his eyes on anything other than whatever happened to pass through his line of sight.
Some rescues were too late.
Even if the person remained alive.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
On the whole, V loved being right. And the good news was, ninety-nine percent of the time, he was correct about everything so it was a state of self-satisfaction he enjoyed a lot.
In the case of the prison camp’s new location, he had been spot on with the logic about finding it—but the actual infiltration by the Brotherhood had been a total letdown. For one, he wished he could have used his daggers a little more. A lot more. The larger bummer, however, was that he had packed plenty of C-4 plastic explosives. It had been a while since he’d blown something up, and he’d been ready for all the false-sun, Fourth of July show.
And then there had been the satisfaction of just ripping the place apart.
’Cuz, yeah, fuck theglymera.
Instead, as he’d arrived at the abandoned tuberculosis hospital, and walked in a back entry thanks to the Jackal holding a secured door open, he had all of the satisfaction of being the brainiac in the room, but none of the workout or the pyrotechnics—
“What thefuckis that.”
As he stepped into some kind of bedchamber/war room, there was a mess on the floor that had decomposing body written all over it. The slop appeared to be made up of bodily fluids and some bone, although the latter seemed to be turning to liquid before his eyes. There also appeared to be a trail of the goo across the bare floor, one that snaked around a bed that had a very naked male being cradled by a guy with one hell of a head wound on it. On the far side, the path of blood disappeared into a small hole in the corner down at the floor.
“Is there anyone else injured,” he said as he took out his phone. “Never mind, I’ll just take that as a yes.”
“There are a lot of sick prisoners somewhere,” the Jackal said. “By the way, this is Mayhem. Over there are Apex and Callum.”
“I can take you to the prisoners,” the guy named Mayhem murmured. “I’ll show you where they are. I’d ask that you prioritize them over going after the guards.”
Nodding, V texted his mate as well as Manny and the Brotherhood’s own nurse, Ehlena. “You mean those males I saw running off?”
“Yeah. There have to be some of them left around somewhere.”
“Not a problem. Prisoners first. I’m getting medical help right now and the Brotherhood is securing the perimeter. You’re safe, all of you.”
“I couldn’t wait until tomorrow,” the Jackal said. “Sorry.”
V glanced up from his phone. “I’m glad you didn’t. Can you guard these two while your boy takes me to the incarcerated?”
“Yes. I’ll stay here.”
V followed the other prisoner out of a door that appeared to have been—“Did you blow that in?”
“Yeah? I always like to keep some plastics handy. You know, for special occasions.”
“Oh, my God, me too.” He took out a hand-rolled. “Cigarette?”
“You know, I don’t mind if I do.”