Would you like to see chapters of my books before they come out? Do you want to see cover art sketches and vote on which poses should make it to final production? Would you like to see even sexier versions of my covers? Would you like to get my audiobooks at a deep discount?

Of course you would! Join my Patreon here to get all these awesome benefits (or search for my name on Patreon.com).

You can also join my Facebook group right here. Then you’ll know when my books come out before anyone else.

Chapter One

My hands shook with rage as I sat back from my computer screen. It took a lot of willpower not to slam my fist on the desk, but I could still feel all the kinetic energy stored up from the fight with Young.

What I didn’t need right now on top of everything else was a broken desk.

I was confident Leiber_49 would see the public message on the forum, but I knew he would be too stuck up his own ass to take my threat seriously. Someone like that, who preyed on weaker women in the hopes of gaining power, he would think he was invincible.

But he hadn’t met me.

I needed to plan my next course of action, but I was too full of energy and anger to sit still, so I stood and paced around the room. I realized I should send these messages to Sammy Dabrowski, the FBI tech agent I worked with on the Hero Project, so he could analyze and try to trace them. I took pictures of the messages on my phone and texted them to Sammy, and then I continued to pace the room.

If there was any doubt that Leiber_49 was the Sigil Killer, the real one, it was gone now. This guy knew about the cuffs, but, worse, he also knew about Mary. My blood boiled at the thought of this prick creeping outside of Mary’s building or following her to work. God knows her useless ex-boyfriend Raymond wouldn’t protect her.

I had to make sure she was safe, especially since the police weren’t going to do anything.

The Bellamy Police Department were still sticking to the story that Darryl Young was the Sigil Killer, but Young was just some creep with an obsession over an old, dead girlfriend. The women he killed only served to feed his sick delusions, they weren’t the work of the methodical Sigil Killer.

At least I had Detective Calvino on my side. Calvino knew Young was the copycat and that the real Sigil Killer was still out there.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts, and I walked over and opened it to see my beautiful girlfriend Elaine smiling up at me, but her face quickly changed when she saw mine.

“What’s wrong, baby?” she asked, and I could hear the concern in her voice.

“He messaged me,” I growled and stepped back to let my girlfriend in. “That vain prick sent me a private message.”

“Who, Leiber_49? The Sigil Killer?” The exotic woman’s face changed from one of concern to one of outright fear, and her brown eyes widened.

“The very one,” I said as I clenched my fists. “He threatened Mary. He says he knows where I live, and if I don’t give him the cuffs, he’s going after Mary.”

“Oh, my god, Jonah,” my girlfriend breathed before she threw her arms around me and squeezed tight.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I soothed as I wrapped my arms around her narrow shoulders and squeezed back. “I’ll be fine. Invulnerable, remember?”

My words were gentle and teasing, but my girlfriend wasn’t in the mood. She just pulled back from the hug and shook her head, and I heard her throat click as she tried to swallow down her emotions.

“It’s not okay,” she said with a furrowed brow, and my heart leapt at the obvious concern she had for my safety. “This psycho serial killer is stalking my boyfriend, and I’m sick of it! He deserves two in the back of the head.”

“Whoa, there, cowboy,” I chuckled as I pulled her back in and cupped her face. “I appreciate the anger on my behalf, and I partially agree with the sentiment, but we have to be smart about this. This bastard has evaded capture so far, so he’s obviously not stupid. But he does seem cocky, which we can use to our advantage. That is… if you want to keep working with me. I know this keeps getting more and more dangerous--”

“Jonah, stop,” Elaine said and held up a hand. Then she placed her palm against my chest and looked up at me with those big, dark eyes. “I knew what I was signing up for since the first time we were shot at, and I haven’t regretted any decisions I’ve made since. This Sigil Killer… unsettles me, but I’m happy to be here with you now and through everything so far. You’ve taught me so much, Jonah. Plus, I have my very own superhero now. That’s every girl’s dream, right?”

“I don’t know about that,” I chuckled and squeezed her tight against me, “but it does come in handy when I need to impress my new, hot girlfriend.”

The beautiful woman finally smiled, so I bent down and kissed her forehead, and she leaned into the kiss and purred. Then she lifted her beautiful face to mine and kissed me deep on the mouth before she nuzzled into my chest one more time and looked up at me.

“So, what are you going to do about Mary?” she asked,

The message from Leiber_49 flashed in my mind again, and I felt the rage building up again.

“I think I should go get her,” I said. “I can’t bring her here, not if he knows where I live, but I don’t feel comfortable leaving her at her friend’s, either. I have to assume he knows she’s staying there. Maybe I’ll call Laura, see if Mary can stay with her in Chicago for a while? Until we catch this bastard.”

My girlfriend nodded thoughtfully before a teasing smirk tugged at her lips. “I’m sure Laura won’t mind. She’d do anything for you.”

I couldn’t help but also smirk as memories of last night’s threesome played in my mind, but I shook them out of my head after a moment.

I had other things to worry about right now. I needed to get Mary to safety.

My beautiful girlfriend picked up on my train of thought and nodded vigorously.

“You should go,” she said and disentangled herself from me. “I’ll stay here and do some more research on the occult leads.”

“Keep your gun nearby,” I told the tanned woman. “The Sigil Killer didn’t mention you, but if he’s been watching me, he’ll know about you soon enough.”

“My hero,” Elaine said as she smiled up at me. “Always so worried about me. You are too sweet, Jonah. I’ll be fine. If the Sigil thinks I am just another distressing damsel, he will be in for an unpleasant surprise.”

“You are definitely not a damsel in distress,” I agreed with a laugh before I gathered my phone, keys, wallet and pulled on a jacket. “I’ll text you when I have Mary and we’re on our way to Chicago.”

“Okay, baby. Be safe.”

I kissed my girlfriend goodbye and watched her until she was inside her apartment. She gave me a final wave and blew me a kiss through the crack in her door, and I returned them both before I took off down the stairs two at a time.

Then I pulled out my phone to call Mary as I used my key fob to unlock my car across the parking lot.

“Jonah!” the curly-haired woman answered on the second ring. “What’s up? You usually text before you call, is everything okay?”

“Well, Mary, not really.” I blew out a big breath and tried to come up with the best way to explain what was happening to my friend without scaring her. “I actually have something I need to talk to you about, can I come over?”

“Right now?” my friend asked, and I could hear the surprise in her voice.

“Sorry, yeah, it’s kind of important,” I explained. “I can come to you, though, I’ve got my car.”

“Okay,” Mary said slowly. The woman was clearly surprised, but not unhappy about the impromptu meeting. “I’m at Lacy’s, well, I guess it’s my apartment now, too. I’ll text you the address.”

“Great,” I said. “I’ll see you soon.”

I hung up the phone and within seconds received a text from Mary with a North Bellamy address. I recognized the area, it was a student neighborhood with plenty of noisy bars and foot traffic, and my stomach knotted at the thought of how easily it would be to snatch a young woman from the busy, alcohol-fueled streets.

Mary wasn’t like Elaine and Laura. She didn’t have firearms or hand-to-hand combat experience. She needed my protection more than any of them.

I turned the Lincoln on but didn’t drive yet. Instead, I dialed Laura’s number as the car heated up. I needed to let her know what was going on and make sure it was okay for me to bring Mary to the Penthouse until we had eyes on the Sigil Killer.

My blonde lover answered the phone almost immediately.

“Jonah,” she breathed. “I was just thinking about you.”

I grinned at my lover’s words, but I couldn’t let myself be distracted from the situation.

“Does that mean you’d be up for a visit from me tonight?” I asked.

“Yes,” the FBI agent said instantly, and then her voice dropped into a seductive purr. “What kind of visit is it?”

“Not that kind, unfortunately,” I sighed. “I’m actually on my way to Mary’s. Leiber_49 sent me a private message on the forum site I’ve been visiting. He knows my name and where I live, and he knows about Mary. He threatened to kill her if I don’t give him the cuffs.”

“Oh, my god,” Laura gasped, and all traces of desire evaporated from her tone.

“Yeah,” I said. “So I was thinking I could bring Mary to the Penthouse to stay for a bit? I need to keep her safe, but he knows where I live.”

The blonde woman hesitated for a split second before she spoke. “Of course. Bring her over, I’ll get a guest room ready.”

“Thanks, Laura. I’ll let you know when we leave Bellamy.”

“Okay, Jonah, see you soon.”

Twenty minutes later, I pulled up in front of Mary’s building, but I didn’t exit the car yet. I wondered if Leiber_49 was here now, watching. Waiting. I scouted the street, and there were a few small groups of people walking to or from the bars and some parked cars on the street, but nothing jumped out at me as overtly dangerous. The cars were all empty, and the pedestrians were more interested in their next drink than anything else.

It was equally possible the Sigil Killer was waiting outside of Arbor Shoals, with his eyes fixed on my window while he waited for me to hang that red cloth. The thought made my skin crawl, and I felt another wave of anger rise in my chest.

I didn’t care if the Sigil Killer came after me. With the safety of my cuffs, I wanted nothing more than to face this woman-killing bastard one on one. But if he so much as touched a hair on Mary’s, Elaine’s, or Laura’s heads, then I would murder this prick. I would unleash the full power of my kinetic strength, and damn the consequences.

Once I was satisfied there was no one outside Mary’s building, I got out of my car and jogged to the door. Then I pushed the buzzer for her flat and heard Mary’s voice through the speaker.

“Hello?” the cute brunette said.

“It’s me,” I replied.

“Hi, Jonah!” Mary answered happily. Then she buzzed me in, and I climbed the stairs to the second floor.

I found the door with the number on it from Mary’s text, but the curly-haired woman opened the door before I could knock. She looked cute as hell in an oversized anime t-shirt and short cotton shorts, and her curls bounced around her face as she smiled up at me.

“Come in.” She gestured to me through the door and shivered, and I could see the goosebumps that had formed on her arms and legs. “It’s cold out there.”

I followed the green-eyed girl into her apartment, and she led me through to the living room, where another pretty girl sat on the couch with a book.

The woman I assumed was Lacy stood up when I came through the door and walked over to stand next to Mary. Lacy was a couple inches shorter than Mary’s already tiny frame. The woman had blue eyes and a chin-length red bob that suited her face and was dressed for comfort, like Mary, in a baggy band t-shirt and curve-hugging leggings.

I was relieved she didn’t fit the Sigil Killer’s MO, otherwise I would not feel right leaving her here on her own.

“Jonah, this is Lacy,” Mary introduced us. “She has been helping me so much lately with my breakup with Raymond. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

“I have heard how much you’ve been helping Mary,” I addressed the pretty girl, who blushed. “Thank you. I’ve been trying to get her to leave Raymond for years, but you finally convinced her.”

I held my hand out to Lacy, and the redhead giggled before she looked me up and down appreciatively.

“And I’ve heard a lot about you,” Lacy answered in a suggestive tone as she took my hand and squeezed more than shook it. Then she retracted her hand and whispered something in Mary’s ear, and both girls ogled me briefly and giggled.

I grinned at them both. Mary had clearly filled Lacy in on our flirtationship, and it was nice to be appreciated by two very pretty women. I just couldn’t believe my luck with women lately, but I couldn’t focus on that right now.

My friend needed me.

“Good things, I hope,” I said, and the girls devolved into another fit of giggles, but Mary recovered first and faced me again.

“You said you had something you needed to talk about?” the curly-haired woman asked me.

“Yeah,” I said, and I shifted my weight on my feet and glanced at Lacy. I wasn’t sure how much I should reveal in front of my friend’s roommate, but this also kind of involved her, especially if the Sigil Killer was stalking Mary. The killer definitely knew where she lived when she’d lived with Raymond, but had he followed her to her new apartment yet?

I couldn’t take the risk.

“I’m going to go do the dishes and give you guys a minute,” Lacy said, and I was relieved at the woman’s perception. We could fill her in on the important details after I told Mary what was going on. Though I was sick of giving women bad news, maybe I would just let Mary explain the situation to her roommate, after I got her to safety.

Mary and I watched as Lacy left through a door on their left, and I waited until I heard the water start to run before I turned back to Mary.

“So, what’s up?” She looked up at me with imploring eyes. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Mary, but I think you’re in danger,” I blurted out. “I’d like you to come with me for a while. I have somewhere nice you can stay in Chicago until I can get this all figured out.”

“What?” The curly-haired woman frowned, but then a smile pulled at her lips. “Are you messing with me? I feel like I’m on a TV show right now.”

“Unfortunately not. Look, I can’t go into too much detail right now.” I shot a look toward the kitchen, but the water was still running, so I was confident my friend’s roommate wasn’t eavesdropping. “But I would really like it if you came with me. It’s got to do with the Sigil Killer.”

“What are you talking about? They caught that guy, it was on the news…” Mary trailed off at the sight of my face, and her confusion turned to fear. “Right?”

“It’s complicated,” I said. “I can explain more, just… not here. Mary, please.”

I stared into her pretty green eyes and tried to make her understand.

The woman was quiet for a moment. The confusion on her face made my heart ache, and I wanted to reach out to her and wrap her in a hug. She didn’t need this in her life, not after all she’d been through with Raymond, but she was part of it.

I just had to make sure she survived it.

Eventually, the small woman nodded and looked up at me.

“Okay, Jonah. I trust you. I guess I’ll just go pack a bag. Make yourself at home.” The woman gestured to the couches in the living room while she turned and made her way to a line of doors down the hall. “I won’t take long. I guess it’s a good thing I’m off tomorrow.” She laughed before she disappeared into her bedroom.

I had too much pent-up energy to sit down so I paced around the living room. Then the water from the kitchen shut off, and Lacy appeared at the doorway again. She wiped the remaining water from her hands across her shirt and batted her eyelashes at me.

“Where’s Mary?” she asked.

“She’s packing a bag,” I explained. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to steal her away from you for a couple of nights.”

The redhead was surprised for a moment before she smiled. She had a cute smile and a friendly face. I was glad that Mary had someone decent like Lacy in her life, especially after the nightmare she’d had with Raymond.

“Oh, really?” Lacy asked suggestively and looked me up and down again.

I returned her smile and stood up straighter but shook my head. “Not like that. It’s… a work thing.”

“You have to take her away for… the copy shop?” The woman smirked and gave me an exaggerated wink.

“No, not that.” I searched for words to explain, but I was saved from the awkward situation by Mary reappearing in the living room. She’d changed into a pair of leggings and an oversized sweater with an anime scene on it.

“It’s his fancy new government contract job,” Mary lied easily. She carried a travel bag that had old-looking maps, postcards, and planes printed all over it, and I remembered my friend’s desire to travel, which must have been why she chose that bag.

Lacy looked at the bag and back to Mary and shrugged, and I was relieved the redhead didn’t question me about my job or why I needed Mary for it at this time of night.

“We should get going,” I said and took Mary’s bag from her. “It was nice to meet you, Lacy.”

“You, too, Jonah, I’m sure I’ll see you again soon,” the short woman giggled and followed us to the door, and then the two women hugged and said goodbye.

“Be sure to lock your door,” I told Lacy. “I don’t like the thought of you being alone in this area at night.”

“So chivalrous. I will. Bye, you two.” The shorter woman blushed before shutting the door, and I heard the deadbolt slide into place and nodded in satisfaction. Lacy had lived alone before Mary, and I was sure she was a smart woman who always locked her door in this area, but it didn’t hurt to be safe, especially these days.

Then the curly-haired woman and I headed down the stairs.

“I didn’t want to worry her,” Mary explained about her lie. “Lacy is amazing, but she does worry too much sometimes.”

“Makes sense.” I nodded. “She seems nice. And you seem happy, it’s nice to see you happy.”

“I am, it’s a huge relief being away from Raymond and that apartment.” The woman blushed but nodded as we reached the landing and headed toward the door of the building. “I know it sounds cheesy, but it really does feel like a new chapter of my life.”

“A better one,” I assured the woman. God knows she deserved it.

She smiled up at me, and we pushed through the front door.

Then I noticed there was a man coming up the short staircase to the building, and I recognized him instantly with his greasy hair and sinewy body. A scowl immediately formed on my face, but my friend spoke before I could.

“Raymond,” she groaned as she stumbled to a stop beside me, and the shock in her voice was evident. “What are you doing here?”

The scraggly musician looked up the stairs at both of us and bared his teeth in a snarl.

“What the fuck is this?” he demanded and took a step forward.

“Whoa, now,” I said as I dropped the bag, put myself between the loser and Mary, and raised my hands. “Back off, buddy, we don’t want any trouble.”

Raymond glared at me for a second but leaned around me to address Mary. “Is this why you won’t take me back? You’re banging this fucking nerd now?”

“Raymond! No, he’s just--” Mary started, but Raymond cut her off.

“Pathetic,” he spat at her before he finally turned to me. “You think you can just steal my fucking girlfriend and get away with it?”

“That’s not what this is,” I said as calmly as I could. God knows I wanted to punch this loser right in his sorry face, but Mary didn’t need to see that kind of violence and really, I wanted to get her out of harm’s way. This asshole was doing the opposite. “But we’re going to go now. Mary doesn’t want you back, so you should stop trying. Come on, Mary.”

I grabbed the bag with one hand and Mary’s hand with the other and tried to navigate her around her scummy ex-boyfriend, and we got to the bottom of the steps before the slimy guy stepped in front of us.

“I’m not done with you yet.” Raymond jabbed a finger into my chest, and I could smell stale booze on his breath as he jabbed me again. “I said, do you really think you can just get away with stealing something I own?”

My eyebrows shot up, and anger started to bubble in my stomach like roiling magma.

“Own? She’s not your fucking property, dude, she’s her own person. And a better one than you. Drop it, before you get hurt.” I tried to push past the washed-up musician, but he laid his hand flat on my chest this time and shoved me backwards.

Mary whimpered behind me.

I sighed deeply and shook my head.

If the stubborn asshole wouldn’t take no for an answer, I would have to make him.

“Well, can’t say I didn’t warn you.” I turned and handed Mary her bag.

“Jonah…” She looked up at me with her green eyes swimming with fear, and I indicated to her that she should back up.

“I’ll be fine,” I reassured her. “Just stay out of the way. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Then I turned back to Raymond, who was already in a fighting stance.

“Look at this fucking nerd,” he snarled and raised his fists. “What are you gonna do, buddy?”

I decided right then and there to have some fun with him.

“What, like you’re so tough in your little band. Don’t all of you dudes wear makeup?” I taunted the man.

He lunged at me then, but I side-stepped him easily.

All of my training with Elaine and Laura was really paying off.

The musician shook his head in confusion but turned to lunge at me again, but this time, I didn’t give him the chance.

I stepped forward and landed a quick jab to his stomach. I only used a small burst of stored-up kinetic energy, but it was enough to double the man over in pain.

Raymond clutched his stomach and grunted in pain before he sucked in a breath through his teeth and glared at me through his greasy hair.

“I’ll kill you,” he seethed, and the musician tried to hide his wince as he straightened. Then he brought his fists up again and beckoned me forward.

He didn’t want to get caught out again, he wanted me to attack.

“Are you really sure you want me to kick your ass in front of your ex-girlfriend?” I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m offering you a last chance to walk away here.”

Raymond spat at me. “You can have her anyway, she’s a fucking who--”

I didn’t let him finish the sentence. In one quick movement, I closed the distance between the musician and me and connected my fist with his nose, and I used the same touch of kinetic energy I had in the previous punch. I felt the bone break underneath my knuckles, and blood began to gush out of the man’s nose.

Raymond screamed in pain, and he stumbled back as he clutched his shattered nose and glared at me. The effect was dampened by the blood pouring from between his fingers. He opened his mouth to say something, but I reached forward and grabbed him by the collar before he could.

Then I pulled the jerk’s face right up to mine, and I didn’t even care about the blood dripping onto my arm from his nose.

“Never come near Mary again, you understand me?” I said in a deathly quiet tone. “In fact, keep her name out of your stinking mouth. If I hear you’re talking shit about her again, I’ll find you and give you more than a broken nose.”

The musician continued to glare at me, so I gave him a shake, and his eyes widened in fear before he nodded quickly.

“What was that?” I asked as I turned my ear toward him and leaned in.

“Okay.” His voice came out strangled. “I’ll… leave her alone.”

“Good. Now get the fuck out of my sight.” I released his collar, and Raymond stumbled back and tried not to fall.

I wiped the blood from my hand and arm onto my jeans and stepped around the injured musician. Then I stopped in front of Mary and held my hand out for the bag, and the curly-haired woman was looking up at me with wide eyes and a sense of wonder as she handed me the bag.

“You ready to go?” I asked with a smile.

Mary continued to look up at me in awe, but she nodded, so I took her hand and led her away from her loser ex-boyfriend. We walked across the street to the Lincoln, and I threw my friend’s bag in the trunk before we got in the front seats.

“Jonah,” the curly-haired woman finally breathed with a look of amazement still on her face. “That was incredible. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

I expected her to be more shaken up at the physical altercation, but she seemed too stunned to even register the violent nature of the confrontation. Maybe she was tougher than I gave her credit for.

“Please, I should be thanking you.” I shot her a smile. “I’ve wanted to punch that guy in the face for years now.”

“No one has ever fought for me before,” Mary giggled as I turned the engine on. “It was really… nice.”

“Glad you enjoyed the show.” I flashed her a playful wink and pulled out my phone. “I just need to text my… friend in Chicago that we’re on our way. And let my girlfriend know I’ve got you safe.”

I wasn’t sure how to explain the situation with Laura and Elaine to anyone yet, but I shoved the thought away and tapped out quick texts to both women to update them on the situation.

“Oh, right,” Mary said with a touch of sadness in her voice. “Your girlfriend.”

I wondered how Mary would react to the news of my polyamorous relationship. Laura and Elaine were more than enough for me. I loved what we had, but now that I knew Mary was interested in me, I couldn’t help but imagine adding her into our mix. I had no idea if that was something Mary would be into, or if she wasn’t into sharing, which was also fair, so I pushed the thoughts aside as my friend continued to speak.

“And who’s your friend in Chicago?” she asked.

“Laura,” I answered automatically. “You’ll love her, she’s super badass but also a huge history nerd, it’s funny.”

My phone pinged just then, and I looked down at the message from my Israeli girlfriend.

Glad she’s safe. You’re my hero, baby. Let me know what the plan is. She ended her text with a kissy face and a black heart emoji.

Seconds later, I had another text from Laura.

Great, I’ve got the guest room set up for her. See you soon. My blonde lover never used emojis in her text, but I supposed it was too informal for her regimented FBI lifestyle.

Now that both my girlfriends were up to speed, I threw the car in drive and headed into Chicago.

“So…” Mary batted her lashes at me while I drove. “We’re alone now, can you tell me what’s going on?”

I sighed and looked over at the green-eyed woman. I hated having to explain to my friend how she was the next target of a deranged serial killer, but she needed to know the truth.

“I think you’re in danger.”

“You mentioned that,” the woman said as she studied me. “But that doesn’t make sense. The Sigil Killer? Jonah, they caught him. It’s been all over the news.”

I shook my head as I tried to split my attention between my friend and the road.

“That wasn’t him,” I explained as I switched lanes to pass a particularly slow car. “It was a copycat. There have been two killers on the loose, we only caught the copycat, but the police are trying to pass it off as only one guy. They were just happy to make an arrest, so they’re not going to admit there are too many inconsistencies in the victim profiles and that there’s still a killer out there.”

My hands tightened on the steering wheel as I was reminded of the police department’s incompetence, but I took a deep breath as I consciously loosened my grip and glanced over at my friend to see how she was handling this news.

Mary stared at me with wide-eyed wonder, and her mouth opened and closed as she tried to find her words. I didn’t want to drag her into this dangerous world of ancient artifacts, occultist serial killers, and underground black markets, but I couldn’t just leave her at the mercy of the Sigil Killer.

To her credit, the green-eyed woman didn’t seem very scared, just confused, and she was still struggling to find a response, so I pressed forward to get everything out.

“Anyway, my… team and I have figured out the real Sigil Killer is still out there.” I continued, but I chose my words carefully. “The copycat has been targeting older blonde women, while the real Sigil Killer has always gone for younger brunettes with green eyes.”

As I said the last sentence, I gave Mary a pointed look, and she paled a little now.

“The copycat had been using the Sigil Killer’s murders to cover his own, but the killings aren’t going to stop now that he’s locked up,” I finished. “The Sigil Killer is still out there. And Mary, I can’t explain how, but I think he wants to make you his next victim.”

“Me?” the curly-haired woman gasped at my last statement. “Why? Is that why we’re leaving Bellamy?”

“Yes,” I confirmed. “I can explain more after I fill in my team.”

“Team? Jonah, what exactly is this government contract job? Are you… working with the police?”

I thought of Calvino’s weathered face frowning at the thought of me on the force and chuckled. “Sort of, but not exactly.”

“Ugh,” the woman groaned. “Just tell me, I want to know everything.”

“You’ll know more soon,” I assured her and gestured to the expensive buildings that came into view as we crested a hill. “We’re almost there.”

“That’s where we’re going?” My friend gaped at the luxurious building we pulled into. “What the hell, Jonah?”

She sounded impressed and not angry, so I chuckled at the woman’s reaction and parked the car. Then I grabbed her travel bag out of the trunk while she marveled up at the building.

“Wait ‘til you see the inside,” I teased the woman and led her into the building and up the elevators. She followed me to the door of the Penthouse, where Laura was already waiting for us.

“Hi, Jonah, and you must be Mary,” the agent greeted us with a warm but relieved smile. They didn’t know each other, but I knew Laura was concerned for the safety of my friend just as much as I was. With her own recent brush with a serial killer, I was sure the FBI agent felt as protective over the young woman as I did.

“That’s me,” Mary said cheerfully. “I don’t really know what’s going on, but Jonah says I’ll be safe here?”

The brunette looked at my blonde lover for reassurance, and Laura gave it to her in the form of a disarming smile.

“The safest, please, come in.” The woman stepped back from the door to let my friend and me in. “I’ve made you a guest room up, it’s down--”

The agent stopped speaking when she realized Mary was no longer paying attention, and Laura shot me a look, but I just shrugged before studying Mary.

The curly-haired woman’s mouth hung open as she took in the luxurious penthouse. Her eyebrows creased, and then she turned to me with a frown as her usual happy demeanor disappeared.

“What the hell, Jonah?” This time, the question was laced with anger instead of amazement. “There’s no way this place belongs to the police.”

“Well, you’re technically right,” I hedged as I rubbed the back of my neck. I’d seen Mary get annoyed with dense customers before, but I had never seen her angry like this.

“Look, I appreciate you’re trying to help me here, but you can’t just drag me out of my home in the middle of the night, take me to Chicago, and then dump me in a freaking mansion without telling me what the hell is going on! At first, I thought you were just trying to make a move and were using the Sigil Killer as a weird cover, but this… What happened to you, Jonah? A few weeks ago, you were just another retail worker like me.”

Laura looked between Mary and me with a worried expression, but the agent stayed silent.

Then I set down my friend’s bag and took a step toward her, but the curly-haired woman took a step back, so I raised my hands to show her I meant no harm.

“Look, I’m sorry, Mary,” I said. “I know it’s a lot to take in at once, I just can’t explain--”

“Stop saying that.” Mary’s emerald eyes flashed again. “Stop saying you can’t tell me. I’m not a child. You sound exactly like Raymond every time I asked him where he was when he didn’t come home all night.”

The woman’s face rippled with a wave of sadness, and I winced since I never wanted to see that look on Mary’s face.

“Just, stop,” she said firmly. “Tell me what’s going on or I’ll leave.”

“It’s me.” Laura rushed toward my friend and wrung her hands. “It’s my fault Jonah can’t tell you everything. I--”

The blonde woman hesitated and looked over at me, but it wasn’t fully my secret to tell, so I just waited to see what she would say.

“I’m with the FBI,” she finished.

Mary’s green eyes grew wide again, and she looked past the agent at me.

“Is that true?” she asked, though with less fire in her voice than a moment again.

“Yes,” I assured her quickly. “Laura is an FBI agent, and I’m… helping. That’s my super-secret government contract job, and no one is really supposed to know about it.”

“But…” Mary’s anger turned to confusion. “You worked at a copy shop.”

I chuckled as I could see my friend was trying to work out how I went from loyal CPS employee to government contracted FBI interim agent in the span of weeks.

“Like I said. It’s hard to explain.” I spread my hands wide and shrugged.

“Look, I know I don’t know you,” Laura continued as she turned to Mary. “But I know Jonah. And I know how much he cares about you, and he would never do anything to put you in harm’s way. That’s why he brought you to me tonight. You’re safe here, and we can explain more in the morning. For now, let’s get you to your room and settled in for the night, and then we can go over more details tomorrow.”

I was grateful for my blonde lover’s ability to diffuse the situation even though she didn’t know my friend. The agent was comforting and calm in an almost maternal manner. Maybe it had something to do with her being a bit older, I’d read women her age can have their maternal instincts kick in like crazy, but whatever it was, I was grateful for it.

“Okay,” Mary sighed as she rubbed her face. “That might be best. I’m tired, and my head is starting to hurt.”

“Right this way,” Laura said, and I followed the women down the hall with Mary’s bag. Then Laura led us to a large bedroom lined with books, and Mary squealed in delight.

“I’m still not really sure what’s going on, but I think I like it,” she giggled.

Laura smiled at the curly-haired woman and then gestured to a door in the corner of the room. “We’ll give you a minute to get settled in. I need to talk to Jonah anyway. There’s an attached bathroom, with a Jacuzzi, so take your time.”

I passed the bag over to Mary, and we left her to unpack. Moments later, I heard the water start to run, and I guessed she’d decided to check out that Jacuzzi. This would at least give Laura and me some time to work out a plan.

I tried not to picture my attractive brunette friend undressing herself. Instead, I turned my attention to the fit blonde’s firm ass swaying in front of me. I wanted to reach out and give it a spank, but now wasn’t the right time. We needed a plan to keep Mary safe.

I followed Laura to the living room where she made us a batch of gimlets before she sat across from me with a stern look on her face.

“What the hell, Jonah?”

Chapter Two

I grimaced at the blonde woman’s hard expression, and I swirled the drink in my hand to give myself a moment to compose my thoughts.

“I know it’s not ideal, I’m sorry,” I said. “But I couldn’t just leave her there. The Sigil Killer mentioned her by name, Laura. I didn’t know where else to take her, but I knew she would be safe here.”

“No, I know you couldn’t just leave her, you’re too good, Jonah. It’s just…” The agent blew out an exasperated sigh and took a drink of her gimlet. “I’m not sure about bringing another civilian into the mix. I had to work hard to convince the director to bring you and Elaine on board, but with your powers, and her military experience, he couldn’t say no. If he knew there was a third, unqualified civilian around, he’d pull the plug on the whole project.”

“She doesn’t have to be involved,” I interjected quickly. “She can just--”

My blonde lover shot me a look that said “yeah, right,” and I closed my mouth with an audible click.

“If she’s in the Penthouse, she’s already involved, we can’t avoid that now,” the blonde woman stated matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry about that.” I flashed her a dazzling smile and then sipped my drink. “But I know we can come up with a solution to keep everyone, including the Director, happy.”

“Probably…” she trailed off, but I could also see the gears working in her head, so I leaned toward the beautiful woman.

“Look, I think you should give Mary a chance,” I said. “She’s really smart, she just hasn’t been given the opportunity to prove it. The poor woman had a really terrible upbringing and then got tied up with that crappy boyfriend for way too long. She could really use a break.”

“I sympathize, Jonah, I really do,” Laura said, and I could see the sincerity in the blonde woman’s eyes. “But that won’t be enough for the Director.”

I took a drink of the refreshing gimlet and thought for a moment.

“She likes computers,” I finally suggested when I remembered how Mary used to geek out about an online coding course she took when she wasn’t working at CPS. “I think she’s done some coding and stuff before.”

“That’s good, that could help.” My blonde lover nodded thoughtfully before she leaned her head back and tipped the last of her gimlet into her mouth. Her long neck was almost irresistible, and I wanted to reach out and bite it.

Laura caught me looking and winked, and then she stood and made her way to the bar.

“Another drink?” she asked in a suggestive tone.

“Mehhh…” I sighed. “I’d better not. I have to drive back to Bellamy tonight.”

“Aw,” the blonde woman pouted as she mixed herself a drink and took the seat across from me again. “Okay, back to Mary.”

“What about me?” Mary asked.

We both turned to the doorway where my former co-worker stood wearing another oversized anime sweatshirt and plain cotton shorts, and she scrunched her wet hair with a towel to amplify her curls.

“I thought you were going to soak in the Jacuzzi.” I frowned.

“Too antsy.” My friend flashed me a weak smile. “But the hot shower was really nice.”

“Please, join us.” Laura stood immediately and gestured Mary over to the couch. “Would you like a drink?”

“Uhhhhh,” Mary said as she timidly sat next to me, and then she looked at the fancy glass in the agent’s hand with a hint of hesitation before she nodded. “Yes, please, anything is fine.”

I flashed the green-eyed woman a smile while Laura set about making another drink. My friend had been through a lot tonight, so she deserved some comfort.

“We were just figuring out the best course of action,” I said. “You feeling better?”

“Much,” Mary gushed as she continued to scrunch her hair, and she smiled over at me. “I wish you’d whisked me away sooner.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” I said with a wink just before Laura walked over to us and handed a fresh gimlet to Mary.

My blonde lover looked at my friend and then me with a knowing look in her eyes, and she grinned widely before taking her seat across from us.

“So, Mary,” Laura said. “We owe you a bit more explanation.”

“Yup, you do,” Mary said as she took a sip of her drink, and her eyes lit up. “What is this? It’s delicious!”

I marveled at the way my friend was handling this so far. Other than her outburst when we’d arrived at the penthouse, which I couldn’t blame her for, she seemed to be taking it all in stride with her usual bubbly attitude.

The agent smiled at the compliment. “It’s called a gimlet. I introduced them to Jonah recently also, so I’m glad you like it.”

“Yes, it’s great,” Mary said before she took another drink. “But you were about to explain…”

Laura shot me a look, and I nodded and leaned forward.

“We still have to keep some things quiet for now, for security reasons,” I explained. “But we can fill you in on the main points.”

Here, I paused and ran a hand through my hair. These things never got easier to explain. My life was so different from how it was just a few weeks ago, even I had trouble believing it sometimes. Poor Mary was going to be overwhelmed, so where should I even start?

“Remember that huge crime scene at CPS?” I finally asked as I looked up at my friend. “With all those dead guys behind the shop?”

The green-eyed woman nodded, but she didn’t speak as she watched me intently.

“Well, that was me.” I grimaced, but I quickly continued. “It was self-defense, don’t worry. I’m not some crazed killer.”

Mary’s brow knitted in confusion, and then she looked over at the FBI agent, who nodded to confirm I was telling the truth.

“You killed those people?” she asked, and there was a hint of fear to her quiet, subdued tone.

My heart sank as my friend learned this new information about me. The poor woman really had been through the wringer lately.

“It was them or Jonah,” Laura said firmly. “I know it’s a lot, Mary, but try to keep an open mind.”

“Alright…” My friend nodded and looked back at me, so I continued to explain the situation.

I started at the very beginning, from the mysterious man dropping off the unmarked box, the Ke-Beech cuffs attaching themselves to me, fighting off the gangsters. I even rolled up my sleeves to show the beautiful woman the tattoo-like designs on my wrists where the cuffs had once attached themselves.

Mary listened with rapt attention, and she interjected every once in a while with a question, but overall, she seemed to accept the insanity of the situation.

“And that’s how he came to the attention of the FBI,” Laura explained. “See, we have a whole task force working with and about these ancient relics, like the cuffs Jonah now possesses.”

“There are more of them?” Mary gasped as her eyes bulged.

“Probably more than we even know about.” Laura nodded and took over the talking. She explained her involvement in the task force and how it was born from her own historical studies and how she’d had to beg her Director to let her start the Hero Project.

She omitted all the details about the Black Market Group for now, so I followed her lead on that front.

“Wait,” Mary interjected, and she looked at me with a look of amusement and uncertainty. “The Hero Project? You’re part of something called the Hero Project?”

I grinned at my pretty friend. “That’s right.”

“And we want you to be part of it, too,” Laura added.

“Me?” the curly-haired girl asked and blinked rapidly in confusion. “But… I don’t have any superpowers like Jonah.”

“Neither do I.” Laura shrugged. “There’s a whole team of us without powers, but we have other skill sets.”

“Besides,” I added. “You’re too involved now, Mary. You have just as much to lose as the rest of us if the Sigil Killer is still out there and coming for you.”

“You keep saying he’s coming for me, but why would he want me? I’m nobody.”

“Not to me,” I said as I put my hand over my friend’s, but then I grimaced in apology. This was the part I dreaded the most. “But the Sigil Killer… Well, he might be using you to get to me.”

I launched into a quick and abridged version of my time on the dark web forums and explained how Leiber_49 had caught my attention with his rants about the copycat killer and details about the Sigil Killer’s rituals. Then I explained the private message he’d sent me that named her. It was difficult to do, but I needed Mary to understand she was in real danger here.

“Oh, Jonah,” the green-eyed beauty breathed when I finished, and tears swam in her pretty green eyes. “So, you did all this tonight just to protect me?”

“Of course,” I said instantly. “I care about you, Mary. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“Jonah is a great protector,” Laura confirmed, and she flashed me a proud grin. “You know, it was him who took down the copycat killer. In fact, it was Jonah who figured out there even was a copycat in the first place.”

“Really?” Mary asked as her head snapped to me again.

“I had help,” I said with a smile at Laura, but I still preened a little under the appreciative gazes of the two beautiful women. “And I wasn’t the first to figure it out. Calvino-- that’s my contact at Bellamy PD-- he had his suspicions. And the people on the forums figured it out, too. It’s the higher-ups at the Bellamy PD who don’t want to admit their own oversight.”

“Still,” Laura pressed. “You were the one who took him down.”

“I mean, yeah, I beat the guy senseless.” I grinned. “But like I said, I had help.”

“Not tonight against Raymond,” Mary pointed out.

“Raymond?” Now, it was the FBI agent’s turn to look confused.

“My ex-boyfriend,” Mary explained and rolled her eyes. “He was outside my building when Jonah came to get me. He was probably going to try to convince me to come back again, but Jonah was there, so Raymond got angry. And then Jonah, well, he…”

Mary trailed off with a grin and batted her eyes up at me.

“Beat the crap out of him,” I finished for Mary and returned the grin.

“Always the hero, this one,” Laura chuckled and sat back with an impressed smile on her face.

“It was pretty awesome,” Mary confirmed as her cheeks flushed a dainty pink.

“So, Mary,” Laura prompted. “Are you interested in helping us out with the Hero Project? Jonah tells me you’re into computers?”

“Oh, yeah! That’s so sweet you remembered, Jonah.” The pretty brunette nodded enthusiastically and then looked at me in appreciation before she turned back to Laura. “I have taken a few computer-related classes. Coding, comp sci, I even took a computer forensics one. I was really into Criminal Minds at the time.”

“Good, that’s good.” Laura nodded while Mary spoke. “I’ll need to convince the Director to bring another civilian on board, so if there are any other skills you possess that could help us convince him, that would be ideal.”

“Well,” Mary had a devilish grin, “I speak a few languages.”

“Really?” I looked at my curly-haired friend in surprise. “I didn’t know that.”

The emerald-eyed beauty shot me a sly smile. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Jonah. Yet.”

“Languages are an excellent skill set, we don’t have any of those on the task force yet,” Laura said as she cocked her head and studied my friend. “Which languages?”

“I’m fluent in German, my grandfather was from Berlin. I’m conversational in Japanese and Mandarin. I’m pretty decent at Latin, and I can read some Arabic.” Mary listed off the languages on her fingers and then shrugged. “I can understand some others as well, but those are the main ones.”

“Mary, that’s seriously impressive.” I stared at my friend with a newfound respect. “When did you learn all of that?”

“Well, like I said before, Raymond stayed out late most nights, and he didn’t like me going out on my own, so I spent a lot of time reading and taking online courses. I just thought languages were fun, I didn’t think I’d use them for anything, though.” The woman shrugged again.

Raymond was terrible for Mary, there was no doubt about that. But in a weird way, that useless jerk had helped her. The poor woman had spent most evenings alone in her unfulfilled relationship and had used the time to improve herself instead of wallowing in self-pity.

Mary was right, there was a lot I didn’t know about her yet.

But I couldn’t wait to learn more.

“I agree with Jonah, very impressive.” The blonde agent nodded. “That will definitely help convince the Director to let you on board. I’ll speak with him formally tomorrow, but I’m thinking we’ll set you up with Sammy, that’s our tech guy on the Hero Project. You could take on a sort of intern role with him for the duration of the project. What do you think?”

“Are you serious?” Mary asked, and her green eyes widened in amazement. “I think that sounds incredible! I can’t believe it. Literally. Like… I’m actually going to be working with the FBI on a task force called The Hero Project, with people who have freaking superpowers? You guys definitely aren’t messing with me, right?”

My friend looked between me and my lover with expectant eyes, but I just chuckled and patted her hand.

“We are definitely not messing with you,” I assured the eager brunette.

“Look, I’ll show you,” Laura said before she rose and made her way to the table, where her handbag sat halfway open. She fished out her badge and brought it over to Mary and me, and then she flipped it open for Mary to see her photo next to her FBI credentials.

“That is so cool!” Mary squealed and wiggled in her seat. “This is unreal, I can’t believe it’s really happening.”

“Tell me about it.” I smirked. “You’ll have to give up your job at CPS, at least for a while. Are you okay with that?”

“You mean I have to tell Rudy I quit?” The curly-haired woman chewed her lip, and for the first time tonight, she looked outright nervous.

I laughed. “I can help you if you want.”

“You’re a real hero.” Mary shot me another grin.

“Isn’t he just?” Laura said, and the fit blonde gave me a look that would have definitely led to more if Mary wasn’t sitting right there.

“I do my best.” I smiled between the two women before I checked my watch and grimaced. “Alright, ladies. It’s getting late, and I should probably head back to Bellamy. Mary, you sure you’re okay to stay here for a while?”

“Uh, yeah, I think I’ll be okay here,” she giggled and gestured widely to the luxurious penthouse.

“Good,” I chuckled. “I can swing by your apartment and bring you more things if you need them.”

Mary nodded. “I’ll probably need some more things soon, I can text Lacy to get everything ready for you.”

“Perfect.” I turned to Laura. “Thank you for letting her stay.”

“There was no question.” The blonde woman waved away my gratitude. “We couldn’t just leave her out there for the Sigil Killer like a sitting duck.”

“Agreed.”

“And, like you said, we figured out a solution I think the Director will approve of,” Laura added and shot me a wink.

“Teamwork makes the dream work.” I smirked.

“That’s right,” the agent grinned. “So, you and Elaine will meet us at the Clubhouse tomorrow to introduce Mary to the rest of the team?”

“Definitely,” I confirmed. Then I shot a smile at the curly-haired woman. “So, excited for your first day tomorrow?”

“You have no idea! And I can’t wait to meet your girlfriend.” Mary said, and then she stood and stretched. “I think I’m going to go to bed,” she announced. “I want to be nice and rested for tomorrow.” The small woman slid in front of me and batted her eyes up at me. “Thank you both so much for everything you’ve done for me. You’re a really great friend.”

I opened my arms, and the brunette fell into the hug. Then we squeezed each other for a moment, and I noticed Laura watching us with an intrigued look on her face.

Finally, Mary pulled away from my embrace and shuffled over to Laura. The two exchanged a hug, and then Mary waved at us as she bounced to her guest room.

“She’s cute,” Laura said as we watched the brunette go. “Have you two ever…?”

I shook my head. “Nope, she’s been with Raymond as long as I’ve known her.”

“Until now,” Laura pointed out.

“Until now,” I confirmed.

“Hmm.” The beautiful blonde shot me a look beneath her long lashes and closed the distance between us. “This may be something Elaine and I have to discuss.”

“I don’t know,” I said and reached out and pulled the fit blonde into me until her tight body was pressed up against mine. We exchanged a sultry look before I leaned down and kissed her deeply, and my cock stirred underneath my jeans. “I think I’ve got my hands full with the two of you already.”

“Mmm,” Laura purred as she slid her arms around my shoulders. “I bet you could handle another one. With the way you fuck, and how much you cum, I know you could satisfy all three of us at the same time.”

My grip on my lover tightened, and I pulled her away from my body for a second before I slammed her back against me so she could feel my cock straining through my pants. Then I reached down and cupped her firm ass. I squeezed and spanked it until my blonde lover whimpered into my ear.

“I’d love the chance to try,” I growled into her ear. Then I kissed her again before I pulled away. “But not tonight. It is getting late, so I should get on the road.”

“I know,” Laura sighed, but she released her grip on me, picked up her cocktail, and drained the remnants while I gathered my things to leave. Then my beautiful lover followed me to the door, and we kissed goodbye one last time before I made my way down to the Lincoln.

Once I was in the car, I shot a quick text to Elaine to let her know I was on my way back to Arbor Shoals and I would see her soon, and my girlfriend replied instantly.

Can’t wait to see you. Bring food, please.

Her usual kissy face and black heart emojis signed off the text, and I smiled before I pointed my car in the direction of Bellamy and drove. I played one of my girlfriend’s favorite playlists, but my mind was racing with theories about the Sigil Killer.

Now that I was certain Mary was out of harm’s way, I needed to work on a plan to catch this sick bastard once and for all. His next attack was due to take place in two weeks, so I needed to make sure that didn’t happen. I couldn’t let any more women in Bellamy die, not when I had the power to stop it. Sure, I’d taken down the copycat, and that was something at least, but the real threat was still out there. Since Mary was out of the picture, the Sigil Killer would target another innocent woman, and the thought made my blood boil.

I was more determined than ever to catch this asshole.

I stopped at my favorite pizza place on my way back to Arbor Shoals, and I ordered two large stuffed crusts with extra cheese and waited in the small restaurant for the pies. Then I looked around at the people eating and felt a brief moment of envy.

I didn’t know if I would ever be able to live a normal life, or if I was now destined to the superhero life the cuffs had forced upon me. I did love my new life and new power and new girlfriends. On the other hand, I hated how I was constantly putting my women in danger, but I needed to remind myself they knew what they’d signed up for. And they were no strangers to danger anyway. My Israeli girlfriend had been in one of the toughest military services in the world, and Laura was a full-fledged FBI agent, so I couldn’t have picked better partners to take on this journey with me.

“Jonah?” The cute girl behind the counter held up two pizza boxes, and I stood and took them from her.

The tantalizing smell of melted cheese made my mouth water.

“Thank you, darling.” I flashed her a grin, and she blushed.

“No problem,” she giggled and waved goodbye as I left the restaurant.

I got back in the Lincoln and made the short drive to Arbor Shoals. Then I navigated the black car into a parking space and turned the engine off, but didn’t get out of the car. I studied the perimeter of my apartment building and looked for any signs that Sigil Killer had been there, but soon my stomach growled for the cheesy pizzas. Once I was satisfied there was nothing waiting in the shadows for me, I got out, locked the car, and headed into my building with the two boxes.

Then I went straight to Elaine’s door and knocked, and my exotic girlfriend answered the door looking as gorgeous as ever in a matched pajama set with a cropped hoodie and quilted shorts and knee-high socks.

“Hey, sexy,” she said as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed me. Then she took the pizza boxes from me, and I followed her into her cozy apartment while my girlfriend slid the boxes onto the counter and took out plates from the cabinet.

“What did you get up to tonight?” I asked Elaine. I wanted to hear how her night was before I stressed her out with more Sigil Killer talk.

“I finished up one of my papers. Then I did some more research on the occult angle. I think I have a couple good leads, so I ordered some books on the topic. They should be here sometime tomorrow.” The Israeli beauty shrugged as she served us up a few slices each, and then she sat next to me on the couch and handed me my plate. “So, how did it go? Is Mary okay?”

“Yeah, she’s safe. Laura was a bit hesitant to take in another civilian, but she understood how important it was.” I bit into the melted cheese and groaned.

My girlfriend giggled at my reaction to the pizza, but then she took a bite, and her eyes widened.

“This pizza is amazing,” Elaine moaned as she licked some runaway cheese from her finger.

“Best pizza in Bellamy,” I assured her before I went in for another bite.

“So, is Mary just going to stay at the penthouse until we catch the Sigil Killer?” Elaine asked with concern in her dark eyes.

I found her concern for my friend touching.

“Well, we had to fill her in some on the situation,” I said. “She was a bit upset with me for not explaining anything and just whisking her away to some penthouse in Chicago.”

“That sounds like a dream come true to me, but I can understand why she would require more information.” My girlfriend wriggled her feet until they were underneath my thigh, and she gave me a nudge with her foot.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “It was all a bit sudden for her. But we told her about the Hero Project and the real Sigil Killer still being out there since there was no way to keep everything secret from her if she was staying at the penthouse. Laura suggested Mary work with Sammy as an intern, and she’s going to talk to the Director tomorrow about bringing her on board.”

My tanned girlfriend nodded as she chewed on her pizza thoughtfully. “That’s a good plan. Keep Mary close and safe.”

We ate a few more pieces of pizza each while I explained more about what happened at the penthouse, and my girlfriend listened intently before she shook her head.

“What the night, huh?” she said.

“What a night,” I corrected as I smiled down at the exotic beauty. “But, you’re telling me. Oh! I almost forgot. Raymond, you know, Mary’s shitty ex, well, he showed up right as Mary and I were leaving her building.”

“Really?” Elaine’s dark eyes widened. “What happened?”

“He tried to fight me.” I shrugged. “I told him to drop it, but he insisted. Don’t worry, I didn’t use any of my power in front of Mary. I think she needs to be eased into it a little more.”

My girlfriend shot me a dazzling smile. “So, you kicked his ass, huh?”

“Yeah,” I conceded with a grin.

“My hero,” Elaine gushed. “But really, Jonah. You are so noble and kind. You really went out of your way for your friend tonight, it’s so sexy how considerate you are.”

“Thank you, baby.” I leaned over and planted a quick kiss on my girlfriend’s cheesy lips. “It’s also so sexy how badass and, well, sexy you are.”

We finished our pizzas, and Elaine tidied up before she joined me on the couch again. Then she bounced lightly as she sat next to me and crawled onto my lap.

“So,” she said with a sexy smile, and she straddled me and ran her fingers through my hair. “Did anything happen with you and Laura tonight?”

“No,” I said as I grabbed my girlfriend’s thin waist and ground her against my growing cock. “Not with Mary there. Well, a little make out session when Mary went to bed, but that’s it.”

“Mmm,” my lover purred into my ear. “Tell me all about it.”

“Well, I kissed her like this.” I slid my hand behind my girlfriend’s neck and pulled her mouth down to mine. Then I kissed her deeply, and our tongues slid against each other as I felt my erection growing.

“You’re a really good kisser, Jonah,” my Israeli girlfriend moaned into my mouth. “Tell me more.”

Chapter Three

“Then I did this.” I ran my hands down my girlfriend’s smooth, tanned back until I reached her perky ass, and I grabbed a cheek in each hand before I gave each a good, hard spank.

“Ohhh, Jonahhh,” Elaine gasped. “Then what?”

“That was all I had time for,” I rumbled, and my voice was thick with desire. “But now I’m going to do to you what I wanted to do to Laura in the penthouse, and I want you to beg for it.”

“Please, Jonah, please, fuck me like you wanted to fuck Laura,” the beautiful woman begged me as she tightened her grip on my neck, and her body practically vibrated with lust. “I want your big dick inside me so bad. It’s all I can think about sometimes when I’m alone here in my apartment.”

“Ohh, baby,” I moaned. “It’s so fucking hot when you say that.”

I stood with my lover wrapped around my body, and I carried her to her bedroom while she continued to kiss and bite up my neck and ear.

I was rock hard as I entered the bedroom and flipped on the light. Then I took my girlfriend to the bed and tossed her onto the bed.

“Oh!” Elaine giggled as she bounced on the mattress, but then she wiggled up toward the head of the bed and splayed her long limbs out. She looked like a pinup model with her dark mussed hair and her hooded chocolate-colored eyes, and I wanted nothing more than to worship every inch of her.

“Fuck, how did I get so lucky?” I grunted, and I covered her body with mine and kissed her hard before I stood and took off my shirt.

As I stripped, I looked down at my beautiful lover as she stared up at me with hungry eyes and bit her lip.

“Please, Jonah, I want you so bad.”

“You’ll get me,” I promised her. “But first…”

I pulled her up so she was sitting and slid off her hoodie, and her perky breasts greeted me with puckered nipples.

“Mmm, you have amazing tits,” I sighed before I pushed my lover back onto the bed and leaned over her. I kissed her on the mouth and then trailed down her neck and chest. She whimpered and bucked beneath me, and I circled a nipple with light kisses while my lover begged for more. Then I took the hard pink nipple into my mouth and sucked, and Elaine went wild underneath me.

“Oh, God, Jonah, oh, my god!” she gasped and arched against me.

“You like that?” I grinned up at her and slowly moved to the other nipple, but then I just paused and blew a breath of cold air over her pebbled nub.

“Oh, god, yes, I love it baby, more, please, please,” the beautiful woman whimpered, and her hands came down, threaded themselves into my hair, and urgently pulled me closer to her breasts.

She had asked so nicely, so I repeated the process of slowly circling, kissing, sucking, and biting on my lover’s other nipple until she could barely take it.

“Fuck me, Jonah, please,” Elaine begged as she tugged at my hair and pulled me away from her swollen nipples.

“Not yet.” I smiled, and then I moved on from her beautiful pink nipples and began a trail of kisses down her tight, flat stomach. I moved slowly and nibbled lightly sometimes, and I painted slow wet circles around her navel with my tongue.

“I can’t take it, Jonah,” my lover whined and looked down at me through hooded eyes. Then she ran her fingers through my hair and bucked her hips up toward me. “Please.”

“When I say so.” I shot her another devilish grin before I suddenly grabbed her shorts, pulled them down and off in one swift movement, and revealed a pair of pink panties that I could already see were drenched through.

“Cold!” my lover gasped and tried to close her legs, but I caught her knees and pushed them outwards.

“Pink, cute,” I teased as I stared at her soaking underwear. Then I leaned down and pressed my mouth to the pink cotton, and my lover bucked under me. I kissed her around her labia through the panties, and her breath caught in her throat when I located her clit and nibbled on it gently.

“Fuck!” Elaine cried out as she writhed beneath me.

“Oh, you really like that.” I grinned up at her before I pulled her pink panties off and dove back between my girlfriend’s beautiful legs. “You’re going to love this, then.”

I spread the lips of her labia to reveal the beautiful pink entrance of her perfect pussy, and I enjoyed the view for a moment before leaning down and licking her soaking wet entrance. I could feel her pussy getting wetter with each stroke of my tongue, so I moved up and gently nibbled on the lips before reaching her clit. I gave the beautiful woman’s clitoris the same care and attention I did to her perky nipples, and I slowly circled the small mound with my tongue to build anticipation. I changed pressure and rhythm while I slowly pulled the lips of her labia apart with one hand, and then I teased at the opening of her tight pussy with my fingertips.

“Oh, my god, Jonah!” My lover clenched the sheets and spoke through gritted teeth. “God, this feels… fucking amazing.”

I hummed against her instead of replying and kept working. I teased my fingertips deeper into her opening before pushing in hard with two fingers, and Elaine cried out in pleasure. Then I flattened my tongue and licked over her clit slowly and methodically while I continued to thrust my fingers into her.

The woman’s hips rose to meet the rhythm of my fingers while her pussy grew wetter and tighter, and I could feel her orgasm building.

“Oh, god, don’t stop, baby, don’t stop,” she babbled as her fingers wove themselves into my hair again and held me tight.

I listened to my girlfriend and continued licking and thrusting my fingers into her tight pussy, and then I looked up just as her eyes rolled back in ecstasy.

“I’m going to cum, baby. I’m going to… I’m going to… ahhhhhh…!” My beautiful lover grabbed my head and pressed it deeper into her pussy, and I felt her orgasm gush into my mouth as she came loudly.

I worked Elaine through the aftershocks, and then I raised myself onto my elbows and grinned up at her.

“Was that good for you, baby?” I asked, even though the evidence of my answer was still drying on my chin.

“My god, yes, Jonah, you are so good at that.” She grinned back at me, and her face was serene and relaxed from her orgasm.

“I’m not done with you yet.” I stood and started to unbutton my jeans.

“Wait,” My lover raised herself up, reached out to stop my hands, and batted her pretty dark eyes up at me. “Let me, please?”

“Mmm, if you insist,” I said as I leaned back and let my lover get to work.

Elaine unbuttoned my jeans and looked up at me with sultry eyes as she unzipped them. She maintained eye contact as she pulled the pants down to my ankles, and I kicked them off as anticipation started to burn like a smoldering fire in my gut. Then she took my throbbing erection in her hands through the straining fabric of my boxer shorts.

“Ohhh, fuckkk.” I sucked in air through my teeth.

“You are so hard, yet so soft, like velvet.” My exotic lover stroked my rock-hard cock through the fabric before she pulled down my boxer shorts, and she admired my straining cock for a moment before she licked it slowly from base to tip. Then she took me in her mouth slowly and tantalizingly, and she sucked gently and then with more force.

I could feel my pre-cum dripping into her eager mouth, but I wasn’t ready to be done yet, so I grabbed her wrists, pulled her up until she was standing, and kissed her hard.

“It’s my turn,” I growled, and then I spun my girlfriend around and pushed her down onto the bed so her tight ass was in the air.

“Do I finally get to feel your big, hard dick inside me?” The beautiful woman smiled at me over her shoulder and taunted me by waving her ass back and forth.

“When I say so.” I grabbed my lover’s perfect ass and gave it a spank.

“Yes, sir,” she giggled and pushed her ass back against my throbbing erection.

Her teasing was driving me insane, so I guided my cock to the entrance of her tight pussy, but then I pushed the tip through the lips of her pink labia and paused.

“What do you say?” I growled as I held myself there.

“Please,” Elaine begged and arched her back even farther. “Please, Jonah, give me your hard cock.”

“That’s a good girl,” I said and pushed myself into her tight pussy a fraction more. “Again.”

“Please, baby, please,” she whined. “I want it, I want it deep inside me, I… oohhhh-- Oh!”

I pushed in slowly until I finally grabbed her hips and thrust myself fully inside her pussy, and I felt her clench around my cock.

“Oh, fuck,” Elaine cried out before she buried her face in the pillow under her.

“That’s right,” I rumbled as I pulled myself out halfway. “Take it.”

Then I slammed back home, and I pounded her quivering pussy over and over while she continued to beg for more. With each hard thrust, her slick juices dripped out around my shaft and coated my pelvis, and I could feel the knot of my orgasm winding tighter and tighter in my gut, so I reached down and pulled her hair until her long neck leaned back toward me.

“Oh, god, Jonah, more, I’m going to cum again,” she whimpered, and I could see her face was scrunched up in ecstasy.

“Yeahhhhh, b-baby.” My voice shook as I continued to thrust. “Cum all over this hard dick you love so much.”

“I love it, baby, I love it. Oh, god, I’m cuuummm--”

My exotic lover couldn’t finish her sentence before her whole body convulsed in another orgasm. I almost slipped out as her ass bucked wildly, but I kept hold of her hips while she rocked on my cock.

Then I sensed my own orgasm building up, so I continued to slam my full erection into my girlfriend’s silky wet pussy, and I groaned as the pressure built and built.

“Oh, yes, Jonah, give it to me,” Elaine babbled as she rocked back into my hard thrusts. “Your big hard dick feels so good inside my little pussy, baby. I want you to cum inside it. Fill me with your superhero cum, Jonah. Oh, god, yes.”

“Shit, I’m close,” I growled, and I gritted my teeth as I slammed into her again and again.

“Me, too,” she whined, and then she reached a hand underneath and cupped my balls, which pushed me over the edge. Stars erupted in front of my eyes as the blood roared in my ears, and I felt Elaine’s walls clamp down around me as my cock started to jerk.

“Fuck, yes!” I moaned as I filled her tight pussy with my warm cum over and over again.

Our climaxes seemed to last forever, but then I was empty, and my heart was spinning down like an engine as we both slid down from our peaks of ecstasy.

“Oooh, Jonahhh,” my girlfriend sighed and then collapsed against the bed.

I collapsed with her for a moment, and I feathered soft kisses across the backs of her shoulders. We laid like that until Elaine began to giggle at the teasing brush of my lips, and then I pulled my cock out and watched with pride as my pearly-white cum dripped out of her swollen pussy lips.

“I love watching my cum drip out of you.” I smirked.

“I love feeling it drip out,” my girlfriend giggled. She wiggled her ass again, and a drop of my cum fell from her pussy onto the floor below us.

“Careful,” I chuckled. Then I slapped her ass gently, and another drop fell.

“I don’t mind making a mess for you,” my lover purred before she suddenly flipped onto her back, pulled me down on top of her, and kissed me deeply. “Have I told you how much I love your dick?”

“This one?” I smiled against her mouth and pushed my still hard cock against her pussy from a new angle.

“Mhmm.” My lover nibbled my ear. “I want more.”

“You want more?” I questioned as I propped myself up on my elbows and looked into her beautiful brown eyes. “You’re not too sore? We were going pretty hard.”

“I’m a little sore,” she admitted, and she trailed a hand down my chest as she seductively bit her lower lip. “But I just can’t get enough of you, Jonah.”

Her words caused desire to ignite in me once again like a wildfire, and in one fast motion, I grabbed my cock and guided it into her waiting pussy.

“Oh, God, Jonah!” Elaine cried out as her muscles clenched around me.

“Is this what you wanted?” I asked as I thrust into her hard. “You want me inside you?”

“Yes, yes,” she breathed and wrapped her arms around my neck. “Fuck, this feels good, Jonah. It’s perfect, it’s… oh, fuck… I think I’m going to cum again.”

“Do it,” I demanded and increased my speed, and I could feel her pussy gripping my dick in pleasure.

“Oh, God, I’m cumming!” Her beautiful body spasmed beneath me, and her eyes rolled back.

I kept rocking my cock inside her until she quieted down. Then I stopped and grinned at her.

“That was fast,” I teased.

“That was amazing,” Elaine gasped as she stared up at me with wide, dark eyes. “I have never cummed so fast in my life.”

“I aim to please,” I said before I started thrusting into her again, hard. “Now, I’m going to fill that pussy up with my cum again.”

“Yes,” she sighed and arched up into me. “Give me your cum, Jonah.”

Our second round of lovemaking was much slower and softer, and I slid in and out of my lover’s cream-flooded pussy while she whimpered in pleasure until I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Ahh, fuck, yes.” I felt my own orgasm explode inside my gorgeous girlfriend for the second time that evening, and she tightened around me for a third time.

“Jonah,” Elaine sighed as her final orgasm rippled through her body. This one was smaller than her previous ones, but I still felt the gush of our combined liquids as they dripped out around my shaft.

“God, I love you.” I collapsed onto her tight body, and our orgasms, sweat, and exhaustion blended our bodies into one.

“You fuck me so good.” My girlfriend nuzzled into my ear while I caught my breath. “I can’t wait to watch you fuck Laura again, I’m getting excited again just thinking about it.”

“Don’t get too excited,” I chuckled. “I’m not sure I could go for another round just yet.”

“Oh, I am very sure that you could,” Elaine giggled as she looked up at me, and her face was flushed from our lovemaking. “But you are right, it’s late. We should get to bed.”

“Yeah, we’ve got to be up early to meet Laura and Mary at the Clubhouse,” I agreed and pulled out of her, and a loud sucking sound made us both giggle.

Elaine jumped up to use the bathroom while I turned down the blankets and crawled into bed, and then I set my alarm so we had enough time to shower before we went into Chicago to the FBI Headquarters tomorrow.

My tanned lover appeared at the door moments later. I smiled over at her, and she did a little naked dance for me before she turned off the light and crawled into bed next to me.

I pulled her close, and she nuzzled into my neck as I kissed the top of her head.

“Good night, baby,” I whispered to my beautiful girlfriend.

“Good night, Jonah,” she whispered back, and her voice was heavy with sleep.

Then we drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, my alarm woke me up, and I switched it off before it could wake my sleeping girlfriend. I rolled over to see the tanned beauty still peacefully asleep, and I watched her chest rise and fall for a moment. Then I leaned over and kissed her gently until she woke up.

“Mmmm, good morning, handsome.” Elaine smiled against my lips and kissed me back.

“Good morning, beautiful,” I said, and my voice was still thick with sleep. I nuzzled into her neck, and she kissed the top of my head before nuzzling back into me.

“Can we just stay in bed and cuddle all day, please?” the beautiful woman groaned.

“I wish,” I said into her soft skin, and then I raised my face to hers and kissed her on the mouth. “But we have to get to the Clubhouse. Mary’s probably feeling overwhelmed with her first day there.”

“I know you are right, but I wish we could stay in bed,” my lover purred. She reached down under the covers and found my morning erection, and she stroked it gently while she nuzzled into my neck again.

I groaned into my girlfriend’s ear and thrust my hips against her hand, and I enjoyed the feeling of the beautiful woman stroking my cock for a moment before I gently pulled her hand away.

“You tease,” I growled.

Elaine giggled and lifted her face to mine for a kiss. “I know, I’m sorry, I can’t help it. I just love touching you so much.”

“You can have it all later,” I promised the beautiful Israeli as I ran my hands up and down her tight body.

“Promise?” she asked and looked up at me with her big, dark eyes.

“Promise.” I leaned down and kissed her one more time before we got out of bed and got ready for the day. Then I left Elaine to shower and dress in her apartment while I did the same in mine.

I plugged my phone into the charger when I got back to my apartment and showered quickly while I thought about the plan for the day. Mary would need to be brought up to speed on as much as possible if she was going to start working with Sammy. My interactions with Sammy had been pretty limited so far, but we got on well enough, so I was sure Mary would be safe in his hands. I also wondered if Laura had spoken to her Director already, or if the agent would just bring Mary in anyway.

Once I was done in the shower, I dressed in jeans and a black cashmere sweater that fit me just right, and I returned to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Then I caught sight of myself in the mirror and grinned.

All of the training at the Clubhouse and chasing down serial killers was really paying off because I could now see some muscles previously hidden by my excessive takeout habit. Of course, my excessive takeout habit was still in full swing, but at least I’d added in some exercise to balance it out.

I went back to my bedroom and packed up a duffle bag to bring to the FBI headquarters. I didn’t know if we would fit any training into our day today, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared, so I threw in one of my FBI t-shirts, a clean pair of joggers, a change of underwear, socks, and flip-flops for the shower. Then I put the packed duffle bag next to the door and waited for my girlfriend.

Half an hour later, Elaine knocked on my door, and I answered with an appreciative whistle. She looked stunning in one of her signature black crop tops underneath an oversized green and black plaid shirt. She also wore cutoff jean shorts over fishnet tights and black combat boots with slouchy black socks that peeked over the tops. Her heavy leather jacket only accentuated the tiny waist it protected, and she carried her own packed duffle bag.

“I swear, you get sexier every day.” I looked her up and down slowly so she could see me appreciating her.

My gorgeous girlfriend struck a pose and giggled. “I think the same about you, handsome. You ready to go?”

“Yes, one second.” I turned back into my apartment and grabbed my phone, wallet, keys, and duffel bag. Then I grabbed my girlfriend’s empty hand, and we made our way down to the Lincoln. The crisp morning air energized me, and I felt ready to take on the day.

But then, as we approached the Lincoln, I noticed a yellow piece of paper stuck under the driver’s side windshield wiper, and my good mood quickly evaporated. My heart thumped inside my chest as adrenaline began coursing through my body, and Elaine gasped and squeezed my hand when she saw the piece of paper. We both walked faster, and I searched the area for signs of anything out of place, but nothing jumped out at me.

“What the fuck is that?” I growled. I released my girlfriend’s hand and rounded the hood of the car, but she followed me closely. The yellow paper was folded in half, so I had to remove it to see what was written on it.

“Go on, Jonah,” my girlfriend encouraged me with a gentle elbow to my arm. “What does it say?”

I reached out and pulled the paper out from underneath my windshield wiper. Then I unfolded it and held it down so Elaine could see it, too.

The note contained two lines of typed text.

Tick-tock, Jonah.

One more day until Mary becomes a little lamb.

Chapter Four

“That fucking asshole,” I seethed. I looked around the parking lot again and hoped to see the psycho bastard still lurking somewhere close so I could destroy him, but we were the only ones standing around in the early-morning light. “I’ll kill him.”

“We’re going to catch him, Jonah,” Elaine said with a determination I admired her for.

“Damn right, we are. Let’s go.” I folded the note into my pocket, unlocked the car for Elaine, and went to the trunk to put our duffel bags in. Then we got into the car and buckled our seat belts, and I started to drive.

“He’s got some fucking nerve, I can’t wait to fucking kill him,” I grumbled, and my hands tightened around the steering wheel as I glared out of the windshield. I hated that the Sigil Killer had been so close, not just to me, but to Elaine. I still didn’t know how much he knew about my Israeli girlfriend, or if he knew anything at all, but I didn’t want to give him any information freely.

Shit. Had he been watching my apartment last night? Could he know I didn’t stay there? If he’d pieced together I was in my building last night, but not in my flat, then he could have figured out there was another woman in my life.

Elaine wasn’t exactly the Sigil Killer’s type when it came to victims, but I was sure he would probably make an exception if it meant getting to me.

“I believe you, baby.” My girlfriend’s voice had an edge to it. Then she reached out and clutched my arm. “You were right to get Mary out of Bellamy last night. He is too comfortable, this asshole. Who knows what he will do.”

I could tell the Sigil Killer’s violation had upset her, but she was a strong woman. She could channel her anger into helping us get closer to catching this bastard.

“Agreed, but she’s safe now,” I said and covered my lover’s hand with mine. Then I decided to try to lighten the mood before we met Mary and the others. There was no reason to add immediate stress to their days. “Plus, you get to finally meet her today. I know she’s looking forward to meeting you.”

“Oh, yes! I am looking forward to meeting your friend.” Elaine wrapped her fingers into mine and put on our favorite playlist with her other hand. We sang along to the songs all the way to Chicago, and it was nice to get our minds off the psycho stalker serial killer we had coming after us.

It wasn’t long before we were outside the official FBI building. I parked the Lincoln, and then Elaine and I put our FBI badges around our necks before we got our duffel bags out of the trunk and walked toward the building’s front doors holding hands. The people we passed gave my girlfriend and I curious looks when we passed them, but then again, we didn’t look like the typical FBI agents in their suits or business casual wear, especially Elaine in her fishnet tights. I could see the men look her up and down, and I walked tall with pride knowing so many men wanted my sexy girlfriend, but she was only interested in me.

We passed through the FBI security and made our way to the basement field office, and we found the Clubhouse was already buzzing with the morning crew.

“Jonah! Elaine!” Laura noticed us through the glass door of her office and waved us in, and I was a bit surprised to find her alone.

I wondered if she had Mary working with Sammy on her own already.

“Good morning,” I said when we entered the blonde agent’s office, and she stood and rounded her desk to greet us while my girlfriend and I put our duffel bags at our feet.

“Good morning, Jonah. Elaine.” She nodded at us both, clearly trying to keep up a professional appearance. But then she glanced around us and out the glass door windows, and when she was satisfied no one was watching us, she smiled at us coyly. “Nice to see you.”

“Yes, it is.” Elaine smiled sweetly at the beautiful agent and shot me a sexy look.

I smiled at the two women, but then looked around the room pointedly.

“Where’s Mary?” I asked.

“She’s safe, don’t worry,” Laura said. “She’s in the control room with Sammy. He insisted I get out of their way if he was going to do a proper job of showing her the ropes, but we can go check in on her.”

The blonde started toward the door, but I held up my hand first.

“Actually, I have something to show you first.” I pulled the folded piece of paper out of my pocket. “The Sigil Killer left this on my car, either last night after I got home or this morning before we left.”

The agent took the note and studied it with a frown on her pretty face. She read the two lines of text quickly and then turned the note over in her hands to inspect it for any other visible clues. When she found none, she looked back at me with a serious look on her face.

“He’s getting bolder,” the agent said.

“That’s what I said,” Elaine agreed quickly.

“Yeah.” I nodded. “We need to catch this bastard fast.”

“Let’s take this to Sammy and see if he can come up with anything from the print or something,” Laura suggested. “And check in on Mary at the same time.”

We picked up our duffel bags, and the blonde agent led us out of her office and to the control room where Sammy and Mary sat in identical swivel chairs facing a row of screens. The burly FBI tech dwarfed my small friend, and the top of her head barely reached his shoulders when they sat next to each other.

Sammy and Mary turned when they heard us come in, and Mary jumped up to greet us while Sammy stayed seated but waved at us from his chair.

“Jonah! Hi!” The curly-haired woman ran forward and threw herself at me for a hug, which caused me to drop my duffle bag. She held on tight before she took a step back and glanced at Elaine, but she looked suddenly shy as she ducked her head and fiddled with her fingers. “You must be Jonah’s girlfriend! He’s told me so much about you.”

“That’s me! And I’ve heard loads about you, too. I’m so glad we are finally meeting.” Elaine set her own duffle bag down, stepped forward, and pulled Mary in for a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.

I could see my friend relax, so she must have been nervous about meeting Elaine, but then the two women pulled apart with smiles on their faces.

“Oh, Mary.” Laura smiled at my curly-haired friend. “I just got off the phone with the Director before Jonah got here. He approved your intern position. Mostly because I told him you were already here and working. I got an earful for that, but your position is safe at least.”

“Yay, thank you!” Mary squealed and jumped up and down in an adorable way.

“My pleasure,” the agent assured her before looking over her shoulder. “Sammy, can I talk to you outside for a moment?”

The big computer whiz looked up at the sound of his name. Then he glanced over at me, Mary, and Elaine with a look on his face I couldn’t quite place before he turned back to Laura.

“Sure.” He stood and crossed the room in a few steps, and the two agents stepped outside, with Laura assuring us they would just be a moment.

“I think I’ll go put our duffel bags away in the locker room for now so we’re not dragging them around all day. I’ll get one of the guys to put yours in your usual place,” Elaine said and picked up both bags from the ground. Then she reached up, gave me a kiss, and smiled over at Mary. “It was so nice to meet you, I won’t be long, either.”

My girlfriend waved over her shoulder as she sauntered out, which left just me and Mary in the control room with its flickering screens and underlying sounds of electronic buzzing.

A moment of awkward silence passed between us, and I opened my mouth to try and break it but was beaten to the punch.

“She’s gorgeous, Jonah!” Mary gushed. “And she looks so cool, like she could be in a comic book or something.”

“Yeah.” I grinned and felt that sense of pride I’d experienced earlier grow in my chest again. “She’s pretty great, I’m a lucky guy.”

“Oh, I think she’s the lucky one, Jonah,” the green-eyed woman said as she smiled up at me. “You are an amazing man.”

“Thanks, Mary.” I flashed her a smile in return, but I changed the subject in case we were interrupted by Laura and Sammy. “How are you liking your first day here?”

“I love it!” Mary enthused before she glanced at the door nervously. “But…”

“What? Is there something wrong?” I frowned.

“No, nothing’s wrong,” the curly-haired woman assured me, though she looked concerned. “I just kinda feel like Sammy isn’t too thrilled about taking me on as an intern.”

“Oh,” I said in surprise. I didn’t know Sammy well enough to be sure, but he seemed like a good guy. “I’m sure that’s not true, but I’ll talk to him about it if you want.”

“No, no. I don’t want him to think I’m trying to get him in trouble.” Mary’s curls bounced as she shook her head, and then she giggled. “It’s okay. I’m sure he’ll come around, I just need to get him to warm up to me.”

“I’m sure that won’t be too much trouble.” I smiled down at her. “I liked you right away at Copy, Post, Ship.”

“Thanks, Jonah.” She blushed a pale pink. “Other than that, everything is great. Laura has been super cool and helpful.”

“Good,” I said. “She has been a great help to me as well. We’ll probably have a team meeting shortly, we usually have one every morning to recap where we’re at.”

As if on cue, Laura and Sammy entered the room again with disgruntled looks, but Laura at least tried to hide it. Then they came to stand next to us, and the blonde agent flashed us a smile.

“We’re meeting in five minutes with the rest of the team,” she said. “Mary, if you’ll come with me, I’ll show you the AV set-ups in our meeting rooms.”

“Sure,” my friend answered cheerfully.

“And Jonah, I need to speak with you briefly,” Sammy said in a more professional tone than he usually took with me.

“No problem, I’ll catch you two in the meeting room in a few minutes,” I said to the two women.

They waved and left the room, and I followed Sammy back to the control room desk. He sat in the chair he’d occupied before, and I sat in the one Mary had been sitting in.

“What’s up?” I asked the burly tech.

“Laura gave me this.” From his front shirt pocket, Sammy pulled out the yellow note that was now enclosed in a plastic bag. “She asked me to find out anything I can, but I wanted to tell you the same thing I told her because she didn’t want to hear it. It’s unlikely we will get any new information from this note. The paper looks standard, the font is a common one, I’ll need to analyze the ink, but I’m going to guess it’s just your run-of-the-mill home printer ink. I understand it’s a delicate situation with your… friend involved, but this is likely a dead-end. Laura insists I’ll be able to find something and insists I keep your… friend out of the loop on this one, but I’m trying to be realistic here.”

“I understand,” I said with a nod. “I know you always do all you can for us, and I appreciate that.”

“Sure.” The tech nodded back. Then he tucked the bag with the note back in his pocket and began unplugging the octopus of cords coming from his laptop so he could bring it to the meeting room and hook it up for all of us to see. “I want to catch this sicko just as much as the rest of you.”

“We’re getting closer, I can feel it,” I assured him, but I lingered for a moment since I was unsure if I should ask Sammy about Mary. I’d assumed Sammy’s dislike of Mary was all in my friend’s head, but now I started to think she might be right, so I decided on an indirect approach and kept my voice light. “So, how are you liking your new intern?”

“She’s fine,” the bearded tech grunted unconvincingly. He avoided eye contact and continued to prepare his laptop.

“Just fine?” I prompted.

“It’s just…” The agent stopped what he was doing, blew out a breath, and tugged at his beard before he answered. “She’s kind of young.”

“Oh,” I said in surprise. “She’s the same age as me, only a few months younger.”

“Yeah, but you’ve got the cuffs,” he pointed out. “And Elaine has the military experience. Do you know how long it took me to get this job? How many interviews and background checks and setbacks and delays I had to endure? And that’s with a degree, years of experience, and nonstop work. Then your hot friend just waltzes onto the team I helped create, she’s put under my training without anyone consulting me, or, hell, even the Director, and it’s just kind of frustrating, you know?”

“Shit, man, I get that.” I winced. Sammy wasn’t that much older than me, but I’d never considered the process he would have had to go through to get into the FBI if he wasn’t gifted the powers of an ancient civilization artifact like I had been. I wouldn’t have even thought about applying for the FBI, but it was possible Sammy had been working toward his goal since he was a teenager. “It is unfair how we were all able to walk onto your team after you had to work so hard for it. But Mary is a lot more useful than she seems to be on the surface. And with a little bit of help from you, I guarantee she’ll be a fast learner. I was responsible for her training at CPS, and she caught on faster than anyone else. I think you should give her a good, honest chance. Besides, how many languages do you speak?”

“Yeah, she’s good with the languages, I’ll give her that,” the gruff tech admitted, and he considered my request for a moment before he nodded. “Alright, I’ll give her a genuine chance, but if you want me to take her seriously as part of the team, we need to tell her about this note.”

“Okay,” I agreed with the bearded agent. “That makes sense. She needs to know how deep she is in this. Maybe Laura is trying to protect her by not telling her, but I think Mary can handle it. She’s stronger than you think.”

“Alright, we’ll talk about it in the meeting.” The tech lifted his untethered laptop to show he was ready to go and gestured to the door. “Shall we?”

We exited the control room and made our way around the corner to the line of meeting rooms, and the lights were off in all of the rooms except Meeting Room C. As we approached the glass office, I could see Elaine, Laura, and Mary gathered around the corner where Sammy’s laptop would go, and it looked like Laura was showing them how to set it up.

The three beautiful women looked up when we entered the room and shot me dazzling smiles. I grinned back at the lovely ladies and felt unbelievably lucky to be sleeping with not one, but two of these gorgeous women.

“Welcome, gentlemen.” Laura regained her professional composure and quickly dropped the smile. “Are we ready to get started?”

“Just need a minute to set this up.” Sammy lifted the laptop again before he set about plugging it into the dangling cords on the corner desk.

The women all took a seat around the rectangular conference table and waited, but I stayed standing next to Sammy.

“Hey,” I whispered as I leaned toward the burly agent. “Let me see that note.”

“Really?” he asked and shot a look over his shoulder to the waiting women. “Now?”

“I think that’s best,” I said and held out my hand.

Sammy shrugged, reached into his pocket, pulled out the plastic bag, and handed it to me before he returned to his task.

Then I turned to my two girlfriends and friend, who were watching me with expectant eyes, and I held the note up for all of them to see.

“Jonah,” Laura said with a warning tone to her voice, and she shot a dubious look at Mary. “I don’t think we need to get into that right now.”

Elaine looked between us but kept her facial expression neutral, and I wondered if she thought I was making the right call or if she agreed with Laura that we should keep this from Mary for now.

“I think Mary needs to see this,” I said before I walked over to Mary and placed the note on the table in front of her. “This was on my windshield this morning.”

“What is it?” Mary leaned forward and read the note quickly, and her eyes widened at the mention of her name. Then she looked up at me with fear in her pretty green eyes, and I felt a pang of sadness for the poor woman. “Oh, my god, Jonah, is this from the Sigil Killer? The real one?”

“Yes,” I answered solemnly. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but I think it’s important for you to understand how real this threat is.”

“I understand,” the small woman squeaked out, and she read the note twice more with an ashen look on her face. Then she pushed the note across the table back toward me. There was a look of determination on her freckled face, and I was surprised again at my former colleague’s ability to take this all in stride. “What’s the plan, then?”

“Well,” I said as I picked up the note and rounded the table to stand next to Sammy again. The agent had his laptop set up and linked to the big screen, and he’d projected the program he’d created to track the serial killers onto the screen, but a red banner blinked across the screen that said ERROR. “We might have a couple of leads, but let’s hear from Sammy first.”

“Thanks, Jonah.” He nodded at me as we traded places, and I stood in front of the laptop while he moved in front of the screen. Then he indicated the blinking error banner. “As you can see, the program here can’t come up with an accurate prediction for when the Sigil Killer will strike next. It worked great for the copycat, but his intentions were more… predictable. We know the Sigil Killer follows a monthly pattern, but we haven’t been able to discern what it follows. Any ideas or suggestions there would be greatly appreciated at this point.”

Sammy paused to give us the chance to brainstorm.

“Is it related to the moon at all?” Mary asked timidly. “Something to do with what phase it’s in? Or is that stupid?”

“It’s not stupid at all, Mary, it’s a really great theory.” I shot the beautiful woman a smile, and she blushed at the compliment.

“Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case,” Sammy continued. “We’ve run all possible scenarios, and we couldn’t find any connection based on the previous murders.”

The tech agent paused again, but no one spoke.

“Well, that’s something we’ll have to figure out sooner rather than later. We’ve got just under two weeks until the next attack is due.” Sammy stepped over to the laptop and clicked a button, and his program was replaced by the photos of the messages from Leiber_49 I’d sent him. “As for new information, I’ll let Jonah take over from here.”

The burly man sat down in the chair closest to the laptop, and I returned to my position in front of the screen and gave the women a moment to read the message. While I had told them all about it, they hadn’t actually read it until now. Various looks crossed the faces of the women ranging from fear, to anger, to determination, and when they finished reading, they turned their rapt attention back to me.

“As you can see, we’ve now made direct contact with the Sigil Killer under his online alias Leiber_49. It had been a working theory until he sent me this message,” I briefed the room. “He was in contact again this morning via the note on my windshield, which means he’s getting bolder, and there is a possibility he will stray from his usual routine.

“I’ve assigned a surveillance team to Arbor Shoals,” Laura spoke for the first time since the meeting began. “In case the Sigil Killer tries to make contact again.”

“Do you think…” Elaine glanced at me and then shot a quick look at Mary before she turned back to me and shook her head. “Never mind.”

“No, tell us,” I insisted. “We need any ideas we can get right now, and your ideas are always good.”

“I was just wondering,” my Israeli girlfriend said, but I could sense her hesitation. “I just thought, I mean, I wonder if we could draw out the Sigil Killer the same way we did with the copycat.”

Instinctively, we all looked at Mary, who stared back at us in confusion.

“What?” the curly-haired woman asked innocently.

“No,” Laura said immediately. “I mean, maybe, but not with Mary.”

“What are we talking about?” Mary pressed the group.

“Well,” I began, “we caught the copycat by using Laura as bait. She fit the MO, and we knew he was escalating and likely to take someone that night. But don’t worry. We aren’t going to use you as bait.”

“Why not?” the green-eyed woman demanded with a sudden fire in her eyes. “I can be bait. I mean, we already know he wants me, right?”

“No,” Laura said again, and this time her tone was sharp. “Mary, do you understand how that could go terribly wrong? The copycat killer literally had me by the neck. I’m trained in hand-to-hand combat and confident in my abilities, but if Jonah hadn’t been there, who knows if I’d have made it out alive.”

“Well, Jonah is going to be there if I go out as bait, right, Jonah?” The curly-haired woman turned back to me.

“Yes, but…” I stalled. I appreciated Mary’s willingness to offer herself as bait, but I didn’t think it was a good idea since she didn’t have the training or experience that Laura and Elaine had.

“The Director would never allow it,” Laura interjected.

“So don’t tell him.” Mary shrugged. “You didn’t tell him I was coming here in the first place, just don’t tell him this, either.”

Sammy snorted, and we all looked at him.

“Sorry,” he said with a grin. “But she’s got a point.”

“I shouldn’t have said anything,” my tanned girlfriend sighed and waved her hands in front of her. “I didn’t mean Mary to be the bait, maybe Laura in a wig or something.”

“That could work,” Laura said thoughtfully.

“Or me,” Mary said as she waved a hand at her head. “No wig required.”

“It’s out of the question, Mary,” the blonde agent countered, but she spoke kindly. “I appreciate that you want to help, but this is not the best place for you to do so.”

“Fine.” Mary crossed her arms and scowled, but she was almost too cute for me to take her seriously. “But I’m probably going to bring it up again.”

“I’m still going to say no,” Laura insisted.

“Let’s move on,” I interjected. “We can discuss a bait option when we know more about when he’s going to strike. Good idea, though, Elaine.”

“Thank you, Jonah.” My Israeli lover shot me a sexy smile.

I saw Laura notice our look, and she grinned before she quickly caught herself. She didn’t want Mary and Sammy to notice us exchanging smoldering looks.

“Actually, I have something that might help,” Elaine continued. “I bought some occult books last night, and they should be here by this afternoon. I can study those to see if I can find any connections to the monthly rituals. They’re all related to Aleister Crowley and Jack Parsons. But actually, Sammy and Mary, I’ll need your help. The guy at the bookstore told us to download the torrents for the original books by Crowley and Parsons. Remember, Jonah?”

“Yeah,” I remembered before I looked between the bearded agent and the small woman. “Moonchild by Crowley and The Book of Babalon by Parsons. Can you guys get copies of the originals for us?”

“I should be able to help,” Mary piped up, and she seemed pleased to be able to contribute after Laura had shut down her bait trap hopes. “The occult uses a lot of Latin, maybe I will recognize something. I mean… if that’s okay with Sam, since you’re technically my boss.”

“That’s fine,” Sammy assured Mary, and he seemed to have really taken to heart what I’d asked him about giving Mary a chance. “That will probably help us out a lot.”

“Good.” I nodded. “That sounds like a good plan. I might work on some training, to get this kinetic energy under control.”

“Kinetic what?” Mary gave me a quizzical look.

“I’ll show you later,” I chuckled. “Anything else from anyone? Sammy?”

“I’m going to work on analyzing this note.” The bearded agent patted his pocket. “And do a little more digging into these dark web forums, see if Leiber_49 has popped up anywhere else. After I help Mary with the torrents, but I have a feeling she will be just fine without me.”

“That’s great, will we have a debrief meeting here before we leave for the day, say five o’clock?”

There was a murmur of agreement amongst the group.

“Alright, good meeting, team.” I tapped my knuckles on the table to indicate the end of the meeting.

Laura and Elaine immediately began chatting, and Sammy busied himself unplugging the multiple cords poking out from his laptop. Meanwhile, Mary sidled up to me with a look of admiration in her emerald eyes.

“I didn’t realize you were the leader of the group, I thought you were just part of it,” my friend whispered loudly to me.

“I’m not the leader,” I chuckled in surprise. “I’m only one of the team, like everyone else.”

“Doesn’t look like that to me.” She crossed her arms and shot me a smile. “You just ran that whole meeting.”

“I guess.” I shrugged. “It’s Laura’s task force, though, I’m at her disposal.”

I didn’t consider myself to be the leader at all. It was Laura’s, or, in this case, FBI Agent Laura Mayhew’s project, I was just a part of it. I guess if I did look back over the last couple of weeks, there were a few times that I had stepped up to lead a meeting or head a field outing. I thought that was more because tracking down the Sigil Killer wasn’t entirely FBI approved. And my contact in the Bellamy PD, Detective Calvino, was on forced holiday because his superiors didn’t want to hear any more about the Sigil Killer, so I was a sort of liaison between the two.

“I swear, it’s like you were Rudy at CPS,” the brunette giggled. “Laying down the law, telling everyone what to do. I like seeing this side of you.”

I snickered at my friend comparing me to our old boss, Rudy. Rudy was a bit of a blowhard, but he was efficient and an overall decent guy, so I took it as a compliment to be compared to him.

“Thanks.” I grinned at the small woman. “I guess you’ll be seeing more of that if you’re sticking around here.”

“Well, I’m glad I am.” Mary batted her eyes up at me.

Soon, our conversations wound down as a group, and we started to leave the meeting room.

Then there was a sudden loud beep from both Laura and Sammy’s phone. They shared a look and pulled out their FBI-issued black smartphones to check the source of the alarming beeps. Both agents frowned at their screens, but Sammy immediately moved to the AV corner to hook it up to the screen for all of us to see.

“We get immediate notifications of any terrorist possibilities,” Sammy explained. “Our guy just sent us this link to a breaking news report.”

A large version of Sammy’s messages appeared on the projector screen. I didn’t recognize the sender, someone outside of the Hero Project, probably, but the message contained a Channel Seven news link. Sammy clicked the link, and a video opened.

The newest anchor to the Chicago news channel, Sandra Tanner, stood in a field with a solemn face. Behind her there was a water tower sticking into the sky like a sore thumb, and at least a dozen police cars, fire engines, and other official vehicles were parked around the tower, some with their lights flashing.

“Good afternoon, I’m Sandra Tanner from Channel Seven, reporting live from Middleville, where a biological attack has reportedly occurred.”

Chapter Five

Biological attack? Fuck, what did that mean?

“Authorities were alerted of a recent string of related illnesses,” the serious reporter continued. “Those affected were all employees of the Middleville water treatment center, where authorities discovered a dead cow deposited into one of the tanks, along with an empty vial of what they feared might be anthrax nearby.”

“Oh, god,” Mary said as she wrinkled her nose.

“Shh,” Sammy shushed Mary, but not too harshly, and the burly agent’s eyes hadn’t left the screen.

“Now, just to be clear, the body of the dead cow was not found in the water tower you can see behind me now.” The reporter gestured to the tall tower behind her. “The body of the dead cow was discovered at the Middleville Water Treatment Plant, located just three miles from the tower, but the water from the tower is currently being tested to assess if all the town’s remaining water supply has been tainted.”

The screen changed to an overhead shot of the Middleville Water Treatment Plant, where three police cars and one fire engine could be seen in the small parking lot next to the office building.

“The Middleville authorities required the help of the local Fire Department and Chicago Animal Control to remove the body of the dead cow from the water tank,” the reporter continued. “Using a combination of forklifts, pulleys, and trained divers, they were able to remove the animal fully from the water tank at approximately ten this morning.”

The camera cut to prerecorded footage of the police tent set up around the dead cow’s body outside the treatment plant. People in hazmat suits entered and exited the tent, and between the flimsy flaps of the entrance, I could see the cow’s inert body.

Then the video changed to footage of cows grazing together at the farm the dead cow probably came from, and the cows continued to chew their grass while staring into the camera completely unaware a member of their own had been used to poison people.

“The cow is said to have come from a local beef farm. But here is where the story gets even stranger.” The reporter’s voice remained strong and professional, but I thought I could detect a hint of curiosity her professionalism couldn’t completely mask. “Middleville authorities have revealed that the dead cow pulled from the town’s water supply was, in fact, disfigured in some way with strange marks similar to those of the recently captured and jailed Sigil Killer.”

One of the women behind me gasped, but I couldn’t be sure which one.

“As of this time, it’s uncertain whether these marks were burned or carved into the unfortunate bovine victim and whether they are the exact same marks the serial killer used or instead some sort of strange homage to Darryl Young,” Sandra Tanner continued to report.

The video had cut back to the tall, professional reporter, and the police cars could be seen in the background again. The officers surrounding the cars looked lost, like they had no idea how to handle the situation.

“The Middleville Police Department currently have no suspects in the investigation, but here we see the Chief of Middleville Police Department about to give a brief statement of the incident.”

The camera cut to a portly older man in his sixties with a head full of silver hair and deep wrinkles on his face. He wore a tan uniform that looked a little too snug in the middle, and a banner ran along the bottom of the screen that said CHIEF WILLIAM BOONE.

“Middleville PD is currently investigating every possible lead,” the silver-haired chief spoke in a gruff voice, like he really didn’t want to be in front of the cameras. “There are no current suspects. That’s all for now, folks.”

Then the Middleville Police Chief stepped away from the cameras as the reporters shouted questions at him.

Man of few words. He kind of reminded me of my old boss Rudy.

Then a woman wearing a tan lieutenant’s uniform stepped forward and motioned for the reporter’s attention, and her name tag said Plum. Interesting name, I noticed. The uniform fit the lieutenant much better than it had the chief, and Lieutenant Plum had an endearing smattering of freckles across her nose that went well with her strawberry-blonde hair.

“We’ll report more as we know it, folks. If you drink a lot of tap water and you’re not feeling well, be sure to go ahead and get checked out.” The attractive officer spoke with a slight Southern drawl before she held up her hands to indicate she was finished speaking, and then she followed behind the Chief.

Reporters continued to shout after the officers, but the Channel Seven News camera cut back to Sandra Tanner in the field in front of the water tower.

“Could it be an individual, or a group of individuals protesting the arrest of Darryl Young?” the reporter speculated, and she gazed into the camera intensely. “A bizarre shout-out to the soon-to-be convicted Sigil Killer? Or is there something more sinister at play here? Stay tuned to watch the story unravel with Channel Seven news. I’m Sandra Tanner, Channel Seven News.”

The video ended, and the room was silent for a moment as we all continued to stare at the screen.

“Middleville?” Mary broke the silence. “That sounds like some town where they don’t even realize they’re in a big creepy cult, but they totally are.”

“Biological attack,” I repeated the reporter’s words. “That’s a big jump from snatching women off the streets. Are we sure this is the Sigil Killer?”

“No,” Laura said immediately, and she had a deep frown on her face. “But we need to find out for sure. The Middleville police released way too much information and way too soon, but at least they had the good sense not to air the actual images of the marks carved or burned into the dead cow.”

“Where is Middleville?” Elaine asked as she looked between us all. “Is it… in the middle of Illinois? Is it a joke? Sorry, I am being serious, I don’t know.”

“It’s about a forty-five-minute drive away,” I explained. I also chuckled to myself at my girlfriend’s mispronunciation of the state we live in, but I guessed no one had told her not to pronounce the S. “It’s toward the middle of the state, I guess, but not exactly. There’s not much going on there. I drove through it once, but I don’t remember it being very exciting, so I didn’t stop. Does anyone else know anything about it?”

Laura and Mary shook their heads no.

“It sounds… familiar,” Sammy said slowly, like he was trying to remember where the town name sounded familiar from, and his face was screwed up in concentration. “There was something about that place recently, what was it?”

Silence answered his question, and the burly agent glanced around at everyone in the room.

“Sorry, rhetorical question,” he continued. “If you guys give me, like, twenty minutes, I’ll get everything I can on the town.”

“How about this,” I suggested after I noticed the clock on the wall said it was lunchtime. My stomach growled at the same moment, and I looked around quickly, but no one had seemed to notice, so I continued speaking. “Elaine and I will go get lunch for the team, and then we’ll reconvene here in thirty minutes and go over everything Sammy’s found about Middleville and plan our next moves?”

“Sounds good,” Laura said, with her phone already in her hand. “I need to call the Director, get his input on the situation. I’ll meet you all back here in half an hour.”

Then the blonde agent strode out of the room with a quick nod as she put her phone to her ear, and I watched her disappear around the corner, already deep in conversation with the Director.

“Any requests for lunch?” Elaine asked the remaining team members, but Sammy was already tapping at his computer.

“Anything is fine for me,” the tech said over his shoulder before he waved and caught Mary’s attention. “I can show you the FBI database for weird culty towns like Middleville, if you’d like.”

“There’s a whole database?” Mary’s green eyes grew wide with excitement.

“There’s a database for everything you can imagine,” Sammy confirmed.

“So cool,” Mary giggled as she slid her chair next to Sammy’s, and they ducked their heads and began to work.

“Alright, we’ll get… something for lunch and see you guys soon,” I said to Sammy and Mary’s backs.

“Okay, see you soon!” Mary called after me.

Sammy lifted his hand in acknowledgment but also kept his eyes on the screen in front of him.

“Nerds,” Elaine teased our teammates gently, but they didn’t seem to notice.

Then my exotic girlfriend and I exchanged an amused look before we left the meeting room together.

“I guess we get to decide what’s for lunch,” Elaine giggled once we were alone.

“Fine by me,” I said and took her hand. We headed out of the Clubhouse and toward the strip of restaurants and shops at the back of the FBI building. Since a lot of FBI agents had military backgrounds, the area was referred to as the PX, even though it technically wasn’t one.

But it was a good place to get a quick lunch without having to leave the area.

I caught a few men checking out Elaine as we were walking to the PX, but some tried to hide it and just shot her a discreet sideways look as they passed. Other men were shameless in their ogling, and they even turned their heads to keep watching her after she passed them.

But my stunning girlfriend didn’t even seem to notice the attention. She just kept her hand in mine and swung it happily as we walked.

Then we reached the row of restaurants and looked them up and down. They were mostly generic fast-food places, with a couple of the healthier chains sprinkled in.

“Lady’s choice,” I said as I gave my girlfriend’s hand a tug.

She smiled up at me before considering all the options one more time.

“Sandwiches,” she finally decided and pulled us in the direction of one of the healthier chains. “I think today is going to be an important day, so I don’t want to feel too heavy and fat from our lunch.”

“You could never be fat,” I assured my fit girlfriend. “But sandwiches are a good idea. I could use some more vegetables in my diet.”

We joined the line that was full of mostly older men dressed in business suits or shirts and ties. Most were too busy concentrating on their phones to notice us, but a few did stare at Elaine’s fishnetted legs. We waited for about ten minutes before we were called forward, and we ordered five different sandwiches, two large salads, and an array of drinks. Then I used the credit card Laura had given me for situations like this. When we’d first signed on to The Hero Project, she’d told us about a per diem the agency allowed its agents for lunch, but Laura said not to worry about the amount, just use the card, and she would make sure it was sorted out.

Once we got our food, we headed back to the Clubhouse, but our hands were too full to hold each other’s while we walked this time.

Then Elaine and I made our way back to the same conference room we had left Mary and Sammy in, and I wasn’t surprised to see they were still there, though not hunched over in work anymore. Laura had returned to the room as well, and they were all sitting around the conference table waiting for Elaine, me, and their lunches. Someone had even brought out plates, cups, and cutlery from the small kitchenette down the hall.

“Thank God,” Mary groaned when Elaine and I entered the meeting room with our arms full of food. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was until you mentioned food, Jonah, and I’ve been ravenous since then.”

“That’s a pretty common occurrence here,” Laura said as she reached for the tray of drinks to divide amongst everyone. “The work is so intense, you get lost in it completely. Then you lift your head to breathe and realize you haven’t eaten in twelve hours, and that’s all you can think about.”

“I don’t have that problem,” Sammy said as he passed out plates to everyone. “I’ve got a secret stash of snacks and candy somewhere in the control room, but exactly where is classified.”

“Bottom left drawer, behind the spare HDMI cables,” Mary said.

Sammy gawked at her, and she giggled as she reached for a sandwich.

“Don’t worry, I won’t eat any, and if I do, I’ll replace it.” The curly-haired woman’s eyes twinkled with mischief.

“Been here one day, and you’re already stealing from my stash,” Sammy grumbled, but he seemed impressed with Mary’s sleuthing abilities.

The team spent the next few minutes serving themselves sandwiches, salads, and drinks, and then we ate together as we mused about the different possibilities of the Sigil Killer taking up residence in Middleville. Still, we kept the conversation as light as we could, since we knew the real work would come when we finished our lunches.

After everyone on the team had their fills, I helped Laura clean off the conference table, and then the real work began. We all sat back around the conference table, except Sammy, who stayed close to his laptop to change what we saw on the projector screen when necessary.

“So,” Sammy began as he fidgeted from foot to foot. He wasn’t as confident commanding a meeting in front of the team as I was, but then again, he was an IT guy. The burly man was more used to being in the background surrounded by screens than in front of a group of people hanging on his every word, so he mostly avoided eye contact with the team, but his voice was steady as he spoke. “I knew I recognized the name Middleville, and that was because they’ve been on the FBI’s radar for a while now due to a commune that has taken up residence there lately.”

He gestured to the screen behind him, and there was a black background with white, typewriter-like text I recognized as the official FBI database formatting. The page contained information on Middleville, Illinois.

“Commune?” Elaine asked the group. “So, like a cult? Mary was right?”

“Well,” Sammy waffled. “Not all communes are cults, though there is often overlap. And we don’t know much about this commune. They popped up on the FBI’s radar because they were buying up a lot of the farmland that surrounds Middleville. Like Jonah said before, there’s not much going on in Middleville, and a lot of that farmland had been sitting around for years unsold. So, when the same people started buying up all of it in a short period of time, the FBI tagged it just to keep tabs on it in case it developed into something suspicious. Which it looks like it might be doing now.

“And what else?” Laura prompted. She had her notebook open in front of her, and she wrote down notes she found important. “What do we know about the members of the commune? Who was buying all the land?”

“Unfortunately, very little.” Sammy blew out a sigh. “All we know at this point is there are at least fifteen members of the commune, likely more. And the person who signed the paperwork for the farmland itself, James Roland, recently died. We have his death certificate here, but it doesn’t look suspicious. He apparently had a chronic condition.”

“When was that?” Laura scribbled furiously. “The death?”

“Death certificate is dated six months ago,” Sammy confirmed.

Laura and I exchanged a look.

“And when was the last piece of farmland purchased?” the blonde asked the tech agent.

“That was…” Sammy checked his notes. “Eight months ago.”

“So, the leader of the commune dies,” I said as I pieced together the information. “Conveniently, right after he buys most of the available farmland in the area. Then, shortly after his death, the Sigil Killer starts murdering women in Bellamy?”

Laura drummed her fingers on the table, and I could tell the blonde woman was lost in thought.

“There must be a connection, then,” Elaine said. “But why would the Sigil Killer murder the women in Bellamy if his commune is in Middleville? It is far away, no?”

“It is,” I said, and my own thoughts battled inside my head. “There’s got to be a reason, though. Do we know anything else, Sammy?”

“Not really.” The tech spread his hands wide and shrugged. “There’s been some friction between the people in the commune and the local townsfolk, but nothing major. No violence or anything like that, more just a general dislike toward each other. I don’t think the locals are too happy about their new neighbors, and they don’t hide it.”

“What about the dead cow?” Elaine asked. “Does that mean anything? Like why a cow and not a woman, for example?”

“Jeez, that’s morbid,” Mary said as she paled a little.

“Sorry.” Elaine looked at the green-eyed woman apologetically. “After working on the Sigil Killer case for so long, I am used to the victims being human women. I am confused about why they chose to use a cow now.”

“Availability?” I suggested with a shrug. “It’s probably easier to find and kill a cow out in the middle of nowhere than a woman, especially on short notice. If the Sigil Killer is involved with this commune, maybe he’s getting desperate and sticking closer to home now that he knows we’re onto him.”

The team considered the information for a moment, and Laura kept scribbling in her notebook and then crossing things out and scribbling more.

After a moment of silence, I finally spoke.

“I think I should go check out the commune,” I said.

“But, Jonah!” Mary gasped. “That’s too dangerous. We don’t know what’s waiting for you out in creepy Cultsville.”

“It’s okay.” I smiled at my friend’s concern. “I’ve got my weapons.”

Then I rolled up my sleeves to display the intricate details of the Ke-Beech cuffs and flashed the curly-haired woman a wink.

“I haven’t seen these powers you keep bragging about.” The brunette crossed her arms across her chest and pouted. “Not fair, I feel like I’m missing out.”

“You are,” Elaine joked as she reached over and squeezed my bicep. “Jonah looks amazing when he’s using his superpowers.”

“Super no fair!” Mary pouted some more.

“You’ll get the chance to see them soon enough, Mary,” Laura said as she avoided my gaze, and I could tell she wanted to keep it professional in front of my friend and definitely in front of Sammy, but I caught her sneaking an appreciative glance at me. “But I think Jonah is right. The best way to get more information is to gather it directly from the source. I’ll come with you, Jonah. Doesn’t hurt to have an FBI badge to flash in case we get in a hairy situation.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I said. “We should start at the water treatment facility, see if there’s anything going on there that the Middleville PD didn’t release to the press.”

“Unlikely,” Laura snorted.

The blonde agent was clearly unimpressed with how the small-town sheriff had handled the situation, and I felt sorry for the older officer. Middleville seemed like a sleepy farming town where nothing much happened, so the poor man probably wasn’t used to such action. He looked close to retirement, and I doubt he wanted to be dealing with a contaminated water system and his citizens dying on his watch, especially when he was in the home stretch of his career.

“Well, I’ve got a list of things to get through,” Sammy said as he started unplugging the half a dozen cords that poked out of his laptop again. “Analyzing the note, dark web digging, finding out more about Middleville. Typical Tuesday for me, really.”

“How about you, Elaine?” I looked over to my beautiful girlfriend. “Do you want to come with us to Middleville, check out the water facilities?”

“That’s okay.” She shook her head and held up her phone. “My books have been delivered to the penthouse, so I think I’ll go pick them up and get started on the research into Crowley and Parsons. Maybe there’s something about a dead cow in the occultists’ practices.”

“I’ll find the originals for you online,” Mary said as she eagerly stood up. Her chair clattered behind her, and she looked around at me with an embarrassed blush, but I shot her a reassuring smile.

“Good job remembering those, Mary.” I gave her an impressed nod before I looked at the rest of the team. “Alright. Laura and I will head out soon and keep you guys updated.”

“I’ll let you know if I find anything,” Sammy said as he slipped out the door and waved to the rest of the team.

Then it was just the three women and me left in the room.

“I’m going to go change into some more field-appropriate clothes,” Laura said and gestured down to her blazer and pencil skirt combo and her low-heeled shoes. “Jonah, I’ll meet you at my office in ten?”

“Sounds good,” I said.

“You ladies have fun, don’t give Sammy too hard of a time.” The blonde agent grinned and waved to the other two women before she left the room.

“So…” Mary turned to Elaine when Laura was gone. “Is it just like, soooo cool having a superhero-slash-FBI agent boyfriend?”

“It is!” My girlfriend reached out and grabbed Mary’s arms, who grabbed hers back, and both women started giggling like they were in middle school again. Then they linked arms and turned to face me together. “Wait until you see him use his superpowers. It’s super sexy.”

They broke into another fit of giggles, and my cheeks heated up from all the attention.

“I can’t wait,” Mary said as she looked me up and down. Then she blushed and glanced at my girlfriend. Mary didn’t know about my agreement with Elaine, so my green-eyed friend was probably worried about offending my girlfriend by checking me out. “You are so lucky, Elaine.”

“I know,” Elaine said as she grinned at me proudly. Then she nudged Mary and gave her a wink. “Maybe you’ll be lucky one day, too.”

“Yeah, right,” Mary laughed. “Where am I going to find another superhero-slash-FBI agent who doesn’t already have a girlfriend?”

“Oh, well… maybe I can help you with that,” Elaine said with a knowing look at me. “Anyway, let’s go get those files you were speaking of.”

My exotic girlfriend broke away from Mary and slid in front of me, and she reached up to give me a kiss.

“Be careful, call me if you need anything,” she murmured when she pulled away.

“Of course,” I said. Then I hugged her tight before turning to my curly-haired friend. “Will you be okay here with Elaine and Sammy?”

“Uh, yeah,” Mary giggled. “This is like, just as cool, if not cooler, than the penthouse.”

“Good.” I smiled.

“But for real, Jonah, be careful in Cult Central,” Mary said, and I noticed a hint of fear had creeped into her voice again as the small woman shuddered. “The whole cow thing is just too creepy.”

“Don’t worry,” Elaine reassured my friend. “Jonah’s gotten pretty good at dealing with creepy things lately.”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine, Mary, but I appreciate your concern,” I said, and I meant it, too. I was touched by how worried she was, but she didn’t know what my powers could do, so it made sense that she was more worried than the rest of us.

I gave my friend a hug before we all finally left the meeting room, and Elaine and Mary walked arm in arm ahead of me while whispering and giggling to each other. They shot me glances over their shoulders sometimes, but I just smiled.

I liked that my girlfriend and friend were getting along so well.

It was a good thing Elaine wasn’t the jealous type, because Mary was being a lot bolder with me than she ever had been when she was with Raymond. Sure, we’d always flirted a little here and there, but now Mary was openly appreciating me in a way she’d never done before. I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t interested in her, there were years of sexual tension built up there. But I already had two gorgeous women, Elaine and Laura, who wanted me, and often, so I felt like pursuing Mary would be too greedy.

Elaine seemed to like her, though, so maybe my girlfriend would want me to go for the green-eyed cutie. I’d have to talk to her about it soon. Probably Laura, too.

The two women reached the door of the control room and turned to wave goodbye to me one last time, and I returned the wave and then took a right down the corridor that led to Laura’s office.

The beautiful agent was already waiting outside her door for me. She’d changed into a pair of tight workout leggings that hugged her in all the right places, and on top, she wore her gray FBI t-shirt and the standard navy-blue FBI windbreaker, along with a pair of spotless black sneakers. Lastly, her long blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail and pulled through the back of a baseball cap.

She looked hot as hell.

“Goddamn, woman,” I said in a low tone. “It should be illegal to look that sexy.”

“Shhh, not in here, handsome,” the agent whispered back to me as she glanced around to make sure we were alone, but then she smiled. “You ready to go?”

“Lead the way.” I held my hand out in front of me, and Laura winked at me as she passed.

I wasn’t being a gentleman, I just wanted to check out her tight ass when she walked in front of me. Those leggings were out of this world, and I wanted to ask her where she got them from and buy her ten more pairs. Instead, I followed her to the elevators and enjoyed the view the whole way.

There were cameras in the elevator, so the beautiful agent stayed an arm’s length away from me, and I used the time to program the address for the water treatment facility in Middleville into my phone. It took me longer than it should have because I kept stealing looks at Laura’s amazing legs, and the elevator was mirrored so I could see her tight ass from all angles.

The beautiful woman noticed me staring, so she made exaggerated stretching movements.

I smirked and tried to concentrate on entering the address into my map app, and after what seemed like an hour, the elevator deposited us on the main floor of the building.

I managed to keep it professional until we got to the Lincoln. Then we got in the car and sat down, and I reached over and pulled the blonde woman halfway over the center console.

I kissed her hard before I let go of her just as suddenly as I had grabbed her.

“I’ve been wanting to do that all day.” I grinned at the beautiful blonde as I pulled my seat belt across me, buckled it in, and started the car.

“And I’ve been wanting you to,” Laura said in a sexy voice before she buckled her own seat belt and then leaned over and held onto my arm as I drove.

I reached over and squeezed her thigh, and then I followed the map out of the city and toward the backwoods where Middleville was.

It was time to investigate a cult.

Chapter Six

As we drove, the city fell away and was replaced with wide open, green farmlands. The fields were divided with low fences, and some had farm animals like cows and horses, while others just had bales of hay dotted along the field in rows. Sometimes, we passed big John Deere tractors on the highway. The farmers chugged along slowly and dropped dirt along the road as they went, and they all waved at us as we passed.

Country people were always so friendly in my experience. I liked the size of Bellamy, it wasn’t so small it was considered remote, and it wasn’t so big that it had the same dangers as Chicago. But there was something to be said about country living. A slower way of life, where people had time to wave at you on the highway.

Then again, country living was also full of weird cults and people who carved occult symbols into dead cows.

The signs told us we were getting closer to Middleville, and before long, we saw our exit. We pulled off the highway and followed the road into the small town, and it wasn’t too bad as far as small towns went. Sure, there wasn’t much going on, but it was mostly clean and relatively updated. I didn’t see any run-down or abandoned buildings, and the shopfronts didn’t have busted-up windows from bored youths or local drunks causing trouble. It looked like more of a mom-and-pop town, with an older population that hosted bridge nights down at the church every Monday.

“Welcome to Po’Dunk, Illinois,” Laura said in an exaggerated accent, and then she giggled. “I always dreamed about these towns when I was a little girl.”

“Really?” I asked. “Was that before or after your love of noir detective novels?”

“Before,” she said. “I was like seven, and I heard my dad use the phrase ‘one-horse town’, and I thought it sounded like the best thing ever. I thought it meant there was like one horse for everyone to share. You can imagine my disappointment when I begged my parents to take me to a one-horse town for my next birthday.”

“I can imagine,” I laughed at the mental image.

We passed through the center of the town quickly, and the other side of the town expanded into more open farmlands. Then we took the last left before the edge of town and followed a long, narrow country road.

“Look, there it is.” Laura pointed, and a building appeared in the distance as we were cresting a hill.

Once we reached the top, we saw the long, flat building with the water tanks come into view behind the small office building, and I pulled into the small dirt parking lot in front of the office. I recognized it from the news report earlier, and I could still see the tire marks left by the police cars from this morning.

“I’ll take the lead in here,” Laura said as we got out of the car. “In a small town like this, people are usually scared of the FBI and just start talking right away.”

“Roger,” I said, and we walked into the building together.

An elderly woman in her sixties sat at the desk in the small office building, and she smiled at us as we opened the door and walked up to her desk. She looked like she still took pride in her appearance, since she had her hair and makeup done nicely, and she wore a string of chunky pearls over her boxy dress. I could see pictures of her family on her desk, and a name tag that said ETHEL MORRISON pointed toward us.

“Good afternoon, how can I help you?” the receptionist asked with a sweet smile.

“Hello, Mrs. Morrison.” Laura smiled back at the elderly receptionist. “We were hoping to speak to the manager in charge here today, we have a couple questions about what happened here this morning.”

Then the blonde agent gestured to her jacket to show she was FBI.

“Of course, you two just have a seat, and I’ll go and get him.” The elderly woman stood and shuffled toward a door behind her, and she spoke over her shoulder as she walked. “Can I bring you anything to drink? Coffee? Tea?”

“No, thank you, ma’am, we’ll just wait here,” Laura assured the woman, and then we waited in the small reception area.

After a few moments, Ethel returned with an elderly man about the same age as her, and the gentleman looked like a born and bred country man. He wore a light-blue collared button-up shirt that was tucked into his faded jeans, which were held up by a worn leather belt, and his muddy work boots completed the country look.

“This here is Mr. Morrison.” Ethel grinned at us, and then she looked up at her husband lovingly. “These folks are here to see you, Earl. They have some questions about today.”

“Alright, Ethel.” Earl patted his wife’s hands and led her back to her seat behind the desk. “I won’t be too long, you stay in your seat, you don’t need to be aggravating your arthritis.”

“This one is always worrying about me,” Ethel said with a wry smile. “Like I’m not the one who’s been feeding him every meal since we got married.

“I’ve worried about you for the last forty years, and I will for the next forty years,” Earl chuckled to his wife before he turned to us.

I grinned at the elderly couple. They were cute, but their advanced age did make me wonder about the efficiency of their business.

“I reckon y’all are here to see the tanks, so come on through.” The elderly man waved us to follow him through the front door and outside, so we did.

“Thank you for taking the time to speak with us,” Laura said as we shuffled along behind Earl.

“I didn’t realize the Chief had called in the big guns on this one.” The old man gestured to Laura’s FBI gear and chuckled. He walked with a slight limp, and Laura and I slowed our pace to let the elderly man lead the way. “Ol’ Boone don’t usually like bringing in outsiders to deal with our business.”

“Well, potential domestic terrorism falls under the FBI’s jurisdiction,” the blonde agent replied in an all-business tone.

“Terrorism?” Earl scoffed. “Are you talking about the vial they found next to the tank? You can’t have confirmed it’s anthrax yet.”

“No,” Laura said. “But people getting sick is serious business, so we’d rather be safe than sorry.”

Earl grunted and continued to lead us around the office building and through the large double doors of a long warehouse that contained large tanks, and a few workers milled around the plant. I could see them watching us curiously, but Earl didn’t take any notice. He just slowly walked down the length of the warehouse, and we followed him closely.

I noticed immediately one tank was covered in police tape, so it must be the one they pulled the dead cow out of. I pulled out my phone and snapped a couple quick pictures.

“I don’t know what more I can tell you I haven’t told Chief Boone.” Earl shook his head and gestured to the tanks. “We’ve never had any problems like this before, I run a tight ship around here.”

“It looks very efficient,” Laura praised the old man. She knew how to get the locals to warm up to her, but I guessed that was part of her training. If the TV shows are to be believed, local authorities never liked to relinquish control over an investigation to the Feds. “Is the plant always manned?”

“Sure is.” The elderly man nodded. “We’ve got a night shift crew that comes in, but Lord knows they’re no help. It was Jerry and Melvin in last night, and they stayed in the back room playing cards most of the night. Chief Boone already talked to them. He didn’t suspect nothing, but he told me to go ahead and fire those two. That might have more to do with Melvin taking Boone’s little girl to prom about fifteen years ago, though, so I ain’t exactly jumpin’ to listen to him yet.”

“Are those cameras working?” I asked as I pointed out the shiny domes attached to the ceiling in the corners.

“Unfortunately not,” Earl sighed and shook his head. “I’ve been meaning to get those fixed for a while now. Guess I finally got the kick in the rear end that I needed.”

“The outside ones, too?” Laura asked.

I hadn’t noticed the cameras outside, but Laura had been doing her job as an FBI agent a lot longer than I had.

“Well, them ones outside are working,” Earl said. “But we had a heavy fog last night, so we can’t see nothing clear on them.”

“And this is the tank they pulled the decomposing cow out of?” Laura led us to the police tape covered tank. “Anything significant about this tank?”

“Not really.” The old man shrugged. “This is where the water goes after the sand filtering process is done and it’s fixing to get its chlorine treatment. It’s the final step in the process before the water’s pumped out to the tank out in town. And the last place it’s checked to make sure it’s clean enough for folk to drink, so this is where we should have noticed the problem.”

“But no one noticed?” Laura pressed.

“Not until employees started calling in sick. Come here, let me show you something.” The old man gestured for us to follow him, and we did but slowly to keep pace behind his limp.

The elderly manager brought us to an office in the back of the warehouse that sort of looked like the control room back at the Clubhouse. The room was filled with screens that beeped and scrolled data, and there was a man sitting at a desk in front of the screens, who switched between tapping furiously at the keyboard and scribbling notes on a yellow legal pad next to his computer.

Earl cleared his throat, and the man at the desk jumped at the sudden sound. The man reminded me of Sammy, a little bit nerdy with his buttoned-up shirt and glasses, but he looked harmless as he swung his chair around and stood to greet us.

“This here is Josh Simmons,” Earl introduced us. “He’s in charge of all the technical stuff. It’s all computers these days, I don’t know them very well, but he’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

“Nice to meet ya.” Josh shook our hands before Earl clapped his hands.

“Well, I better get back to the office,” the old man said. “I don’t like to leave Ethel on her own for too long there. You two come say goodbye when you’re done. Josh, you tell these nice people whatever they need to know. Bye, now.”

Earl took his leave, and Josh turned to us with an eager look in his eyes.

“FBI? Cool!” He nodded enthusiastically at Laura’s hat and windbreaker.

“It is, huh?” Laura smiled before she gestured to the screens behind the plant’s tech guy. “So, Josh, what can you tell us about what happened here?”

“Well,” the tall man said as he sat back in front of his screens. “The indoor security system hasn’t worked for a while, I’ve been trying to get Earl to fix those since I started working here three years ago. The outdoor ones were operational last night, but as you can see…”

He clicked something, and last night’s security camera footage flickered onto a screen in front of us. But just as Earl had said, a thick fog had settled over the night and obscured everything from the cameras.

“You can’t see anything,” Josh finished with a sigh.

“Earl mentioned that,” Laura said. “What can you tell us about the filtering process? How did this go undetected?”

“See, that’s where I’m stumped.” The plant worker frowned and tapped his keyboard again, and the security footage was replaced with a chart that didn’t make any sense to me. “This is our impurity detection system. These are our logs from last week and, as you can see, there was nothing flagged on it at all.”

“So, what does that mean?” Laura studied the graph with a frown.

“It means someone probably tampered with the system,” Josh said in a defeated tone.

“Tampered how?” I asked. Then I held up my phone with the camera pointed at the screen. “May I?”

“Sure, go for it,” Josh said, and then he shrugged. “Hacked it, probably.”

“Hacked it?” I frowned as I snapped some photos to send to Sammy. This couldn’t have been the work of a random nutjob, then. This had required time and planning. “How did they manage that?”

“Well…” Josh shot an uncomfortable look at the door and lowered his voice. “I’ve been trying to get Earl to update the security software as well, since it’s outdated. But the old man doesn’t know anything about computers, so he didn’t want to spend the money. I warned him about the possibility of being hacked, but he didn’t really take it seriously. He didn’t see why anyone would want to hack into our little water plant here.”

“So, this could happen again?” I asked, and I felt anger rising up in my stomach.

It sounded like this situation could have been prevented if Earl was more up to date on technology. At least no one had died. This time. Not that I could put all the blame on Earl, he didn’t hoist that dead cow into the water tower. Whoever did this was truly sick. Poisoning a whole town and not caring if women and children and old people got hurt was truly evil.

Which would make sense if it was the Sigil Killer, but why had he gone from ritualistic murders to widespread bioattacks?

“No.” The plant worker shook his head. “I convinced him to let me update it this morning, and I went all out. We’re as secure as Fort Knox now. Earl even invested in some more outdoor security, and there are new cameras on the way to us now.”

“Good,” Laura said. “We don’t need this happening again. What exactly did the perpetrators do when they hacked the system?”

“Well…” Josh scrunched up his face in confusion. “I’m not sure exactly what they did, but it looks like they rerouted the filtration system’s output to their own network and changed it so it looked like everything was normal, like the chlorine levels, organic matter levels, the disinfection byproducts. Everything was reading perfectly until those folks got sick, and when we did a sweep of the plant to see if it was something in the environment, we found the vial outside the tank, opened it up, and found the cow.”

“We appreciate you showing us all this, Josh.” Laura gave the plant worker a kind smile. “We’d better start heading back, unless there’s anything else you think will help us with our investigation?”

“I don’t think so, sorry.” Josh shrugged before he stood to show us out of his workspace. “Chief Boone took a full report, so if there’s anything I forgot, I’m sure it’s in there.”

“Great, thanks,” Laura said as we headed for the door, but then the blonde agent turned and gave Josh a dazzling smile. “Just out of curiosity, are you from Middleville yourself?”

“O-Oh, well, I spent some time away during college, but yeah, I am.” The tall man’s head bobbed up and down as he followed us to the door, and he seemed flustered that such a beautiful woman would ask him any sort of personal question.

“What can you tell us about the commune?” Laura asked with her sweet smile still in place.

“Oh, them.” Josh frowned. “Not much, to be honest. They’re not too concerned about getting involved in the local community. They’ve got their own community already, I guess. They aren’t violent, but there is a clear divide between the townsfolk and the commune folk. We mostly all just stay out of each other’s way, and there are almost no problems.”

“Almost?” Laura asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I mean, there’s been a couple run-ins. I know some ladies down at the local church were worried about the kids in the commune being fed properly. I think they sent Chief Boone out to one of the farms once, but I don’t know what came of it.”

“There are kids in the commune?” I asked, and the surprise was clear in my voice.

“A couple, I think.” Josh shrugged again. “And there was another time we found one of ‘em running through the town center in his birthday suit. Boone took him in and had some words with him, I’m sure, but I don’t really pay attention to that sort of stuff. Sorry I can’t be more helpful.”

“Not a problem at all, you’ve been more than helpful.” Laura reached out and squeezed Josh’s arm. “You don’t happen to know if some of the farmland around the water plant belongs to the commune, do you?”

“Yeah, actually,” Josh said, and he smiled like he was pleased to be able to help more. “You know how you took the last left turn before the end of town to get here? Well, if you go back and take the last right instead, the whole way down that road all belongs to the commune folk.”

“Thanks for your help, Josh.” The blonde agent handed the plant worker a business card. “If you notice anything else unusual, don’t hesitate to get in touch.”

“Will do.” Josh blushed and waved goodbye as we left the small office space.

Laura and I retraced the steps we’d taken with Earl. Then we popped into the office where Ethel and Earl tried to convince us to stay for a cup of coffee, but we used the setting sun as an excuse to leave and claimed we needed to start driving back to the city before it got dark.

Once we were in the car, Laura and I got down to brass tacks.

“It’s got to be Leiber_49,” I said.

“Maybe,” Laura said. “Just because he knows his way around the dark web doesn’t mean he knows how to hack the water treatment center.”

“He found me,” I pointed out. “And Mary. With nothing to go on except a screen name. And Josh said the security was weak anyway.”

“True,” Laura said. “We’ll need to get Sammy on it.”

“It’s getting dark,” I sighed. “We don’t need to drive back, but I’d like to check out that farmland Josh told us about.”

“Me, too.” Laura nodded. “Let’s go.”

I pulled out of the small parking lot, and the Lincoln kicked up dirt on the narrow country road as we drove back in the direction we came from. I drove slowly so I didn’t get any dings in the Lincoln from rocks bouncing off the tires, but I would need to wash my car soon. Maybe I could fit it in tomorrow, depending on what we ended up finding tonight.

The sun started to set, and the sky lit up in bright pinks and oranges as we drove. The vast fields stretched out on both sides of the road, but they were eerily empty and quiet. Then we found the main road and crossed it and followed another narrow country road.

This side of the main road was heavily wooded, and we drove until the trees became farther apart and eventually disappeared while the land became the same vast farmland near the water plant. I preferred driving through the wooded areas where I felt more concealed. The big empty fields made me feel exposed, like anyone would be able to see us approaching.

Soon, I spotted a building in the distance, and as we got closer, I could make out it was a small house with a large barn and two small sheds. I couldn’t see any lights on in any of the buildings, but I thought I saw someone dart around the corner of the barn.

“Hey, did you see that?” I asked Laura in a low voice before I remembered we were in the car, and even if there were people in the buildings, they couldn’t hear us.

“I saw something, should we check it out?” Laura suggested. “These commune people could be innocent, so we could just be in for a friendly chat.”

“Why do I feel like that won’t be the case?” I snorted.

I slowed down since I’d lost the sunlight, but the dusk provided enough light. Then I drove slowly up next to the barn and parked. A wood sign hung on a nail next to the door with the words “Wilson Farm” burned onto it. No one rushed out waving a shotgun at us to leave, so I took that as a good sign.

“Shall we?” I shot a smile at the blonde woman. I didn’t know what we were walking into, but my Spider-Senses weren’t tingling just yet. There didn’t seem to be any more signs of movement in or around any of the buildings, and no lights had gone on when we approached. I was still cautious, but I wasn’t too worried, and I snapped a couple quick photos on my phone while there was still a bit of light outside.

“Let’s go,” Laura agreed as she reached for her door handle.

Then we got out of the car and softly shut our doors before we walked side by side and slowly to the front of the barn. We kept our heads on a swivel, but no one appeared. The doors were shut, so I stepped forward and gave them a small push, and to my surprise, they swung open easily.

“Hello?” I called out. “Hello, we’re looking for the owners. We just want to chat.”

Silence.

I took a step forward, but Laura stopped me.

“Hang on,” the blonde agent whispered before she reached into the pocket of her windbreaker and handed me a flashlight.

“Thanks,” I said.

I flicked the flashlight on and shone the light into the barn. Then I swung the flashlight around the whole barn and saw nothing except bales of hay and farming equipment.

“Empty,” I said to Laura over my shoulder.

Laura stepped through the doors, stood next to me, and took in the sight of the empty barn.

“Might as well look around, then,” Laura decided, but she stayed by my side as we stepped further into the barn.

“Isn’t that illegal, Ms. FBI?” I teased.

“No,” she said with a straight face. “We were just looking for the owners to ask them some questions.”

“Sure,” I snorted, but then I noticed something on the wall of the barn near the door. “Hey, what is that?”

“What?” Laura asked before she saw what I was pointing at. “Oh, that-- wait, does that look like…?”

“It looks like the Sigil Killer’s mark,” I growled as my hands clenched into fists.

A mark was carved into the wooden wall of the barn, and while it wasn’t exactly the same as the Sigil’s marks we’d seen, it was pretty close.

“I saw something like that on a post beside the driveway,” Laura said as her expression darkened. “I thought it was just a notch in the wood, but seeing this, I’m sure they are the same marks. I’d say that gives us probable cause.”

“Then let’s get to it,” I decided, and with new determination, I surveyed the barn.

The right-hand side of the barn was lined with empty stalls, and horse tack hung from the walls behind the gates of the stalls. The left-hand side was filled with bales of hay, which were stacked like a giant staircase that went halfway up the wall. I had the childish urge to climb them and jump down into a soft bed of hay, and I imagined using some of my kinetic energy to climb higher and jump farther.

“What’s that?” Laura’s voice pulled me back to the barn search, and she was pointing to a door tucked in the back corner of the left-hand side of the barn.

“I’m not sure,” I said and took a step forward.

Just as I did, headlights flashed across the barn, and I froze.

“Uh-oh,” Laura said as she turned to look out the barn door. “We’ve got company.”

Chapter Seven

“Shit,” I said and quickly switched off the flashlight.

“Shh.” Laura pressed a finger to her lips before she crept toward the open door. Then she discreetly leaned out just enough to see the approaching car before she ducked back in and returned to my side. “It’s the police chief. I’ll get rid of him, you keep looking around.”

“Uh, I’ll try,” I said, and I waved my hand to indicate the lack of light.

“The moon’s almost full, you’ll be fine, superhero.” Laura winked at me before she slid out the barn door and called out in a louder voice. “Chief Boone?”

“That’s right, who are you?” I heard the Middleville Police Chief reply.

“Special Agent Laura Mayhew,” Laura said, and I could hear the smile in her voice, so I guessed she was turning on the same charm she’d used with Earl and Josh earlier.

But she wouldn’t be able to bat her eyes and hold him off forever.

I turned back into the barn, and I took a few cautious steps forward, allowing my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for them to adjust, and I could see relatively well.

I wondered if that was a side effect of the cuffs. Improved night vision sounded like something that would come in handy for prehistoric civilization superheroes.

This was a question for another time, though, so I filed it away and walked cautiously to the end of the barn. There were no windows, but there was the small door with a round window that Laura had pointed out just before Chief Boone arrived. It looked like it led outside, but I could see it was locked from here. Still, I approached the door and pulled on the padlock just to check. It was unsurprisingly locked, but I peered through the small round window to verify it did, in fact, lead outside.

Then I turned around and walked up the side of the barn with the stalls. There was a small office with an open door I hadn’t noticed before, but it was unremarkable with only an empty filing cabinet, a broken coffee mug, and a folding chair that looked like it would collapse if I sat down on it.

A few minutes later, I heard the crunch of tires on gravel, so I turned back to the front door of the barn. If Laura had convinced the Chief to leave, she would be coming back any second. Then I heard another set of tires crunching on the gravel, and I frowned.

Was Laura leaving without me? Or were those more cars coming to the barn?

I headed to the open door at the front of the barn, but I took three steps before I heard a sudden crack sound to my right, toward the back of the structure.

I turned to see five thin, scraggly-looking men wearing night vision goggles, and they stood completely still and stared at me with maniacal grins on their faces.

My heart leapt into my throat.

“What the fuck?” I muttered to myself as I gaped at the group of silent men.

Their goggles and their grins were seriously creeping me out.

I looked behind them, but the door was still padlocked shut, so how did these maniacs get in here without me noticing them?

At least they weren’t attacking me. Yet. But maybe I could get some info from them if I played it cool.

“Um, hi there,” I said, and my voice echoed through the empty barn while the men continued to stare at me. “Sorry, is this your barn? I called out, but I didn’t hear anyone, so I just came looking for someone…”

My voice trailed off as one of the men took a step closer to me. He was a couple inches shorter than me, and his brown hair hung in dirty dreadlocks around his face. He looked like he was wearing burlap sacks with holes cut into them as clothes, and I was a little surprised he was wearing shoes, though the white sneakers on his feet looked like they were about to fall apart.

“Who are you?” the man growled, with his voice hoarse and low.

“Oh,” I said, and I slowly raised my empty hands as the man took another step toward me. “My name is… Sammy. I’m a little lost, and I was having some car trouble. I came across your barn here and decided to stop and look for help.”

I’d decided at the last moment not to use my real name. If these creeps were related to Leiber_49 somehow, they might know my name already.

“Lies,” the dreadlocked man hissed as he bared crooked, yellow teeth.

“Lies, lies, lies,” the other four men behind him chanted, and they shook their fists at me as they swayed.

Then one of the men, tall and tattooed, ran his thumb across his throat and hissed at me threateningly.

Whoa. These freaks were insane.

“No lies.” I raised my hands higher. I knew I could take these Joker-minion-looking freaks with the help of my superpowers, but they were really creeping me out, and I would have preferred to avoid a physical confrontation until I knew more about who and how many I was up against.

I felt some kinetic energy crackling beneath the surface of my fingertips, but it was on the weaker side of my energy buildups. I tried to think back to my last training session, but it had been a couple days. Things with Mary and the Sigil Killer had all happened so fast, my training had fallen by the wayside. There was the fight with Raymond when I picked Mary up, but that idiot hadn’t gotten many hits in.

I studied the group closer. They were all dressed in the same burlap material that Dreadlocks was, and they were all thin but wiry, with sinewy muscles toned from plenty of manual labor. I realized if they attacked, I would probably need to take a few hits and build up my kinetic energy if I wanted to beat these guys.

Tattoos was the tallest of the bunch, and possibly the most unhinged judging by the way he kept hopping from foot to foot and muttering under his breath.

The two men on the left of Tattoos had very similar body types and posture. I couldn’t see their faces because of the night vision goggles, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were brothers or something. Maybe even twins. They weren’t as excitable as Tattoos, but their stillness combined with the maniacal grins made them just as creepy.

The last man stood to the left of Tattoos, at the end of the group. He wasn’t as short as Dreadlocks, but he was the skinniest, and his grin was just a little less maniacal than his friends’.

I wondered if he was the youngest.

“Look, why don’t I just get out of your hair.” I took small steps back as I spoke. I didn’t know if Laura was out there or not, but anything outside was better than these freaks. “Thank you for your hospitality, folks.”

“Lies!” Dreadlocks screamed, and I could see him crouch down a little like a runner on the starting line.

I spread my legs, and I braced myself for the attack, even though I knew I wouldn’t feel the pain from it. Then the wiry asshole launched himself at my chest in a full-body tackle with a good amount of force despite how small he was, and he moved way faster than I had expected.

“Urgh!” I fell to the ground with Dreadlocks on top of me. Then I felt my body absorb the kinetic energy from the fall and the tackle, and the buzz of my stored energy energized me.

Oh, I couldn’t wait to unleash on this guy, but for now, I let Dreadlocks pin my arms to the ground and straddle me since each forceful movement against me helped build up my reserves. Then the freak bared his crooked teeth and hissed at me.

What was with these guys and hissing? Jeez. The weirdo’s night vision goggles were still surprisingly in place, which made him look even more insane, but also kind of funny.

“Damn, ever hear of a toothbrush, dude?” I turned my head and made a face, which riled up Dreadlocks more. Then I suddenly braced my feet and bucked the wiry man off and over my head, and since he was so small, he flew through the air easily and landed a few feet behind me while I scrambled to my feet.

Dreadlocks’ attack had riled up his friends, who all jumped into action as soon as I stood up. They ran toward me in a wild rush, so I put my hands in front of me and summoned enough kinetic energy to throw up a shield, thanks to that hit from Dreadlocks. My assailants ran into my kinetic shield and bounced backward, and they fell to the ground like bowling pins. Then I spun around because I needed to get eyes on Dreadlocks ASAP. I could hear the others shuffling to their feet, but before I could throw another shield, my legs were taken out from under me.

My shoulder hit the ground, and although I didn’t feel it thanks to the power of the Ke-Beech cuffs, it shocked me nonetheless, though I felt another surge of kinetic energy added to my reservoir. I looked around in confusion and saw Dreadlocks crouched nearby adjusting his night vision goggles. Then he turned to me, still in a crouched position, and I understood what had happened.

After I’d thrown him off, he’d run at my legs on all fours and attacked me like a dog, and he’d done it seriously fast.

This situation just kept getting weirder.

His friends had taken the time of my distraction to circle me, but I stood and spun around, since I didn’t want any of them at my back.

It was time to kick my powers up a notch.

The five men and I stared at each other for a tense beat like it was High Noon in the Old West.

Then Tattoos attacked first. He swung his fists blindly, but his screeches pierced my skull and distracted me from the flying fists. He sounded like a primal animal shrieking to strike fear into the hearts of his prey, and his blows rained down at me one after another. If I was a small animal, I’d be scared, but I wasn’t.

I had the cuffs, and each hit he threw only made me more powerful.

“Shut up already!” I shot my fist forward and sunk my knuckles into Tattoo’s stomach. The punch was freshly charged with kinetic energy, so the bastard’s feet left the ground for a second, and a screech died in his throat and turned into a tortured gurgle. Then he clutched his stomach as he doubled over, and he gasped raggedly for breath.

I wanted to finish him off, but then the Twins took a step toward me, and their moves were so coordinated that they looked rehearsed.

The Twins split up and attempted to circle me, but I didn’t give them a chance. I darted forward and grabbed the night vision goggles of the left twin. Then I pulled them away from his face and released them so they snapped painfully against his skin.

“Arghh!” he yelled and raised his hands to his face, so I grabbed him while he was off-balance and threw him at the other twin. The second twin raised his arms, but his brother knocked into him full force, and they both crashed down to the ground.

Suddenly, someone jumped on my back. I almost lost my balance but managed to catch myself before I fell, and I realized it was Dreadlocks when one of his thick, snake-like dreads fell across my face.

“Gross,” I grunted, and I grabbed onto Dreadlocks’ right arm while I swung my weight forward, which flung the scrawny freak across my shoulder and onto the ground.

Then I cocked my fist back, and I was ready to pummel this freak when a light suddenly fell across us.

“FBI! Freeze!” Laura shouted.

I looked up to see the blonde agent holding the flashlight like it was a gun. I knew she wasn’t carrying a gun, she hated the things, but these freaks didn’t know she was unarmed.

She was still dangerous with her hand-to-hand combat skills, but they would all find that out the hard way if they didn’t surrender.

The group of goggled men all hissed as they turned away from Laura’s blinding light, and then they rose slowly to their feet with their heads ducked.

“FBI!” Laura repeated as the group inched toward each other. “Stop right there.”

“Lies,” Tattoos whispered, but Dreadlocks shushed him.

I walked backwards a few steps until I was beside Laura.

“Total freaks,” I whispered. “Careful.”

“Go!” Dreadlocks screamed suddenly.

All five men turned and sprinted toward the left-hand side of the barn, where the bales of hay were stacked, and I couldn’t believe how fast they all were. Laura and I chased them, but I was confused why they weren’t running for the front doors. There were no windows over there, and the back door was still locked.

Dreadlocks jumped up on a bale of hay and ran the length of it before he took a running leap into the pile of hay behind the bales. Tattoos was right behind him, followed by the Twins and the Youngest.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” I lunged forward and managed to grab the edge of Youngest’s tunic shirt. Then I pulled him back forcefully as the second Twin disappeared behind the bales of hay.

Laura kept running to where the men disappeared as I threw my skinny captive to the ground and pinned him with a knee to the back, but then the blonde agent came to a sudden stop and let out a small gasp. She took a step back, looked at something I couldn’t see for a moment, and came back to stand next to me and the captured freak.

“Trapdoor,” Laura said with a frown. “Looks like it leads to a series of tunnels, but I’m not chasing those freaks underground right now.”

“Good call,” I said as our captive struggled beneath me. “These guys seriously give me the creeps.”

“Same, and I only saw them for like thirty seconds.” Laura shuddered before she gestured to the one on the ground and shone her flashlight on him. “Anyway, what’s their deal?”

Suddenly, a muffled explosion rocked the ground we shook on, and Laura and I looked at each other with equal confusion.

“What was--?”

Before I could finish the question, another muffled explosion shook the ground again, and dust rained down on us from the old barn ceiling.

“Alright, we need some answers,” I grunted and pulled the Youngest up so he was on his knees.

His night vision goggles had been pushed to the side of his face while he was on the ground, so one of his eyes was still covered by the goggles, and the other was exposed and rolling around crazily. When I pulled the mask off his face, he looked like he was about eighteen or nineteen years old, but then the kid started laughing maniacally before Laura grabbed his collar and hauled him up.

“Enough of that, it’s creeping me out.” She frowned at the kid as he coughed and spluttered in her grasp. Then she quickly spouted off his Miranda rights before she leveled him with a glare. “Now, tell us what’s going on, or I’m taking you into the FBI Headquarters in Chicago, and I won’t be asking so nicely there. That sound like fun to you?”

“Lies!” he cried out gleefully.

“What were those explosions just then?” Laura demanded.

“Never, never,” the freak squealed and laughed creepily. “Never ever, not in the land of Babalon.”

I froze and looked at Laura, who gaped back at me.

“What did you say?” I asked in a level tone as I turned back to the kid.

“Who are you?” The teen stared me suddenly and intensely in the eyes, and he looked like he was searching for my soul. Then he scoffed and turned his head. “You are not Moonchild, you are not worthy. Where is my soul?”

“Your soul?” I echoed.

The crazy fuck ignored me, turned to Laura, and glared at her. “You took it, devil woman. Impure. Not for us, no, no.”

“Who’s your leader?” Laura asked as she stared him down with her frightening FBI agent face.

“Impure,” the kid spat at her.

“Where are you from?” I tried.

“Your mom.” He laughed so loudly it hurt my ears.

“What are you, twelve?” I grumbled and kicked the dickhead in the foot.

The kid glared and hissed at me until his eyes went wide, and it was like he suddenly became lucid. The wild look disappeared from his eyes, and he turned to look at Laura.

“Okay, then.” He smiled calmly. “Take me in.”

“I-- Really?” Laura blinked and was clearly caught off-guard, but she quickly recovered and stepped forward threateningly. “I’ll arrest you if that’s what you want.”

“Okay.” The kid continued to smile.

“Jonah, a word, please.” Laura jerked her head toward me.

I kept the front of my body facing the crazy kid and sidled up next to Laura, and the blonde woman kept the flashlight shining right in the teen’s face while she leaned in toward me and kept her voice low.

“I can’t arrest him,” she said. “The local department hasn’t invited us here, so I can’t pick him up like this without getting us in a lot of hot water.”

“Shit,” I whispered, and I glared at the kid, who was still smiling serenely at us. “So, what, we just let him go?”

“For now, we might have to,” Laura said as she pursed her lips in a thin white line. “But we can go to the Director, and… hey, what are you doing, hey, stop!”

I turned just as the kid pulled something out his pocket and shoved it in his mouth. I lunged forward to stop him, but he swallowed before his face returned to that maniacal smile.

“Too lateeeee,” he sang.

“What was that?” Laura demanded, and she stepped forward and crouched down in front of the teen.

“Too late,” he repeated in the same singsong voice. “It’s time, Babalon, I love you, if you want, if you want, if you want.”

Then I watched in horror as the kid started spasming, and his mouth began foaming.

“Shit!” Laura took a big step backward, so I followed her lead and stepped away from the convulsing young man. “Suicide pill.”

“What the hell?” I gasped. I watched helplessly as the Youngest convulsed violently, and his eyes rolled back into his head while white foam continued to dribble from his mouth. He laughed maniacally in between strangled gurgling sounds until his body eventually stilled, but his eyes remained open as they stared ahead and saw nothing.

“Fuck,” Laura said as she bent down to check the kid’s pulse, stood, and wiped her hand on her leggings. “Dead.”

“Sooo, that’s definitely a cult, right?” I asked before I pulled out my phone and took a photo of the dead body. It was morbid, but we might be able to find clues when we studied the photo later, with more light and more hindsight.

“Oh, for sure,” Laura said. “And they spoke of Babalon, which is more proof of their connection to the Sigil Killer.”

“Wait ‘til we tell Mary,” I said as I turned toward the bales of hay on the left side of the barn. “Now, what was that you were saying about a trapdoor?”

“Oh, yeah, check this out,” Laura said and headed toward the bales of hay. We followed the path the freaks had run, and we jumped up onto the first row of bales and followed it to the end.

Then I looked down and saw a large hatch door that still hung open. Laura shone her flashlight down the hatch door a moment later, and I could see a surprisingly spacious dirt tunnel carved out and leading toward the back of the barn.

“Check it out?” I suggested.

“This just keeps getting creepier, but yeah, let’s go,” the blonde agent said.

“I’ll go first.” I stepped forward and hopped down into the underground tunnel. My feet hit the ground with a soft thud that gave me a trickle of kinetic energy, and the air felt a lot cooler down here. Thankfully, my eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and I took a few steps into the tunnel to explore. Then I followed the tunnel forward for about ten feet before I came to a fork in the tunnel, but instead of clear passageways, each fork in the tunnel was caved in with a wall of dirt, which made it impossible to go any further.

“What do you see?” Laura called down from the hay bale.

I retraced my steps until I could see the beautiful blonde as she peered down at me.

“It’s a bust,” I said as I climbed out. “The tunnel leads to a fork, but both sides have been caved in so we can’t go any further. That must have been what those explosions were earlier.”

“That’s fine,” Laura said. “I didn’t want to go chasing those weirdos through tunnels tonight anyway. I think we should get back to Chicago and fill in the team.”

“Agreed,” I said, but then I gestured to the dead body in the middle of the barn. “What do we do about him? We can’t just leave him there, can we?”

“I’ll call it in, and we’ll let Chief Boone’s team deal with it tonight. Let’s get out of here, this place seriously gives me the creeps.”

“Same, let’s get out of here.”

Laura and I headed out of the barn, and we climbed into the Lincoln, which was parked in a different spot than where I’d parked it earlier. The sky was totally dark now, and the moon wasn’t quite full, but it gave off a good amount of light.

“Oh, yeah, what happened earlier, did you leave me here or something?” I asked the blonde woman as I reversed the car and navigated us back onto the country road that would lead us back into Middleville and then Chicago.

“Yeah,” Laura said in an exasperated tone. “The chief wasn’t too thrilled about me poking around at the farm, so he asked me very kindly to take my leave for the evening and escorted me down the road, but he did say he would be happy to talk to us down at the station tomorrow.”

“That’s good at least.” I reached over and squeezed the blonde woman’s thigh. “How did you get back, then?”

“I flagged him down after a few minutes of driving and said I must have left my phone at the farm.” She grinned. “I was worried he was going to follow me back, but luckily he believed me and just told me to be fast.”

“Clever.” I grinned back at the beautiful woman.

We drove until we were almost back to the main road that would take us through Middleville.

“Hey, see that road there?” Laura pointed to a small, barely-noticeable dirt path about twenty feet in front of us on the left-hand side of the road. “Pull in there.”

I did as she asked, but a set of rusty gates stopped us from going any further, and a cracked sign was hanging by one nail that warned us trespassing was prohibited. Laura motioned for me to kill the engine, so I did, and then we were plunged into darkness since the thick line of trees blocked out the moonlight.

“What’s up?” I turned to Laura, who had already pulled out her phone.

“I just want to send Sammy and Mary some information before we fully get back on the road. I didn’t have any service when we were driving out here, but it looks like this patch of road has a few bars.”

“Oh, good point,” I said and pulled out my own phone. Then I sent all the photos I had taken since we’d gotten to Middleville to Sammy. There were a couple different angles of the water tank with the police tape, the graphs Josh the plant worker had shown us, the outside of the barn, and the body of the dead cult member.

When I finished sending the photos, Laura was still typing on her phone.

“Jeez, are you writing an essay?” I joked.

“Pretty much,” Laura snorted. She finished tapping out the last few words, sent the message, and then leaned back and stretched with a loud groan. “What a day.”

“Yeah,” I said and shook my head. “What do you make of all this? Is it a whole Sigil Killer Cult?”

“I don’t know,” Laura said and blew out a long breath. “That’s why I was so eager to get the information to Sammy. He did a stint in a unit that investigated cults exclusively, so he knows this stuff better. But it sure as hell looks like a cult to me.”

“Yeah, I mean, the kid literally swallowed poison,” I said and then mimicked the gagging cult member.

“Jonah!” Laura gasped and hit me gently on the shoulder, but she laughed.

“Sorry.” I flashed a grin at the fit agent. “But not too sorry, those guys were freaks. And did you see how fast they were?”

“Oh, my god, so fast,” Laura said and widened her eyes for effect. “What was that?”

“Well,” I pondered. “If they are involved with the Sigil Killer, the Sigil Killer knows all about the Ke-Beech cuffs, right? So, maybe he’s already managed to get his hands on some other artifacts. Maybe those freaks had some powers.”

“That’s a good point.” Laura nodded. “Could be. We’ll have to wait and see what Sammy digs up. But if we do have a whole cult of the Sigil Killer’s lackies that we’ll have to deal with, we need to figure out who he is and fast. Who knows what other resources he has if he has all of this land with a whole underground infrastructure system?”

“Definitely,” I agreed. “And they don’t just have an underground infrastructure system, they also have a way to destroy it instantly.”

“Sounds like a pretty advanced cult. Hopefully, Sammy will be able to dig something up on them. If they’ve had the time to develop this much, the FBI must have more on them.”

“Hopefully,” I echoed. “And maybe Elaine and Mary have found more information about Crowley and Parsons, something that could help us. We should probably head back to the city, we’ve got a lot to go over with the team, and it’s getting late.”

“Agreed,” Laura said with a nod, but neither of us moved.

Then a moment passed in silence as we stared at each other.

“Good work today, by the way,” the beautiful woman spoke first and shot me a smile.

“Yeah, you, too, Miss Double-Agent.” I grinned at her.

“What do you mean?” she asked me.

“I mean you’re all cute and sexy and flirty when you need to be,” I said in a high voice and exaggerated by batting my eyelids and acting coy.

Laura punched me lightly in the shoulder, but I continued as I changed my voice to a low growl.

“But you turn on the FBI agent mode when you need to.” I raised my arms like I was raising a gun and mimicked the sexy agent. “FBI, freeze!”

“Shut up,” Laura scoffed and went to playfully push me again, but I grabbed her wrist and pulled her to me until her face was just inches away from mine.

“I think it’s hot as fuck,” I murmured before I leaned in and gently kissed the beautiful blonde.

“Oh, do you now?” Laura smiled against my mouth and kissed me back. Then she pulled back a fraction, grabbed my bicep, and bit her lip. “And I think it’s hot as fuck watching you fight, Jonah. Watching you use your powers turns me on so much.”

I grabbed the sexy blonde woman by the back of the head and kissed her harder and harder until Laura was almost climbing on top of me.

“Oh, Jonah.” The sexy agent pulled away from me, with her hair mussed and her makeup smudged. Then she looked into the back seat of the car and turned back to me with a fire in her eyes. “Jonah, I want you to fuck me in the back of your car.”

Chapter Eight

“Whatever you want,” I growled and pulled the woman back to me for another kiss. Our tongues slid against each other as I felt my jeans grow tight, but I was hungry for more, so I pulled her away from me. “Get in the back.”

“Yes, sir,” Laura giggled. She kicked off her shoes before she climbed over the center console and into the back seat, and her tight ass swung in the air as she moved.

I reached out and slapped it with a satisfying snap, and my beautiful lover giggled again.

Then I followed her into the back seat, where she was waiting in the center of the back seat with her legs wide open, but still in leggings.

“God, that looks good,” I said. The back seat was small, but I was determined to make it work and make love to the beautiful blonde in front of me. I kneeled on the floor of the car, and Laura pulled the upper half of my body on top of her and kissed me hard.

“Jonah,” she moaned when I pulled back. “I want you so bad.”

“Are you wet for me already?” I asked the flustered blonde. My cock was straining so hard against my jeans, I had to reach down and undo the button. Then I reached out and rubbed my hand against Laura’s nylon-clad pussy.

“Ohhhhh,” Laura whimpered. “Yes, Jonah, I’m so wet for you already.”

“Let’s see about that,” I said with a wicked grin, and then I slid my hands up the woman’s tight body and pulled down the top of her leggings. They were tight so it took a good tug, but once I got them over her small, round ass, they slid down her thighs and off her long legs easily.

While I worked her leggings off, the blonde removed her FBI windbreaker and then slid her gray t-shirt off over her head, and I took a moment to admire the sexy woman.

Her blonde hair had fallen out of her ponytail and created a beautiful halo around her pretty face and tight body. Surprisingly, she wore a very impractical lingerie set, and her red lacy thong matched the sexy, strappy bralette that contained her perfectly perky tits.

“Fucking hell, do you always look this good?” I let out a whistle.

“What can I say, you make me want to wear sexy lingerie all the time.” Laura shot me a smoldering look, so I leaned down and kissed her hard. Then I pulled back and put my hands on her knees.

“Let me show you how much I appreciate it.” I grinned and lowered my head to between the beautiful woman’s thighs. My warm breath ghosted over her pale skin, and I slowly and gently traced my fingers from her knees to the inside of her thighs, until I reached her dripping wet pussy.

“Oh, my god,” Laura gasped for breath and twitched beneath me.

“I haven’t even started yet.” I grinned up at her.

“I know,” she purred, and her blue eyes were dark with arousal as she stared down at me. “You’re such a tease.”

“You love it, and you know it,” I rumbled, and I continued to tease her by lightly tracing my fingers across her thighs until I saw the wet spot on her red thong grow bigger.

“I can’t take it anymore, Jonah,” Laura panted, and one of her hands slid down to tangle in my hair. “Touch me, please.”

“Mmm, like this?” I slid a finger under the lacy fabric and wiggled it into her slick pussy.

“God, yes,” she groaned as her walls spasmed around my digit.

“What about this?” I asked and slipped in another finger, and then I settled my thumb against her swollen clit and lightly pressed down.

“Ah!” The blonde wriggled and moaned.

“And another?” I asked as I slipped in a third finger, and I could feel her tight tunnel struggle to accommodate the rough stretch before she relaxed and shuddered.

“Fuuuuuck.” Laura’s voice was deep with desire. “Oh, Jonah, that’s amazing.”

“Mmm, your tight little pussy feels good,” I murmured as I continued to stroke the slick inside walls of my lover’s warm channel. My thumb painted faster and faster circles around her clitoris, and I kept fingering her deeply until my fingers were so wet, her juices dripped all the way down my wrist. Then I felt my lover’s body tense, and I knew she was close to climaxing.

“Oh, Jonah, yes, yesss, yesssss!” Laura cried out and threw her head back against the car seat. Her breath was ragged, and her face glistened with the effort of taking my fingers deep in her pussy. “I’m, I’m-- ahhhhhh!”

I felt the walls of her pussy clamp around my fingers as the beautiful blonde orgasmed, and I kept thrusting until the only sounds in the car were her whimpers and the slick sound of her juices oozing out around my fingers. I waited until her fit body stopped convulsing to pull my fingers out, and then I looked my beautiful lover in the eyes, put the three fingers that were just inside of her in my mouth, and licked off her juices.

Laura stared at me with heavy eyes and a sexy smile, and her red-lace clad breasts heaved up and down as she caught her breath.

“Mmm, you taste good,” I growled.

“Now I want you to be inside me,” the blonde woman purred.

Laura scooted to the edge of the seat and reached down to free my erection from my boxer shorts, and the beautiful blonde looked me in the eyes as she spat in her hands and then stroked my cock gently and teasingly, like I had done to her.

“Shiiiiit.” I let my head fall back, and I groaned at the feeling of her small but skillful and slick hands wrapped around my throbbing erection. I heard the leather of the seats creak more, and then the tip of my cock was met with wetness.

I looked down to see Laura had leaned back in the seat and spread her legs, and she was teasing the tip of my cock against her wet pussy lips as she grinned up at me.

“Do you want to fuck me?” she giggled.

“More than you know,” I said in a low voice before I suddenly leaned forward and grabbed the seat behind Laura while I pushed my cock inside her at the same time.

“Oh, my god!” she gasped, and her blue eyes widened in surprise. “G-God, you feel so gooooood.”

“So do you, you sexy fucking tease,” I growled, and then I kissed her hard while I stroked my cock in and out of her dripping pussy.

Her milky-white tits bounced with each thrust, so I kept my right hand on the back of the seat to brace myself but dropped my left hand down to grab Laura’s bouncing breast. The soft skin begged to be touched, and I found her perfect pink nipple and rolled it between my fingers, which caused Laura to moan loudly. I felt her pussy grow wetter around my cock, and I felt my own orgasm building deep down in my gut and getting closer with each hot moan from my sexy blonde lover.

“Jonah,” Laura whined. “Jonah, I’m going to cum again.”

I pulled my cock out suddenly, and the blonde gasped in surprise.

“Don’t stop!” she begged and looked up at me with pleading eyes.

“Turn around,” I said and grabbed my dripping wet cock while I leaned back and pulled myself away from the sexy blonde. “I want to fuck you from behind so I can spank that tight little ass of yours.”

“My favorite,” Laura giggled. She spun around on the seat so she was facing the back windshield, and her perfectly round ass was pointed at me.

I grabbed Laura’s hips and pulled her ass toward me while she giggled. Then I spanked the right side, and my cock throbbed when I saw the imprint of my hand imprinted on her alabaster skin.

“Yes, Jonah! Spank me!” my lover cried out in pleasure while she wriggled her ass for me.

I pulled my hand back and spanked the other cheek, and then I switched to the first one again until the skin of her round ass cheek shone red from the force.

“Say it again,” I growled, and I stroked my cock before I guided to the entrance of her pink pussy.

“Spank me,” Laura begged as she met my eyes over her shoulder.

I thrust my cock inside of her while I cocked my hand back and spanked her again, and my lover cried out in ecstasy as I continued to thrust.

“Fuck, you’re so tight like this.” I reached around and cupped the blonde’s bouncing tits from behind, and I enjoyed the soft skin slapping against my hands as I continued to thrust.

Laura pushed her ass against my thrusts so my cock went into her pussy as deeply as it could, and I slid my hands down my lover’s incredible body and kept one hand on her hip as I reached around and found her clit with my other one. Then I rolled the engorged nub between my fingers and kept thrusting.

“Oh, god, Jonah!” Laura’s voice came out ragged.

“Cum for me again, baby,” I said, and my own voice low and gravelly as my hips continued to thrust. Then I continued to play with her clit while she whimpered and moaned.

“I-I’m so close,” the blonde gasped as she rocked back onto my cock. “Spank me, Jonah!”

I leaned back and spanked Laura’s tight ass, and the sound reverberated through the cramped back seat.

“Oh, god, yes,” Laura whimpered. “I’m going to cum, Jonah, ohhhhh!”

I spanked Laura’s tight ass again as she came, and she rocked back on my erection while her pussy juices dripped down my cock. I could feel her tunnel grip my thrusting cock like a well-oiled fist, and it was about to send me over the edge.

“Fuck, I love making you cum,” I growled and bucked my hips faster and harder. “Now I’m going to fill you up with my cum.”

“Yes, please, Jonah!” my lover cried as she rocked back and forth on my cock.

“Oh, fuck, I’m going to, aaaaahhhhhh…” I felt my orgasm building, and I cocked my hand back and spanked my lover one last time. As my hand made contact with her ass, my orgasm exploded out of me and shot straight to the deepest part of my sexy blonde lover’s pussy.

My ears rang as I kept thrusting into her sopping wet tunnel while I climaxed, and a shiver raced down my spine when the last of my sperm ejected from the tip of my cock. Then I partially collapsed on Laura’s back and planted sloppy kisses across her shoulder blades, and she shuddered as she rocked back against me one last time.

We stayed like that for a moment, but then I remembered we were in a car on a public road near some crazy cult, so I quickly pulled my cock out as I tried to catch my breath. A drop of my cum dripped out of my lover’s pussy and onto the seat, but then Laura reached her hand through her legs, touched her swollen pussy, and pushed some of my pearly-white seed back inside her.

“Hmm, I love how it feels right after it’s been fucked.” Laura continued to stroke her pussy while I enjoyed the view.

“Fuck, that looks hot, keep doing that,” I instructed, and I reached down and started stroking my own cock, which was still rock hard even after I’d exploded into the beautiful blonde woman in front of me.

We could maybe spare another five minutes before we got back on the road.

“Like this?” Laura shook her ass a little for me as she continued to rub her clit.

“Hmm, yes. Think you can cum again and let me watch?”

“I can try,” Laura said slyly, but she increased the speed of her hand while she played with her pussy.

“Let me help,” I said, and I reached out and spanked my lover’s tight ass.

It was now bright red from all of the contact, but the agent seemed to enjoy this fact.

“God, yes,” Laura moaned as she kept playing with her pussy. “I cum so hard when you spank me.”

I spanked her again and increased the speed of my own stroking, and my second orgasm was building fast in front of the incredible view of Laura playing with her pussy.

“Ohhhh, I’m going to cum again,” Laura cried out, so I spanked her again and watched as her body started to orgasm.

The sight of my lover shaking in ecstasy brought my orgasm to the surface, and I could feel my balls start to draw up into my body.

“Fuck,” I said as I suddenly realized I didn’t want to mess up the car seat any more, but my orgasm was getting closer, so I pulled my lover’s ass closer to me and watched as my orgasm sprayed across her back in spurts. I enjoyed the sight for a moment before I chuckled. “Sorry, I made a mess.”

“You can make a mess on me whenever you want,” Laura teased. Then she turned her head but tried not to turn her body and cause the contents on her back to spill everywhere. “Hmm, no towel, though.”

“Sorry.” I cringed before I looked around for something to wipe Laura’s back off with. “Didn’t think of it at the time, I was a little preoccupied.”

“Just use my shirt.” Laura gestured to the crumpled pile of cotton on the floor. “I’ll just zip up my windbreaker when we get back to the Clubhouse.”

“Okay,” I said and grabbed the gray shirt from the floor. Then I cleaned off her back before I stashed the t-shirt under the driver’s side seat. “I’ll wash that for you when I get home. Don’t want to be bringing it into the building and having the team ask questions.”

“No, we don’t,” Laura agreed with a smile, and then she turned in the seat and put her leggings back on, followed by her windbreaker.

I pulled up my jeans and buttoned them again, and I watched in amusement as the fit blonde wiggled into her clothes in the limited space of the back seat. When she was done, she turned to me and kissed me.

“I feel like a teenager,” Laura giggled when she pulled away. “Sneaking around and having sex in the car.”

“It was a lot of fun,” I agreed and nuzzled the beautiful woman’s neck. “And I can’t wait to do that again, but with more space.”

“And maybe… an audience?” Laura suggested as she glanced up at me timidly.

“That can definitely be arranged.” I smirked. Laura and Elaine had great chemistry, but Laura seemed to be new to the polyamory situation in a way Elaine wasn’t. The blonde agent was still shy about asking for what she wanted, but I had a feeling she would get over the embarrassment soon enough, with the help of Elaine.

“We should get back,” Laura said reluctantly with a look at her watch, but then she grinned. “At least we gave the team some time to get more info on the cult.”

“Let’s go see what they found,” I said.

We climbed back into the front seats of the car before I pulled out my phone and plugged in the directions to the Clubhouse, and then we started driving back to the city.

On the ride, we talked more about what it meant that there was a cult dedicated to or possibly directly involved with the Sigil Killer, and we ran through so many possibilities that the drive went quickly, and I was looking forward to getting back to the Clubhouse and running our ideas past the rest of the team.

Before I knew it, I was navigating the Lincoln into the secured parking lot. Then Laura and I made our way through the lobby of the FBI Headquarters that was much quieter at this time of night, but it was far from empty as security guards and low-level agents milled around the area.

A few of them greeted the blonde agent at my side and gave me a polite nod, and I smirked inwardly when I wondered what they would think if they knew I’d just fucked their beautiful colleague in my car.

We stepped into the mirrored elevator, and I was happy at the chance to enjoy the view of the fit agent’s ass from all angles again.

“I see you looking.” Laura smirked at me and then tugged the zipper of her windbreaker all the way to the top. “Don’t get any ideas, I already have to face the team topless and dripping cum down my thighs because of you.”

“I didn’t hear you complaining before,” I said as I crossed my arms over my chest, and I couldn’t help but flex my forearms while my sleeves were pushed up.

“Mmm, I’m not complaining,” Laura said, and she bit her lip as she watched my muscles rippling beneath the outline of the cuffs. Then she shook her head and scowled at me playfully. “Stop that.”

“Sorry, Miss Professional,” I teased. “But again, you weren’t complaining before. In fact, I seem to recall you begging for it.”

Laura opened her mouth to argue, but the elevator doors dinged open, and I laughed.

“Saved by the bell.” I motioned the blonde agent out the elevator ahead of me.

“Lucky me.” She grinned before she smoothed her face into a professional manner. “Grab showers, then gather the team for a meeting?”

“Sounds good,” I said and then gestured at her windbreaker. “I’ll let them know so you don’t have to hide your… situation.”

“Thank you, Jonah.” Laura smiled at me.

“What situation?”

Laura and I turned to see Mary standing at the corner of the hallway with a can of soda in her hand, and she looked like a deer caught in headlights.

“Also, yay, you’re back! Hi, how was Cultsville?” The curly-haired woman bobbed closer to us, and her green eyes were wide in wonder as she took in the sight of our dirty clothes and Laura’s untidy hair. “Glad you made it back safe… or did you? You said something about a situation, Jonah. Is everything okay with you, Laura? Are you hurt?”

“Oh, yes, everything is fine.” The agent’s face grew a bright shade of pink, and I could tell she was avoiding eye contact with me. “Just, um, girl problems.”

“We did get in a bit of a tussle out there,” I interjected to take the attention off Laura. Then I stepped forward and hugged the brunette, and she squeezed back, harder than usual. “But everything is fine. We were just going to go grab some showers and then call a team meeting.”

“Oh, cool,” Mary said with a look of relief on her face. “The rest of the team was just about to order dinner. I can let them know you guys are here and have some food ready for when you’re done.”

“That would be really helpful, Mary, thank you.” Laura gave the brunette an appreciative smile. “Meet in the same room as this morning?”

“Sounds good. Say about twenty minutes?” I asked the two women, who both nodded in return.

“See you then.” Mary waved as she dashed off around the corner.

Then Laura and I headed to the locker rooms, where we parted ways at the end of the corridor and went in opposite directions to our respective gender’s doors.

I showered quickly and changed into the training clothes from my duffle bag that Elaine had left in the locker room for me earlier, and the entire time, my stomach growled in anticipation of the dinner that would be waiting for me in the meeting room.

Finally, I threw my dirty clothes in the duffle bag and then went out to the corridor to wait for Agent Mayhew, and I didn’t have to wait long because the beautiful blonde emerged from her locker room less than two minutes later. Her golden hair was tied back into a high ponytail, which was sleek from the shower. She wore a similar pair of leggings as before, but this pair was a navy-blue color that accentuated her curves even more than the black ones, and she wore a fitted black FBI t-shirt that strained across her ample chest, so I made sure to take a good look before we joined the rest of the team again.

“Woman,” I said with a devilish smile. “You are…”

“In a place of work,” Laura said in a professional tone, but she shot me a wink. “Let’s see what the rest of the team came up with while we were away.”

“Lead the way.” I gestured for the agent to walk in front of me like a gentleman.

Of course, it was also so I could watch her tight ass swing while she walked, which I did the whole way to the meeting room.

When we rounded the corner, I could see my Israeli girlfriend through the window of the meeting room. She waved at me enthusiastically, and I returned the wave while she stood up to wait for me. Mary was sitting next to her, and Sammy was next to Mary, and I could see what looked like Chinese takeout containers scattered across the table.

The blonde agent and I entered the meeting room, and Elaine hugged me as soon as I crossed the doorway. She nuzzled into my neck and then pulled back and gave me a quick kiss.

“I missed you.” My girlfriend smiled up at me.

“I missed you, too,” I said and squeezed her. “Did you guys find out anything…”

I trailed off as Sammy motioned for my attention.

“Wait, wait, sorry to interrupt, boss,” the burly tech agent said as he patted his chest. “Forgive me, but could we take a break from work while we eat? We’ve been going nonstop since you left, and we have some stuff to share, but I think we could all use a little break.”

“Fair enough,” I said and looked at Laura, who nodded. “Let’s eat.”

I took a seat next to Elaine while Laura sat on the other side of me, and everyone exchanged friendly greetings as we dished out the food. Soon, my plate was piled high, and my mouth watered at the sight of the thick fried spring rolls, pot stickers, veggie lo mein, and Kung Pao chicken. I tucked into the satisfying food, and the team kept the chat lighthearted and not work-related until our plates were cleared and we’d all gone back for seconds. Then I helped Mary clean away the dishes and empty containers before we all sat back down at the cleared conference room table.

“So,” Elaine said as she leaned forward expectantly. “What did you guys find?”

“Well, Mary was right,” I said with a smile at the curly-haired woman, who blushed at the attention. “It is cult central up there.”

“Really?” Mary leaned forward the same way Elaine had, but her green eyes glinted with triumph. “I knew it. Seriously, what kind of name is Middleville? What were they like, were they creepy?”

“Very,” I said. “Like Jordan Peele movie hissing and jumping around crazy creepy.”

“Whoa, cooool,” Mary breathed in a fascinated tone before she looked around at us with another embarrassed blush. “I mean, not cool cool, since they, like, kill cows and stuff, but just, you know, cool. I like Jordan Peele’s horror movies.”

“We know.” Elaine patted my curly-haired friend’s arm and giggled. “Mary gets excited about things.”

“Because it’s all so cool!” Mary giggled. “I still can’t believe I’m working with the FBI. This is so much more meaningful than shipping packages.”

“She’s been like this all day,” Sammy sighed, but he smiled, so I knew Mary had grown on him eventually, just like I knew she would. Then he waved his hand at us to continue. “You were saying?”

“Well, I should probably start from the beginning, before the cult,” I said.

I gave the team a quick rundown of our trip to the water treatment facility, the tampered with security system, and the locals’ perspective on the cult before I finally got to the barn and meeting the cult members for the first time. Then I explained how they’d attacked me and how I had to use my powers to fight them off but managed to capture one of them.

Mary gasped when I recounted how our captive mentioned Babalon so we guessed they were connected to the Sigil Killer and then killed himself with a cyanide pill.

The team was hooked on my every word as I told them about the underground tunnels and how the cult members were able to detonate explosives to prevent us from following them. And then I told my friends how we got the hell out of Dodge before the cult came back looking for their dead member.

I left out the details about the drive home and my extracurricular work with Agent Mayhew, but I shot her a side look so she knew it was still on my mind.

There was a beat of silence when I finished retelling while the team all processed the information.

“That’s… insane.” Mary broke the silence, and her voice was full of wonder.

“It was pretty wild,” I agreed with my excitable friend. “But we got some good intel out of it. We know this is definitely a cult, and they’re definitely related to the Sigil Killer somehow. We know they’ve got what seems to be an underground network that connects their properties, and the equipment to destroy it. They’re crazy, but they’re organized and definitely well-equipped, maybe even armed.”

“We got the information you messaged us before you left Middleville,” Sammy said and gestured to his open laptop in the corner. “I’m running some pieces of it through some different databases to see if we can come up with a hit on anything. Maybe figure out who the leader is.”

“Good.” Laura nodded. “Any luck with the note?”

“Nada.” Sammy pulled the note, still enclosed in the plastic bag, from his front shirt pocket and tossed it on the table in front of him. “I didn’t expect anything to come of it, though. Standard printer, standard ink, no identifying information to speak of. Sorry, boss.”

“That’s fine, it was a long shot,” I assured the tech agent before I turned to the two women next to him. “Did you guys have any luck with your research?”

“We’re working on it, I’ve been like a worm in the books all day,” Elaine said and nodded at my former co-worker. “Mary has been helping a lot, and we feel like we’re on the right track and about to make the connection. I can feel it, Jonah.”

“That’s great,” I smiled at my beautiful girlfriend. “I trust you ladies, I know you’ll figure it out soon.”

“Holy crap, is that the time?” Mary gasped as she looked at the clock hanging on the wall behind my head. “Jeez, Jonah, even Rudy didn’t work us this hard at CPS.”

“Yeah, but was the work at CPS as cool as the work at the FBI is?” I asked my friend with a grin.

“God, no, not even close,” she giggled.

“Mary is right, though, it is pretty late,” Laura interjected. “We should probably wrap it up for the night and start fresh in the morning.”

“Agreed,” I said. “I need to get an early start in the morning, I need to train. I’ve left it for too many days, and I could have come into some real trouble out at the farm if I hadn’t taken a couple hits at the beginning. I need to store up some kinetic energy and work on my accuracy.”

“I think I’ll work through the night,” Sammy said. “I’ll catch a nap in the break room, but I’ve got a lot running through the system. I want to be here if we get a hit on anything.”

“I’ll take Mary back to the penthouse, and we can meet you back here in the morning, after your training?” Laura suggested.

“Actually,” Elaine interjected and turned to Mary. “I thought we could start showing you some self-defense moves if you’re going to be on the team. And you can finally see Jonah use his powers. What do you think? Do you want to join us for our training in the morning?”

“Oh, wow, really?” The green-eyed woman looked between us excitedly. “I mean, as long as you don’t mind that I’m like really, super unfit, then yeah, I’d love to join.”

“I’m sure you’ll be just fine,” I assured my friend. “And Elaine is a great teacher, she’s taught me so much cool stuff. So has Laura.”

I smiled at the two badass women, who blushed from my praise.

“Okay, so we’ll meet you back here bright and early tomorrow?” Laura confirmed as she cleared her throat.

“Yeah, sounds like a plan,” I said and pushed my chair back from the table.

The rest of the team followed my lead, and we all stood and said our goodbyes. Elaine and I hugged the two other women and waved goodbye to Sammy before we headed out of the building for the night holding hands.

We got to the Lincoln, and I unlocked it before we climbed in and buckled our seat belts. Then Elaine put on our favorite playlist, and I drove us out of the parking lot and toward Bellamy. We held hands and sang along to the songs as we drove, and it was nice to put the Sigil Killer on the back-burner and just enjoy the time with my girlfriend, like a normal couple.

When we were almost at Arbor Shoals, Elaine got a text, so she pulled out her phone to read it.

“Oh, good,” she said. “Laura says the surveillance unit outside Arbor Shoals hasn’t seen anything at all today. They’re just changing shifts now, so we’ll still have a team watching the building all night.”

“That’s good,” I said. “But he might turn up tomorrow, he’ll still be waiting for my signal from the window.”

“We can worry about that tomorrow,” my exotic girlfriend said with a wave of her hand. “I’m death on my feet.”

“Dead on my feet,” I corrected her with a chuckle as I pulled into the parking lot of Arbor Shoals.

We got out of the car, and I looked around in case Leiber_49 was lurking in the shadows, but I didn’t see anyone. I did spot the FBI surveillance team in their black Volvo S80 on the far side of the parking lot, but I didn’t acknowledge them just in case someone was watching.

My girlfriend and I made it to our floor with no problems and walked to the door of Elaine’s apartment, and she unlocked it and pulled me into the apartment with her. Once the door shut behind me, she reached up on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed me, and I kissed her back as I pulled her in close by the waist.

“God, I missed you today,” my girlfriend purred into my ear. “I kept thinking about your sexy self running around out in the field with Laura, being a badass, sexy superhero, and I kept getting excited.”

“Oh, really.” I grinned and pulled her in closer. “Well, Laura and I got a little excited out in the field ourselves.”

“Did you?” Elaine’s face lit up with excitement, but her eyes darkened with desire. Then she took me by the hand and pulled me toward the bedroom. “Tell me all about it.”

Chapter Nine

Once we entered the bedroom, I pulled my girlfriend in for a bear hug, and she made an adorable noise in the back of her throat as she squeezed me tight. Then I pulled back a bit, lifted her chin to tilt her face up to mine, and kissed her deep.

“I promise I will tell you all about it soon,” I said to my beautiful girlfriend. “But it’s already pretty late, and we need to get up early. We should probably get to bed.”

“You’re right,” she sighed, and her voice was a tiny bit defeated, but then she grinned up at me. “My superhero is always so sensible.”

“Trust me, it’s hard sometimes,” I rumbled as I let my hands slide down her back and cup her big, tight ass. Then I squeezed her ass while she giggled up at me. “But someone has to do it.”

“Fine, but I still want to hear about you and Laura,” Elaine said as she kissed my neck.

“Soon, I promise,” I said and gave her ass a little spank. “Come on, let’s get ready for bed.”

I stripped my clothes off and left them in a pile on the floor before I climbed into my side of the bed and plugged my phone in to charge. Then I got under the covers and leaned back on the headboard while I watched my gorgeous girlfriend strip her clothes off her tight body.

Elaine changed into a clean pair of panties and a loose crop top before she went to her nightstand and poured some clear liquid from a bottle onto a cotton pad and began removing her makeup.

“Just curious, why do you wear clothes to bed?” I asked my gorgeous girlfriend. “Don’t you find it restricting?”

“Habit, I guess.” Elaine shrugged as she continued to wipe her face. “Leftover from my military days. You don’t want to be caught in the middle of the night in a combat situation, and you jump out of bed in your birthday outfit when there’s bullets flying everywhere.”

“Birthday suit,” I corrected with a grin. “Yeah, that makes sense, I guess. Your crop top and panties look like they’d provide a lot of protection, I can see why you need them.”

“You shush, it’s a mind thing. My brain is more comfortable wearing at least something to bed.” Elaine stuck out her tongue before she climbed into bed next to me, and then she got under the covers and curled up under my arm.

“Okay, okay, whatever you say,” I chuckled and pulled her into me. “As long as you’re comfortable.”

“Good night, my sexy superhero,” she purred as she nuzzled into my neck.

“Good night, baby,” I whispered before I kissed the top of her head.

Then we drifted off to sleep, with our limbs still entwined.

My alarm woke me early the next morning, and I groaned because I felt like I could have easily stayed in bed for another two or three hours at least. Hell, it was still dark out.

But I really needed to train, and I wanted to know if Sammy had found out anything more about the cult overnight.

I woke my girlfriend up and left her in her apartment to get ready for the day while I slipped down the hall to my apartment. I changed into my training clothes and packed another duffle bag with my outfit for today, a pair of relaxed fit jeans and a black long-sleeved top to wear under a forest-green cashmere sweater. Then I made coffee for my girlfriend and me while I waited for her to finish getting ready.

Ten minutes later, I had our coffee ready in travel mugs, and Elaine knocked on my door. She looked incredible wearing tight red yoga shorts, a black cropped hoodie with a black sports bra peeking out the bottom, and knee-high socks with her sneakers, and her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, so she looked fresh-faced and very pretty. She also carried a duffle bag that I figured must hold her day clothes.

“Sexy as ever.” I grinned and handed her a mug of coffee. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yep,” Elaine said and sipped her coffee. “I’m looking forward to training with Mary, she seems like she’s having fun on the team.”

“Yeah, she seems to be pretty excited about the whole situation, so let’s go show her these superpowers you’re always teasing her about,” I said with a wink.

My girlfriend and I made our way down to the parking lot of Arbor Shoals, and I glanced over at the corner of the lot and saw the FBI-issued Volvo in the same spot, which gave me some comfort. Then I looked over to the Lincoln, but I could see from here there was no new note on the windshield, even in the dim early-morning light.

I wondered if the Sigil Killer knew about our field trip yesterday.

Since there were no obvious signs that there had been an intruder at Arbor Shoals last night, Elaine and I hopped in the Lincoln, and I pointed it in the direction of Chicago and drove while my girlfriend did some neck stretches in the passenger seat.

By the time we reached the FBI Headquarters, the sun had made its full appearance, and it shone down on us and created a harsh glare against my eyes. I was grateful to pull into the covered parking lot, away from the hazardous rays, but I had to blink away the dots in my vision for several minutes after.

The FBI Headquarters was starting to come alive for the day, but it wasn’t as busy as I’d seen it before. A few employees gave us polite nods as we passed, but most were consumed in their own thoughts.

Elaine and I headed toward the back of the building where we could access the FBI field practice range, which was a large multi-story training area with a shooting range, tumbling mats, and obstacle courses that expanded outdoors. My girlfriend and I pushed through the double doors that led us to the practice range and headed for the locker rooms to put our bags down, and then we rounded the corner to see Laura and Mary already waiting for us outside the women’s locker room.

Mary was wearing long workout leggings and a baggy cotton band tee, and her curly hair was pulled back and tucked away under a paisley print bandana. Laura was dressed business casual in a gray pinstripe pencil skirt and matching blazer, with a pink silk button-down top underneath and low black heels, and her blonde hair was in a high bun.

Both women smiled when they saw us and greeted us with hugs.

“Excited to train with us?” Elaine asked a bleary-eyed Mary.

“I will be,” Mary said while she stifled a yawn. “Just need to wake up a little first.”

“Elaine will make sure of that,” I scoffed playfully. “She’s like a drill sergeant, wait until you see it.”

“Hey, we’re fighting the bad guys.” Elaine shrugged and smiled. “We need to be in good shape. I’m going to drop our bags off, I’ll be right back.”

My girlfriend took both of our duffle bags and our jackets, and she began to hum while she bounced into the ladies’ locker room.

Then Mary spotted the tattooed Ke-Beech cuffs on my arms, and she bit her lip as she studied them.

“Hey, Jonah… could I maybe touch your tattoos?” The curly-haired woman cocked her head like a curious raven that had spotted something shiny. “I know you showed them to me before, but they look so cool.”

“Oh, these old things?” I joked and held them up for her to see. “Sure.”

“Really?” Mary’s emerald eyes grew wide, and she reached out to trace a finger over one of them hesitantly.

“It’s alright, they won’t do anything to you,” I said and pushed my arm forward to encourage Mary to touch the tattooed cuffs.

“Whoa,” the brunette gasped before she looked at me with a big smile. She seemed to be more awake now. “Cool.”

“Wait until you see them in action,” Laura said and shot me a grin before she caught herself and quickly recovered. Then she cleared her throat and straightened her blazer. “Well, you all have a good time. I’ve got some admin work to do after I check in on Sammy to see what he came up with.”

“Okay, we’ll see you after our training,” I said while I tried to discreetly get a good look at the agent’s sexy legs in that skirt.

“Thanks for bringing me, Laura,” Mary said as she waved to the blonde.

Laura waved goodbye to us, and the sound of her heels clicking echoed across the empty corridor until she left the training area. Then Elaine returned from the locker rooms, and we headed back into the training area and toward the tumbling mats.

“Mary, what sort of physical activities have you done before?” Elaine asked the curly-haired woman. “Have you played any sports or something?”

“Not exactly,” Mary said, and she looked a little embarrassed as she dropped her gaze. “I used to dance, but I haven’t for a while. Raymond didn’t like it, so I stopped a couple years ago.”

“That guy was a jackass,” I said without thinking, but then I cringed. “Sorry, I know you left him, so you don’t need to hear that anymore. I just hate how he treated you, and I’m glad you’re done with him. You’re so much better off.”

“Thanks, Jonah, I feel the same way, and I have you to thank for a lot of that.” My green-eyed friend smiled at me and then looked toward Elaine with a slightly embarrassed blush.

I saw Elaine noticed Mary’s shyness, but my girlfriend didn’t tease her for it. Instead, she looked at me with raised eyebrows and an amused expression before she turned back to Mary.

“Dance is a sport and a damn hard one, too.” The Israeli beauty nodded at Mary. “You’ll need strong legs and core muscles for it. What kind of dance?”

“Jazz and lyrical,” Mary said, and she blushed deeper at Elaine’s compliments. “But I’m very out of shape, so be patient with me.”

“Don’t worry, we will,” Elaine said as we all stepped onto the soft, spongy mat. “Is it okay with everyone if I lead us in some stretches?”

“Here comes the Drill Sergeant,” I joked.

“Careful, or I’ll make you do push-ups,” Elaine teased and planted her hands on her hips.

“You two are so cute,” Mary giggled, but her eyes lingered on me for a moment before she turned back to Elaine. “Yes, please, Elaine. I need some direction here.”

My girlfriend easily took charge, and we started with static stretches, standing, and sitting. Mary was significantly more flexible than me and a good bit more flexible than Elaine, but she insisted she was rusty and actually much more flexible at her best. I couldn’t even see how that was possible, but I also couldn’t help but imagine my beautiful crush demonstrating her flexibility on top of me, without any clothes on.

While I was deep inside of her.

After the stretches, Elaine had us do some military-style warm-up drills. We jogged small laps around the mat, and then we did some jumping jacks and exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, and planks.

When we finished the fifteen-minute warm-up, Mary was red-faced and panting.

“That… was just the warm-up?” she panted as she bent over and tried to catch her breath.

“I told you,” I said as I wiped the sweat dripping down my face. “Drill Sergeant Elaine.”

“I’m not that bad,” Elaine insisted. The beautiful Israeli woman stood in front of us with a big smile, and she looked like she hadn’t worked out at all. She wasn’t even sweating. “It’s important to warm up so you don’t get any injuries.”

“What about…” Mary started while still bent over with her head hanging, but she raised one hand like she was in school. “What about if you get injured during the warm-ups. Or, like, die.”

“Don’t worry, the more you train with us, the easier it gets,” Elaine said in an upbeat tone. “Right, Jonah?”

“Unfortunately, she is right,” I said to the curly-haired woman, who finally stood up, but her face was still a few shades pinker than normal. “It’s a lot of work, but it does get easier, and eventually it starts to feel good.”

“Gotta start somewhere, I guess.” Mary shook her arms out and hopped a couple times. “Alright, what’s next?”

“Well, I thought I would show you some basic self-defense moves,” Elaine said as she moved between Mary and me. “But, I was thinking… Jonah, you said you needed to store up some more kinetic energy, right?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty low, especially after the fight at the farm last night,” I confirmed.

“Right, so I was thinking we can show Mary how to hit and kick, and we can use you as the dummy,” Elaine explained, and she used her hands to gesture between us as she spoke. “So Mary can learn the proper techniques, and you can store up some energy.”

“What?” Mary asked as she frowned in confusion. “I’m not going to hit Jonah,”

“No, it’s okay,” I said and held up my arms to show off the cuffs. “That’s part of the superpowers. I can’t feel the pain from the blows, I just absorb the kinetic energy from them, and then I’m able to store up and use the energy to make myself hit harder, throw up shields of energy, and some other cool stuff.”

“Wow,” Mary breathed, and her pink lips formed an awed ‘O’ shape.

“Yeah, so hit away, but I’m sure you thought about it a few times when we were working together at CPS,” I joked.

“No, of course not, you were my favorite co-worker,” Mary scoffed before she narrowed her green eyes at me. “You sure you don’t mind me hitting you?”

“Not at all, Mary,” I assured the small woman.

“Okay, show me what to do,” Mary said to Elaine with a determined look on her face.

“Great!” Elaine arranged me so I stood upright with my feet shoulder-width apart and my arms held just a little bit out from my sides. Then she positioned Mary in front of me and arranged her into a staggered fighting stance with her fists near her face. “Okay, so, Mary, if you’re faced with a male opponent like this, the first thing you’re going to want to do is kick them right in the balls.”

“What!” Mary dropped her fighting stance and stood up straight. “I’m not kicking Jonah in the balls!”

“It’s fine,” I laughed. “Really, I won’t feel it.”

“Yeah, but…” Mary looked between Elaine and me. “Really? I feel bad. I’m still hitting you, even if you can’t feel it.”

“You’d be doing me a favor, I really need to build up my kinetic energy stores,” I said. “But it’s totally fine if you’re not comfortable hitting me, I understand.”

“Would it help if Jonah and I sparred for a bit first?” Elaine asked the curly-haired woman. “So you can see you won’t hurt him.”

“Yeah, that might help.” Mary nodded. Then she took a few steps back so Elaine and I could have some space to spar.

My beautiful girlfriend turned and squared up to me, and I got into my fighting stance, that Elaine had helped me to perfect, and winked at the gorgeous woman. She smirked back at me, and then we began to spar.

The Israeli beauty’s lean body moved easily through the air as she directed practiced hits at all the would-be vulnerable spots on my body. I threw my arms up to deflect the shots as they came, left, right, left, and each deflected blow sent a satisfying surge of kinetic energy through my body. After a few hits, Elaine faked a punch and then turned and jumped into a spinning body kick.

I blocked the kick, and Elaine landed on one leg, so I used that moment to dash forward and go on the offensive. I threw an uncharged jab to her left side, but she deflected it, so I faked another jab to the left and went for the right. Then she jumped back to avoid the hit and shot me a smile.

“You’ve improved so much, baby.” Elaine gave me an appreciative nod. “I’m proud of you.”

“Well, I had a great teacher.” I returned my sexy lover’s smile. Then I looked over to Mary, who was watching us with wide-eyed wonder. “So, what do you think?”

“Um, that was incredible!” Mary gushed. “You guys are so badass, I’ll never be that good at fighting, but it’s so cool to see.”

“Sure, you could be.” Elaine nodded enthusiastically. “It just takes time and training. Want to give it a shot?”

“Yeah, I do,” Mary said. The determination had returned to her face, but then it faltered slightly. “I’m still not sure about hitting Jonah, though.”

“Hang on a second,” I said, and I jogged over to the corner where there was an equipment closet. I pulled the door open and grabbed a few sets of pads and jogged back over to the two waiting women. I tossed the pads to the side of the mats and picked up a curved kickboxing pad for Mary to kick. Then I got into a wide-legged stance and held the pad down toward the ground so Mary could kick up into it. “Is that better?”

“Much.” The small woman smiled in relief. “I feel much better hitting a pad you’re holding than hitting you. Okay, Elaine, show me what to do.”

Over the next half-hour, Elaine showed Mary basic strikes and kicks while I held the pads and absorbed the kinetic energy from the blows. Then they moved on to defense techniques and how to break away from different attacks. I simulated attacking my friend while Elaine shouted instructions, and Mary learned the motions. Mary gained more confidence the more she moved, and her strikes became harder and more accurate.

After a while, when all three of us were dripping with sweat and gasping for air, we sat down for a water break.

“You’re really good, Mary, you’re getting the hang of it really quickly,” I praised my curly-haired friend between gulps of water and air.

“Please, I’m trash compared to you guys,” Mary gasped, but she looked pleased with herself.

“No, you’ve done really well,” Elaine assured Mary with a friendly smile. “Better than Jonah did when he first started training.”

“Hey, in my defense,” I said and held up my hands before I dropped them in mock-defeat. “I was very lazy. Before the cuffs, I mean.”

“And now look at you,” Mary grinned as she looked me up and down. “Superhero to the people of Bellamy and beyond. With great power…”

“Comes great responsibility.” I shot her a smirk as I finished the quote.

“Jonah, how are your power reserves?” Elaine asked.

“They’re filling up,” I said and flexed my fingers to feel the charge beneath my skin that I still didn’t quite understand. “I wouldn’t mind taking a few more direct hits to get some more.”

“Want me to throw a few before we hit the showers?” my girlfriend asked as she put her water bottle down and stretched her neck.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind that,” I said and hopped up. Then I rolled my neck a few times and hopped up and down to get hyped up again.

Before Elaine and I had a chance to square up again, we heard the distinctive click of high heels on the ground. We all turned toward the entrance to see Laura walking toward us with a serious look on her face, so we picked up our things and walked over to meet her.

“Sammy’s found something,” the blonde agent informed us when we met in the middle of the rolling area. “I need the team back for a meeting.”

Chapter Ten

“Of course.” I nodded at the beautiful agent. “Let us grab quick showers, and we’ll meet you in the usual conference room?”

“Sure, just be quick, please,” Laura said in a serious tone, but then she took in our sweaty bodies and grinned. “Did you all have fun training?”

“Sure did.” I returned the grin. “Mary is a natural, and Elaine is an excellent teacher. I also got to stock up on some kinetic energy, so a successful morning, I would say.”

“Excellent.” The agent’s smile widened before she turned on her heels to face the door and called over her shoulder at us. “See you shortly in the conference room.”

I headed for the men’s locker room, and Elaine and Mary disappeared into the women’s locker room. Then I showered quickly and while the cool water cascaded over my body, I enjoyed the exhausted yet energized feeling that always came with a good, hard workout.

I didn’t have time for the sauna today, but I would try to get a session in before the end of the week. It was like my reward for my newfound exercise regimen. I never got the point of saunas until I started training at the FBI headquarters, but after one of my intense training sessions, I decided to try it out, and then I understood how the hot, humid room relaxed all my knotted muscles and busy mind.

I dressed in my day clothes quickly, and the clothes felt slightly sticky against my freshly showered skin. I shoved my sweaty training gear into my duffle bag and locked it into a nearby locker, and then I left the men’s locker room to wait for Elaine and Mary.

I lingered in the corridor where the women’s locker room was, but not too close to the door so I didn’t look creepy. Luckily, the two women didn’t keep me waiting long, and they soon emerged from the steamy locker room.

My girlfriend came out looking sexy as hell in her typical black crop top and shorts with combat boots look. She wore an orange and black flannel top over the crop top, and matching orange socks peeked over her combat boots, and she’d taken extra care on her makeup this morning. The black winged eyeliner made her look even more badass, and I was impressed she could pull off such an elaborate look in such a short amount of time.

Mary also looked amazing, and I was glad to be able to appreciate her in something other than the boxy CPS uniform. The curly-haired brunette wore a tight pink plaid spaghetti strap dress with a thin white t-shirt underneath and white platform sneakers with hearts on them. My friend had also gone a step further with her makeup today and added small dots beneath her eyes that made her look irresistibly cute.

I couldn’t believe women could do so much with their makeup, I considered that a form of magic in itself.

“Looking good, ladies,” I said with a whistle.

“Thanks, baby.” Elaine grinned before she reached up and kissed me.

Mary looked away when my girlfriend kissed me, and she had a strange look on her face. I wondered if PDA made her uncomfortable, but I’d seen her kiss Raymond in public a few times before and after his gigs, so it couldn’t be that.

After a moment, she turned back to us with a tight smile on her face, and I considered the possibility that she was jealous of the obvious affection between my girlfriend and me, so I reached out and pulled her in for a side-arm hug.

“You were seriously great today, think you’re up for training with us again?” I asked the green-eyed woman.

“Definitely.” Mary nodded enthusiastically and leaned into the hug before she let go. “I’ve been telling myself I need to get back in shape for, like, a year now, so it’s the perfect opportunity. I mean, I basically have two free FBI-level personal trainers, what more could I want?”

“You’ll be back in shape in no time,” Elaine said as she squeezed between Mary and me and linked her arms in both of ours so we formed a chain of three. “Soon, you’ll be the one showing new recruits all the moves.”

“I don’t know about that, but I’m glad to get my flexibility back, at least,” Mary laughed, and we all headed out of the training area.

We kept our arms linked until we reached the main building, and then we separated to put on a more professional appearance in the FBI Headquarters.

We made our way back to the front of the building and took the elevators down to the basement level where the Clubhouse was, and when we got to our usual conference room, Laura and Sammy were already there, along with a table full of coffee cups and bakery bags. The two agents waved at us through the window before we entered the room, and they greeted us warmly while we took seats around the large conference table.

“Help yourselves,” Laura said and gestured to the coffee cups and bags that were filled with breakfast pastries.

I grabbed a coffee cup and searched the bags until I found a blueberry muffin. Elaine took an almond croissant, while Mary took the chocolate muffin, and we chewed our pastries and sipped our coffees while Laura started the meeting.

“So, Sammy has been up all night.” Laura gestured to the fatigued tech agent, who nodded sleepily at us. “But he has found a few things we need to take into consideration. Sammy?”

“Thanks, Laura.” The agent shook his head to help wake himself up. “And don’t worry, I was able to grab a quick nap at some point during the night, so I’m not totally useless today. But, like Laura said, I found some things.”

The agent turned to his laptop and clicked a few buttons to project his screen onto the wall for all of us to see. A forum page appeared on the screen, but I didn’t recognize it.

“I think I may have found the Sigil Killer’s new online identity,” Sammy stated seriously.

A tense silence filled the room as we all leaned forward and waited for more information.

“There’s nothing on any public forums, but I spent all night digging and found what I believe to be him in some private forums,” the tech agent went on. “I haven’t been able to make direct contact yet, I’ll need some time to infiltrate them effectively and not raise any questions about my sudden appearance.”

“Makes sense.” I nodded. “Leiber_49 will be wary after our chat.”

“He’s definitely being more cautious than he was before,” Sammy agreed. “No direct mentions of the killings, just alluding to them. I think this is him here.”

Sammy highlighted a screen name that appeared on a comment in the forum.

“StrangeAngel66?” I read from the screen and frowned. “Does he think he’s an angel now?”

“I think that’s a reference to a book,” Elaine piped up. “A book written about Jack Parsons years after he died. I came across it yesterday when we were doing our research.”

“I think so,” Sammy agreed. “A few of the other screen names are references to the two occultists that Leiber_49 talked about before, that’s how I found the forum. StrangeAngel66 has only made one comment on it, but check out this exchange with other members of the forum.”

Sammy clicked onto another page, where a conversation between a few different screen names was highlighted, and the room was silent as we all read the words on the screen.

CircularDemons543: whens the next rendezvous i was off camp for a couple days.

CrowlzFan: twenty hundred hours, Wilson farm.

KillMeDaddy: not wilson farm. compromised.

CrowlzFan: fuck, what happened?

AstralPr0jection: Stop talking here, idiots. Anyone could get into these forums.

CrowlzFan: para much?

CircularDemons543: so where is it?

AstralPr0jection: Come find me in person, stop talking here.

“This was late last night, about three AM,” Sammy explained. “I slapped together a program to trawl through forums and pick up keywords related to the Sigil Killer we’ve seen so far. Luckily, the algorithm picked up CrowlzFan as being related to Aleister Crowley.”

“I’m confused, though, what are they talking about?” Mary asked, and her green eyes were wide with confusion and concern. “What’s Wilson Farm?”

“That’s the farm we were at last night,” I informed the group. “Where we got in the fight with all those cult creeps.”

“Compromised,” Laura noted. “They must be talking about the underground tunnels being caved in.”

“Most likely,” I agreed with the blonde agent.

“Okay, so there was supposed to be a meeting at Wilson’s Farm tonight, at eight PM.” Elaine studied the screen as she connected the dots out loud. “But it can’t be there anymore, because it got blown up. So they’ve moved the location of their rendezvous.”

“Looks like it,” I said. “These guys here must be pretty low in the cult hierarchy if they have to ask where the next meeting is on a dark web forum, and unfortunately for us, CircularDemons543 stopped the idiots from revealing any more information.”

“So…” Mary asked and pointed at the last message from CircularDemons543. “Where is it?”

“I don’t know,” I said, and I blew out a sharp breath while I shrugged. “We didn’t have the time or light to explore the area anymore.”

“I’ve got maps,” Sammy said, and we all turned to stare at the burly agent, who looked like he was trying to remember something. “Wilson’s Farm, is that the one behind the stretch of wood, off the main road?”

“Yes, it is,” I confirmed. “That’s where the underground tunnel was, but they set off those explosives and buried it. We don’t know where it led to.”

“I’ll pull the blueprints and land deeds for all the commune farmland purchases.” Sammy nodded thoughtfully and rubbed his hands together while his big frame paced the room, so I guessed he’d had a few cups of coffee this morning to make up for the lack of sleep last night. “See if I can’t put together an estimate of the underground tunnel network they’ve built.”

“Good,” I said in a satisfied tone. “We need to find out where this meeting is taking place. I think we should go check it out.”

“Really? Is that safe?” Mary’s green eyes were wide with fear. “I mean, a bunch of them just attacked you, and they’ve clearly got bombs. Are you sure you should be going back already?”

“We’ve got to, Mary,” I said in a gentle tone. “We have to act fast before they kill again. I know it’s a lot to take in, but we have to move fast.”

“And don’t worry, he’s got the power of the cuffs,” Laura added, and the blonde agent reached out and squeezed my forearm.

Mary noticed the gesture, and her eyebrows furrowed, but she was distracted by Elaine.

“And me,” Elaine said with a sly grin, and she squeezed my other forearm as Laura let her hand drop away from me. “His sidekick. Are we going to a cult meeting tonight, babe?”

“We sure are.” I squeezed her hand that rested on my forearm.

“Ohh, date night,” my beautiful girlfriend joked with a playful smile.

“Man,” Mary said as she crossed her arms in mock-anger and pouted. “You guys get to have all the fun.”

“You can come out on field missions with us when you have a bit more training,” Elaine assured my friend. “I don’t think it will be long at all based on what I saw this morning.”

“Really?” Mary asked, and her face lit up with excitement.

“We’ll see about that,” Laura said in a protective tone. “There’s a lot of paperwork involved in bringing a civilian out into the field, so let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves yet.”

“Okay, okay, we’ll talk about it in the future,” Mary said and raised her hands up in defeat before she tucked them in her pockets and grinned. “Like next week sometime.”

“Soon enough,” I chuckled at my friend’s eagerness.

If someone had told me last year that my CPS co-worker and I would be working together on a covert FBI task force that involved superpowered jewelry and serial killer cults, I would have laughed in their face.

But I wouldn’t change my life for anything in the world now.

“We’d better get started gathering intel on the tunnel network,” Laura said and brought us back to business. “We only have a few hours to come up with a plan.”

“On it,” Sammy said and pulled the cords out of his laptop that connected it to the projector. “I’ll get all the blueprints printed out, but I need my control room. I won’t be long.”

Then the burly agent waved at us as he hurried out of the room.

“And I’ll go grab all my research books, so we can see if anything jumps out at us,” Elaine said before she turned to me and squeezed my hand. “They’re in my duffle bag, I’ll be right back.”

“I’d better go update the Director,” Laura said with a resigned sigh, and she was already tapping on her phone as she walked toward the door. “Back soon.”

The two women left, so it was just me and Mary left in the large conference room. Then my friend sidled up to me with a sort of shell-shocked look on her face, and I chuckled.

“Are you okay?” I asked my green-eyed friend with a kind smile. “You’re looking a little freaked out.”

“It’s just a lot to take in… not that I’m not loving it, because I totally am,” Mary added quickly as she waved her hands. “It’s just a lot all at once, and it’s a little overwhelming. I’m used to customers who are angry because they can’t get a discount on their seventy-nine cent stamps, not crazy cult people who kill cows and stuff.”

“I know what you mean, it was hard for me at first, too.” I reached out, put a reassuring hand on my friend’s shoulder, and gave it a squeeze before I pulled my hand back and ran it through my hair with a sigh. “Hell, I’m still getting used to it, but give it some time, and it’ll become more normal. If you want to, of course, I hope you’re not thinking about leaving or anything after we catch the Sigil Killer. But that would be okay, too.”

I knew I was rambling some, but I wanted my friend to feel comfortable here since the FBI was a big change from the CPS. I really liked having her around, and I wanted the curly-haired brunette to stick around indefinitely, especially if she was going to train with us in those tight workout clothes.

But I didn’t want her to feel like she had no choice. I wasn’t going to control her like that asshole Raymond.

“Oh, no, I definitely want to stay.” The green-eyed woman’s head bobbed up and down enthusiastically, and she had a goofy grin on her face. “I have to stay until I start believing this is all real. I never expected my life to contain so much danger.”

“I’d never let anything happen to you, Mary, you know that, right?” I said in a more serious tone. “I wouldn’t bring you here unless I was absolutely certain I could protect you.”

“I know,” Mary murmured as she reached her hand out to squeeze my arm, but then she dropped it and blushed a light shade of pink. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me lately. I don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t… and the Sigil Killer…”

Mary’s voice trailed off, and her eyes welled up with tears.

“Hey, it’s okay.” I pulled my friend in for a hug and spoke to her softly. “I’m here, you’re safe.”

I squeezed the small woman tight, and her thin arms squeezed me back for a moment before she pulled away and sniffled.

“Thanks, Jonah, I’ll be fine, I’m just adjusting.” She gave me a watery grin, wiped her nose with the back of her hand, and then made an embarrassed face. “I wish I was as strong as Elaine and Laura.”

“They’ve been doing this a lot longer, but you’re a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for, Mary.” I looked into my friend’s shining green eyes when I spoke so she understood how much I respected her. “You’re so smart and a really fast learner, and everyone loves you. You’re becoming a valuable asset to the team. Even Sammy has warmed up to you now.”

“Yeah, I did win him over,” the brunette giggled and then gave me a sly look, and her voice had the smallest edge in it. “Not as much as you’ve won Laura over, though.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, maybe a little too quickly, and I could feel a little heat as it rose to my cheeks.

Maybe Laura and I weren’t as subtle with our attraction as I had thought.

“Nothing,” Mary said, and her green eyes were wide with a fake innocence, but her voice still had a small edge to it. “I just noticed you two were pretty close for co-workers. Even closer than we were at CPS.”

“Laura’s helped me a lot, she’s been a great team leader,” I said as I tried to keep my answers vague, but Mary’s eyes were boring holes into me.

I felt my face heat up even more, and I had the thought that maybe we should train Mary on interrogations because she made me nervous with her intense staring. I wasn’t embarrassed about my situation with the beautiful agent at all, but I didn’t know if Laura would want me to let Mary in on the situation.

“Mhmm,” Mary said, and she didn’t sound convinced. “I’m surprised Elaine isn’t a little jealous of the leggy FBI agent who spends lots of one-on-one time with her boyfriend.”

“Well, funny story,” I chuckled and rubbed the back of my head.

Mary cocked her head in confusion and raised her eyebrows at me to encourage me to spill the beans, so I glanced out the conference room windows to make sure no one was coming, but we were safely alone.

“Okay, if I tell you something, can you keep it between us?” I asked my friend in a low, conspiratorial tone.

“Oh, my god, what is it?” Mary’s eyes went instantly wide with the excitement of learning a secret. Then she frowned suddenly and looked at me sternly. “Wait… you’re not cheating on Elaine, are you? Because I won’t keep that a secret, Jonah.”

“No, no, god, no, never, it’s not like that at all,” I assured the brunette before I took a deep breath to explain the unique situation. “Elaine is my girlfriend, and I’m very happy with her. But I’m also… seeing Laura.”

Mary’s emerald eyes went wide, and she looked like she was about to yell at me, so I held my hands up and barreled onward.

“With Elaine’s permission! Actually, she was the one who encouraged it. She’s kinda… into me being with other women. Laura and I haven’t put a label on anything yet, but it’s all above the water. Elaine knows everything about my relationship with Laura, that’s kind of the fun part for her. And, of course, Laura knows I’m with Elaine. It’s all very open, and we’re still sort of figuring it out ourselves.”

Mary’s expression had turned from stern to awestruck, and now she gaped at me while she searched for the words to reply.

“That’s… wow. That’s something else.” Mary looked pleasantly confused, like I’d just told her Bigfoot was my cousin or something. “And, like, there’s no jealousy at all?”

“Nope.” I spread my hands wide and shrugged, like I didn’t quite understand it myself. “It’s all working out so far.”

“Interesting,” Mary said as she eyed me. “I’ve only really seen situations like that on the internet, I didn’t know it really worked in real life.”

I shrugged again. I couldn’t yet tell if my former co-worker thought I was a gross fuckboy, or if she was cool with the situation, but I thought it was best to clear it up before she got the wrong idea about me.

“And how many girlfriends does Elaine let you have?” Mary suddenly smirked, and she looked me up and down appreciatively.

“You’d have to ask her,” I said with a wink. Mary and I had always had a flirtationship, and now that she was available, and she knew I wasn’t exclusively tied to Elaine, maybe Mary did want more than our friendship after all. “But she doesn’t seem to mind sharing.”

“Mmm, I’m pretty good at sharing,” Mary said, and her eyes darkened.

A moment passed where the curly-haired woman and I held each other’s gaze, and the tension between us was so thick, I could cut it with a knife. Mary stared into my eyes, but I couldn’t help but let my gaze fall to her plump, parted lips. I had an almost overwhelming urge to pull the green-eyed beauty to me and kiss her hard so she could see what she’d been missing out on all these years, but I resisted, and the moment passed when we heard a door closing somewhere down the hallway.

“So, you’re telling me, since you left CPS,” Mary recovered from the moment and held out her fingers as she counted off the items she listed. “You have not one, but two beautiful girlfriends, you gained superpowers, joined the FBI, and now you fight crime in a government-issued Lincoln?”

“That sounds about right,” I chuckled. “Trust me, I’m just as confused as you, I don’t know what I did right in a past life to deserve all this.”

“Oh, I don’t think it has anything to do with a past life, Jonah.” Mary squeezed my arm again and let her hand linger there a little longer than usual before she dropped it. “I think you’ve done enough good in this life to deserve all of it and more.”

“I don’t know about that, but I hope so,” I said with a mix of embarrassment and pride at the compliment from my pretty friend. “Oh, and could you keep the whole Laura thing under wraps? She doesn’t want Sammy or her other colleagues knowing about the situation.”

“Of course.” Mary nodded and winked at me. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“Thanks, Mary.” I smiled. “I appreciate that and all you’ve done for us so far.”

Before Mary could respond, we both noticed a flurry of movement out of the corner of our eyes. Then we looked through the tall windows of the conference room to see Sammy waving at us to get our attention before he disappeared around the corner again.

“I think that means he wants us to follow him,” I chuckled and gestured to the door. “Shall we?”

“Control room?” Mary asked as she headed out the door.

“Probably,” I said as I followed her.

I couldn’t help but watch the sway of her hips and her ass swinging while she walked, but now my thoughts were lined with the possibility of something happening between Mary and me. It really seemed like she wanted something to happen, and I wouldn’t say no if it did. I’d been thinking about getting with Mary for years, and now there was nothing in our way since Raymond was out of the picture, and Elaine was the best girlfriend in the world.

When we got to the control room, Sammy was already sitting in his usual seat and typing furiously. Elaine stood next to him and looked over his shoulder with her arms full of books, but they both turned when they heard us enter.

“There you are, we’ve got work to do, here, Jonah, use this.” Sammy sounded more irritated than I’d ever seen him, and he reached into a drawer, pulled out a laptop, and thrust it at me. “I’m going to send you some links so you can start doing some digging as well. Mary, you should get on yours and start as well.”

“Sorry, Sammy.” Mary’s voice went up an octave, and her eyes widened as she rushed to her seat. “I’ll start now, sorry.”

“No, it’s…” Sammy looked around at our surprised faces and rubbed a hand over his tired face. “Sorry, guys, I’m just tired, I didn’t mean to snap.”

“That’s okay, we know you were up all night helping us,” Elaine assured the tech agent. “Do you mind if Mary takes her laptop and helps me in the conference room? I may need her Latin skills.”

“Of course,” Sammy said with a wave of his hand. “Sorry, Mary, you can work wherever you want.”

“Thanks,” Mary squeaked while she quickly unplugged her laptop and rushed to Elaine’s side. The curly-haired brunette was still nervous about getting on Sammy’s bad side, but her timidity was endearing.

“I’ll work here,” I said and walked over to Mary’s now empty seat, where I plugged in my own work laptop and sat next to Sammy. “We’ll come get you at lunchtime, babe, and go over what we’ve got?”

“Sounds good, see you in a bit.” Elaine leaned down to kiss me before she and Mary waved goodbye and left the control room.

Then Sammy and I put our heads down and got to work. Laura popped in and out with her own updates as we worked, but it was mostly just Sammy and me in the control room that constantly buzzed with the electronic current powering the multiple screens and routers in the small, windowless room.

I followed the links Sammy sent me to various dark web forums, and I began combing through each post, comment, and conversation for any signs of the Sigil Killer or his cult of followers. I came across more of the same disturbing things I’d come to expect on the dark web, like women begging to become the Sigil Killer’s next victim, men explaining what they would do with the bodies of the previous victims, and other anonymous posters asking for tips on how to get away with murder. There were also forums dedicated to interpreting the sigils found in the leaked crime scene photos, but these were full of wild guesses, and I was confident none of those posters were actually part of the cult.

Still, the content of the forums made my stomach churn. I didn’t understand how there could be such sick bastards out there who wanted to watch women suffer, or wanted to violate their already brutalized bodies. And the women who fantasized about wanting to be killed, well, that would take me years of specialized study in psychology to get to the root of the layers and layers of mental health issues there. I felt sorry for those women, they must not be truly loved or appreciated in their offline lives to be so willing to throw themselves at the feet of a monster.

I continued to dig through the forums without much success while Sammy rotated between typing at his laptop, circling things on a printed off map, and sighing loudly. I chuckled at the frazzled agent and decided it was best to leave him to his own devices and work independently.

One thread in the forum finally caught my attention, because it was posted by a username I recognized from earlier: KillMeDaddy and the thread was called IN4MATION, so I clicked into it quickly.

The post was short and cryptic.

IN4MATION: RDV CHG: HSF @ 1800.

I didn’t understand what the shorthand meant, and there was only one comment from a username I didn’t recognize, but the comment was only asking what the hell the post meant. It had received quite a few ‘upknives,’ the forum’s sick twist on an upvote that replaced the traditional voting arrows with bloodied knives, so at least ten people knew what the message meant, and it had only been posted minutes ago.

I shot a glance at Sammy, who was still frowning and scribbling furiously, so I decided not to bother him with this just yet. Instead, I took a screenshot of the conversation and printed it out. Then I folded the piece of paper with the conversation a few times and stuffed it in my back pocket before I returned to the forums. I clicked through a few more topic threads, but KillMeDaddy’s post kept interrupting my thoughts. I clicked the back button and returned to the main page of the forum so I could read the post again, and I thought maybe someone had commented something that would help me understand it.

To my dismay, the post was no longer visible anywhere. I searched a few pages deep, even though I knew it wasn’t there, before I sighed.

At least I had had the forethought to print it out.

After what seemed like days instead of hours, I stood up to stretch and let out a loud groan as I did. Then I checked the clock above the door, but I didn’t need to because my stomach growled loudly at that exact moment to let me know it was lunchtime.

Sammy looked up at the sound of my hunger.

“Lunchtime,” I chuckled.

“Let me know when the food gets here,” Sammy said as he turned back to his screen.

I left the control room and headed toward the conference room, and on the way, I ran into Laura.

“Hey,” I greeted the beautiful agent with a smile, and we continued in the same direction toward the conference room. “Sammy is a machine, he’s barely looked up from his computer all day.”

“I know.” Laura shook her head. “I’m going to send him home soon, he needs to sleep. Sometimes he forgets he’s not a computer, and he needs to rest. I was just coming to tell everyone to take a lunch break.”

“Me, too,” I said just as my stomach let out another grumble, and then I winced and gestured to my stomach. “As you can tell, I’m more than a little hungry.”

“Sounds like it.” Laura raised an amused eyebrow before she put a hand over her own flat stomach. “I’m starving, too.”

We continued toward the conference room and just as we were about to round the corner, Mary came galloping around it and nearly knocked us over.

“Sorry! Is everyone okay?” The green-eyed woman jumped back, and then she looked between Laura and me with a knowing smile.

The agent noticed the look and raised an eyebrow, but I spoke before it got awkward.

“We’re fine,” I chuckled. “What’s the rush?”

“Oh, Elaine and I ordered lunch for everyone, we were just coming to get you guys.”

“You angel,” I said and let my head fall back while I closed my eyes in appreciation. “We were just coming to get everyone to break for lunch, but you beat us to it.”

“Yep,” she said cheerfully. “You guys go ahead, I’ll get Sammy.”

Mary continued to skip down the hallway, so Laura and I continued toward the conference room.

“What was that look?” Laura asked when Mary was out of earshot.

“Ahh, well, I sorta had to tell Mary about you and me.” I grinned sheepishly as I ran my hand through my hair.

“You what?” Laura demanded sharply and narrowed her eyes.

“Don’t worry, she’s not going to tell anyone,” I assured the blonde agent quickly. “But she picked up on the… attraction between us, and she sorta thought I was going to cheat on Elaine with you or something, so I had to set her straight. I promise she won’t tell anyone.”

“Well…” Laura’s face softened some, but she still looked skeptical. “I trust her, but I wish you would have told me you were going to tell her before you did.”

“I know, I’m sorry. It just sort of happened, I didn’t intend to tell her.” I gave the agent’s hand a quick squeeze while we were still alone.

“It’s fine.” Laura waved away my apology, and then the blonde woman grinned. “I figured you’d have to tell her eventually anyway, with the way she looks at you. I’m surprised she hasn’t jumped your bones already.”

“What, like you did?” I teased the agent, who blushed lightly.

“Pretty much,” she chuckled.

We reached the conference room where we could see Elaine with her back to us as she dished out plates and cutlery to the empty seats. Then Laura and I entered the room, and we were hit with the tantalizing smell of Indian food. Elaine looked up and smiled when she saw us, and then the beautiful Israeli woman stepped over to me for a kiss and gave Laura a hug.

“Smells amazing.” My mouth was already watering.

“Yes, thanks for sorting lunch out for us, Elaine.” Laura nodded as she took a seat on the other side of the large conference room table so her back wasn’t to the door. “I think we all needed a break.”

“Definitely,” I said and sat across from the agent, and I eyed the containers brimming with red and yellow and green curries.

But first, I reached for the rice and started serving a large spoonful on each plate.

Sammy and Mary appeared at the door when I was serving the last plate. The bearded tech agent carried a laptop and a large rolled-up piece of paper, which he quickly stuffed into the corner of the room.

There was an exchange of pleasantries before everyone took their seats, and then there was a flurry of activity while everyone dished out the curries and passed the plastic containers over to each other. I finally sat back to a plate piled high with three different curry variations, a healthy serving of rice, and a large piece of naan bread, along with a couple of fragrant pakoras.

Then we all dug into our Indian food as a team. The thick, creamy curries really hit the spot after a hard morning of physical and mental work, while the rice and bread sat comfortably in my stomach and made me feel full and content. The red curry was too spicy for Mary, so I finished her portion of that, as well as all of the food on my plate, and when I was done, I sat back and patted my stomach.

“I could probably eat all of that again,” I said with a satisfied sigh. “That was delicious, good choice, Elaine.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” Elaine smiled as she used a piece of naan to mop up the last of the curry sauce on her plate.

“Definitely, we’ll need to get that again,” I said, and then I leaned forward and began stacking the plates and takeout containers. “Especially after we train in the morning.”

“I could sleep after that,” Sammy said while he stifled a yawn. “Feels like Thanksgiving when you eat so much, you need a nap to recover.”

“You do need a nap to recover,” Laura said, and she was all business again as she finished stacking her plate on top of mine. Then she swiped her hands together and stood to toss the empty containers in the garbage can before she turned and nodded at Sammy. “We’re going to finalize our plans for the field mission tonight, and then you’re going home to get some sleep.”

“That’s not necessary,” Sammy objected. “I can stay at least until you guys…”

“No,” Laura said firmly and held up a hand. “That’s an order. We need you well-rested, you’ve done plenty for us. So, let’s get these plans finalized.”

“Agreed.” I nodded. “We’ve got a cult to take down.”

Chapter Eleven

I stood and finished clearing the table, and by the time I got back from dumping the dishes in the sink of the small kitchenette, Sammy already had a large map rolled out over the conference table and was leaning over it along with the women.

I joined the huddled mass above the map that showed Middleville and the surrounding areas. Sammy had a few spots circled, and I looked closer to see the Wilson Farm and the water treatment facility among the circles, along with a few places I didn’t recognize from my brief trip to Middleville.

“Sammy was just telling us he thinks he found the cult’s main base,” Laura filled me in and pointed to one of the larger circles.

“See, this one.” Sammy pointed to the circled farm labeled Homestead. “This was the first piece of land purchased by James Roland, ten months ago. The property on the deed is listed as Reginald Farm, but the person who sold it to Roland made a note, saying Roland kept referring to it as the Homestead. The seller didn’t seem too happy about the name change, but Roland paid above asking price for the land and all its components. So, this is where I’m thinking he’s setting up base.”

“Well, not him, exactly,” Elaine said. “He’s dead.”

“Right.” Sammy nodded. “So it is possible his successor’s changed bases, but this one is the most centrally located, so it makes sense to keep that as the main base.”

“And all of this other land…” Laura gestured to all the circles. “All purchased by Roland?”

“Correct. Seems he bought all of the farmland that was actively for sale, five confirmed so far, including the Homestead and Wilson’s. Some of them are pretty far apart. He also approached this couple.” The burly agent pointed to a piece of farmland that was not circled and just next to the Homestead Farm, separated by a thicket of woods. “Ronnie and Joyce Taylor. He made them an offer on their house and land, but they refused to sell, so Roland bought the farm on the other side of the Taylors, Gerald’s Barn is the name. It would have been convenient for them to have all three of the pieces of land, but the Taylors refused.”

I took in the circled farm, labeled with the word ‘Homestead.’ Labeled underground tunnels spanned out in all directions from the Homestead, and one of the tunnels led right to Wilson’s Farm.

“Is that the tunnel we think they destroyed last night?” I asked as I pointed to the tunnel leading from Wilson’s farm.

What did it mean for the cult if we cut off their covert transportation link between one of their farms and their Homestead?

“Looks like it.” Laura nodded.

“The underground tunnels are my guesswork,” Sammy explained. “I have the blueprints for all the surrounding farms the cult owns, so the tunnels are how I think they’re traveling between them without the local population noticing or being able to track their movements.”

“You think they’ve got one into the water treatment facility?” I asked and reached out to trace one of the tunnels from the Homestead to the water plant we visited the day before.

“Not confirmed, but I think so.” Sammy nodded seriously. “It would explain some things, like how the outdoor security lights weren’t activated at any point the night before the dead cow was discovered, especially since it wasn’t a foggy night. I think there’s also one that goes right into Middleville’s town center, but I’m not sure where. That could explain why the townsfolk don’t seem to notice much suspicious activity. It will be well hidden.”

“Interesting,” I said as I took in the new information, and I traced my finger over the tunnel that led into Middleville but ended with a big question mark.

“I mean, they seem crazy, I wouldn’t put it past them,” Mary said as her green eyes darted across the large map.

“Agreed,” Laura said as she also studied the map. “After seeing them last night, I don’t doubt their commitment to crazy.”

“So, according to the message from yesterday, the meeting was supposed to be tonight at twenty hundred hours, at Wilson Farm,” Sammy said and pointed to the circled farm. “But we know that’s not going to happen, as you two compromised it.”

“So, where is the new meeting?” Mary asked.

“Well, we don’t know,” Sammy sighed as he ran his hand over the multiple circles on the map. “It could be any of these connected farms.”

“Wait,” I said as I suddenly remembered the folded piece of paper in my back pocket. Then I pulled it out, unfolded it, and spread it open across the map for everyone to see.

“Information, R-D-V C-H-G, H-S-F at eighteen hundred,” Laura read out the words and letters from the paper in a monotone voice.

“What is this supposed to mean?” Elaine frowned at the paper. “This is all just letters.”

“I know, but look,” I said as I reached across the table and picked up a pen that was next to Sammy’s hand. Then I used the pen to point at the biggest circle on the map, the Homestead, and on the piece of paper, I wrote out the words HomeStead Farm and drew an arrow to the HSF acronym.

“Ohhhh, shit, Jonah, I think you may have just cracked it,” Mary gasped, and her voice was thick with wonder. She looked around at the team with excited anticipation, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Maybe one part of it,” I said before I studied the letters in front of me again. “What about the rest of it, though?”

“Well, eighteen hundred must mean six PM, so it’s changed time,” Laura said as she tapped the number on the paper. “Good catch, Jonah, if you hadn’t seen this message, we would have turned up two hours later.”

“We?” I looked up at the blonde agent with raised eyebrows. “Are you joining us on the mission?”

“I think I will.” Laura shot me a grin. “I had a lot of fun out in the field yesterday, and I think I should start getting out there more. So, if you and Elaine don’t mind the company…”

“Of course not!” Elaine gushed and clapped her hands. “Field trip with all of us, catching bad guys, it’s perfect.”

“Yeah, that will be fun,” I said with a grin.

“Humph,” Mary pouted and crossed her arms. “I never get to go on the fun missions.”

“You’ve only been here for two days!” Laura laughed. “And only had an hour of self-defense training, at a push.”

“Still,” Mary continued to pout, but with a grin so we knew she wasn’t serious. “I want to go fight the bad guys.”

“You will,” I assured her while I patted her shoulder. “Besides, all the work you do here is helping to fight the bad guys. Like deciphering this post.”

“I guess,” Mary said with a sigh as she bent over to study the piece of paper again. “Okay, so information r-d-v c-h-g, Homestead Farm at six PM. Hmm. R-D-V. Rendezvous? Isn’t that the word they used in the other conversation?”

“It is.” I stared at my green-eyed friend for a beat, and I was impressed with her deciphering abilities, which I assumed were aided by her language skills. “Good catch, Mary. See? You’re already helping us to catch the bad guys.”

“Not as exciting as kicking their asses, but thanks,” Mary said, but she blushed with pride.

“Okay, so…” Laura picked up the paper and read the message again. “Information, rendezvous… changed? To Homestead Farm at six PM. That sounds accurate.”

“Homestead Farm…” Elaine said slowly, and I could see the gears working behind her brown eyes. “Why would they hold the meeting at their main base? Isn’t that a little dangerous? Why not use one of these many other farms?”

“I don’t know.” I frowned. “It does seem risky to gather everyone at their main headquarters. Maybe we scared them last night, and they have more security at the Homestead.”

“Or more weapons,” Elaine said in a grave tone.

“Probably,” Laura agreed in an equally serious voice.

“Good work, team.” I nodded and was satisfied with our translation work. “Looks like we need to head out a bit earlier than we realized.”

“That’s fine,” Laura said with a glance at the clock that hung above the door. “We have a little time to prepare. I’ve got to call the Director and fill him in. I’m also going to call the surveillance team outside of Arbor Shoals and see if there’s been any activity.”

“Good idea,” I said. “The Sigil Killer gave me a deadline to talk and that’s passed today, so I’m curious if he’ll be hanging around waiting for me, or if he’ll be in attendance at the rendezvous tonight.”

I still didn’t know for sure if this cult was just a bunch of hillbilly serial killer fanboys, or if they were actually working side by side with the Sigil Killer.

But one way or another, I would find out tonight.

“I’d better get started on the paperwork,” Laura said. The blonde agent already had her phone in her hand, but she stopped and looked around the room at the rest of the team. “Sammy, can you run through the map and blueprints thoroughly with these three? And when they’re up to snuff on it, you go home and rest. That’s an order.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Sammy nodded and looked too tired to argue.

“Good, I’ll see the rest of you soon, be ready to leave here by sixteen hundred hours,” Laura said in her professional voice as she left the conference room.

Over the next hour, Elaine, Mary, and I studied the map and blueprints of every piece of land owned by the cult. There was a lot more farmland than I realized, with at least five farms circled, and all most likely had underground tunnels connecting them to each other. Each of the farms also had a small list next to them to indicate what was on the land, like a barn, a house, a well, farm animals, etc. The names of the farms were just as unnoteworthy as Wilson’s Farm, with names like Boyd’s Barn and Roger’s Farm. The most interesting name circled on the map was Auchenharvie Estate, even though I had no idea how to pronounce it.

Sammy ran us through all of the details he’d acquired that included highly accurate topographic maps, land deeds, and a list of possible low-level members, and I could understand why the agent was so tired if he’d spent all night rounding up this plethora of information. Unfortunately, none of the information the bearded tech had uncovered helped us identify the Sigil Killer or the mystery behind the dead cow, but it would help us to infiltrate their meeting tonight and hopefully get to the bottom of the remaining mysteries.

Once Sammy was satisfied that we’d retained all the information necessary for tonight’s mission, he ran a hand over his bleary-eyed face and let out a long sigh.

“That’s it for me today, I think,” the bearded agent said, and his voice betrayed his fatigue. “But I’ll have my cell phone on me all night, so call me if you need anything.”

“I’m sure we’ll be fine, Sammy, I really appreciate all your help,” I said and clapped the burly agent on the back. “You go home and get some rest, we’ll try not to bother you for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, though, that’s a different story. Who knows what we’ll find tonight.”

“Looking forward to it,” Sammy said while he stifled a yawn, and then he began the process of unplugging his laptop from the corner. When he finished, he stopped at the door and waved before he left. “Tell the boss I said goodbye and good luck to you all.”

Once Sammy left, it was just Elaine and Mary and me in the meeting room, and the conference room table between us was littered with maps and notes. We had some time to kill, so Elaine suggested we return to the training center and partially fill my kinetic energy reserves, in case I needed to use them at the cult meeting tonight. We didn’t have any clean training clothes or time to get a proper spar in, so we decided Elaine would show Mary how to work the beanbag gun, and the two women would fire the beanbags at me.

It worked on two counts: I got to top up my kinetic energy, and Elaine and Mary got to work on their aim.

We headed to the training room and found an empty obstacle course, but the Indian food still sat heavy in my stomach, and Mary was new to marksmanship, so I gave her a mostly static target to shoot. Even though I stood still, Mary missed the first six shots she aimed in my direction, but she eventually got the hang of it, and I felt the beanbags make contact with my body without any pain.

I absorbed the kinetic energy until I felt a crackle underneath the skin of my fingertips to indicate I was pretty full up, which luckily happened around the same time we needed to head back to the Clubhouse so we could meet up with Laura and head out.

When we emerged from the elevator at the Clubhouse level, Laura was already waiting for us. She was dressed in her field leggings and FBI windbreaker, with her hair tied back in a sensible ponytail, but I wondered if she was wearing the wildly sexy lingerie underneath the activewear again.

“I hope you haven’t tired yourselves out with training before we go on a field mission,” the leggy agent said with raised eyebrows as the elevator door dinged shut behind us.

“Nope,” I said with a grin. “Mary was behind the trigger, so I barely broke a sweat.”

“Hey,” Mary said and slapped me lightly on the shoulder. “I’ve never shot anything before, I’m learning. I will admit, though, I’m better at the hand-to-hand combat stuff than the shooting stuff.”

“Me too,” Laura assured the curly-haired woman. “I hate guns, Jonah usually has to convince me to take one out in the field.”

“Speaking of which, are you carrying tonight?” I asked the blonde agent.

“I am,” she said and patted the side of her hip that was obscured by her baggy windbreaker. “After seeing those freaks yesterday, it seemed like the right choice.”

“Good. And you, Elaine?” I turned to my sexy Israeli girlfriend, who never went to Chicago without her handgun.

“Of course,” she said with a sly smile. “I hid it in the car so we didn’t have to bother with the metal detectors this morning.”

“Perfect, well, we should head out soon,” I said, and I looked at my watch and the seconds as they ticked closer to four o’clock. Then I looked back at the three women in front of me, and my gaze fell on my green-eyed friend. “Wait, Mary. How are you going to get back to the penthouse?”

“Oh,” she said and looked around at us like she hadn’t thought about that. “Sammy gave me a ride yesterday, but he’s already gone, so I guess I’ll just get a rideshare.”

“Nonsense, we’ll drop you off at the penthouse before we leave the city,” Laura said as she pushed the call button for the elevator to take us back up. “We were here early, you can head back now.”

The elevator doors pinged open, and the four of us crowded into the small boxy elevator. Then we rode it up and left the FBI Headquarters building, headed for the parking lot, and piled into the Lincoln. Laura sat in the front passenger side while Mary and Elaine sat in the back where they immediately began whispering and giggling, and I drove the short distance to the penthouse and let Mary out of the car.

“Good luck!” Mary shouted, and she waved goodbye to us before she bounded to the secure entrance of the impressive building.

“She’s so cute,” Elaine giggled as we drove away from the penthouse and toward Middleville.

“Jonah certainly thinks so,” Laura said as she shot me a sly smile.

“Oh?” Elaine leaned forward so her arms were crossed across the center console, and she could speak to us without any obstructions. “Do tell.”

“Yes, Jonah, do tell,” Laura teased.

“Okay, okay,” I chuckled. “Mary was picking up on some heat between Laura and me, so I told her about the whole situation, because she was worried I was cheating on you, Elaine.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” my girlfriend said, and then she clasped her hands and held them over her heart. “I mean, she is obviously attracted to you, but she was still worried about you cheating on me with someone else.”

“Very different from my approach.” Laura smirked, though her face was a brighter shade of pink.

“That’s right, you just went for it,” Elaine said with a playful nudge. “I don’t blame you, I would have done the same if our roles were reversed. So, what else did Mary say about our relationship?”

“Nothing, really.” I shrugged. “She kinda hinted about joining in, but I don’t know if she was serious about that. As far as I know, she has always been monogamous, so I don’t know if she could handle… this.”

I gestured between us all, and the women snickered.

“For you, I bet she could.” Elaine grinned.

“Who could resist?” Laura asked as she snaked her hand across the center console and squeezed my thigh.

Elaine watched the movement with hunger in her dark eyes while she bit her lip. Then she shook her hand and pointed at the road ahead.

“Okay, we all need to cool off, we have a while to drive. And a mission to complete.”

“You’re right,” I agreed and refocused on the road. “Let’s turn some music on, so we can get excited for some action.”

Laura and Elaine playfully squabbled over the playlist before they settled on an alternative rock playlist that had just enough grit to get the energy flowing, but not so much that we lost focus on the mission.

We drove and drove past miles of farmland and small towns until we finally saw signs for Middleville, and then I turned the music down as I took the exit and guided the Lincoln through the small, sleepy town. We passed through the center of the town, and a few of the elderly locals waved and smiled at us as we passed, despite the darkened windows that obscured their view of us.

I guessed it was just one of those friendly places where no one was treated like a stranger.

On the drive over, we had gone over our plan in detail. We’d arrived at the town an hour before the meeting so we could drive to the farm next to the Homestead headquarters, owned by the Taylors, since it wasn’t like we could just drive up to the cult meeting in my FBI-issued vehicle. We would park our car at the farm next door, where Laura would flash her FBI badge at the owners of the farm, and then we would walk through the thicket of woods that separated the farms and over to the Homestead, hopefully before any of the meeting attendees arrived.

I pulled the Lincoln into the long driveaway of the neighboring farm, and at the end of the long driveway sat a quaint, white, one-story country house with blue shutters. Chickens milled around the yard freely, and they all started chattering when we emerged from the Lincoln.

“You two stay here, I’ll sort out the owners,” Laura said as she stood up straighter and marched to the door.

Elaine and I hung back at the car and watched the blonde agent knock on the door with three sharp raps. An elderly woman in an apron answered shortly after, and the two women talked briefly, with a lot of hand gestures, before Laura returned to us with a smile on her face.

“That went much easier than I expected,” the agent said with a satisfied look on her face. “Mrs. Taylor was more than happy to let us leave the car here, especially when I told her we were investigating the people at the farm next door. She was still angry at Roland for offering to buy their land a few months ago. Apparently, he was rude, unsettling, and lowballed her husband, Ronnie, so she chased Roland out of the house with a rolling pin.”

“He lowballed them?” I tilted my head. “That’s interesting, he paid above asking price for the other properties.”

“Maybe he thought he could save some money by swindling the old couple.” Laura shrugged. “Mrs. Taylor did offer us some iced tea, and when I declined, she insisted we come back soon to try it. Best in town, apparently.”

“That was kind of her,” I chuckled and then took a good look around. “I don’t get it, Middleville was a perfectly harmless town until a few months ago when this cult started buying up all the farmland. Why did they choose here? A sleepy old town in the middle of nowhere.”

“Probably for that reason,” Laura said as she shook her head. “It’s a sleepy old town in the middle of nowhere, no one is looking at them. And the locals are generally pretty trusting, it’s the country way. I hope there are no women who fit the Sigil Killer’s MO in Middleville, they’d probably just open the door for him and offer him some iced tea.”

“Probably,” I scoffed. “But let’s get going, I’m going to pull the Lincoln around back, just in case.”

“Hang on,” Elaine said as she opened the passenger side door and ducked her head in the car. She emerged a few seconds later, and she discreetly tucked her holster into the waistband of her shorts and pulled her flannel over it to hide it from view. Then she shot me a grin. “Got it, carry on.”

I chuckled at my exotic girlfriend before I hopped in the car and pulled it around the house so it couldn’t be seen from the main road. I noticed Mrs. Taylor watching from the window, but she just smiled and waved at me. I returned the wave before I rounded the corner to meet up with the two women waiting for me. Then we took off toward the thicket of woods to the right of the property.

Luckily, the woods weren’t as thick as we expected them to be, and we were able to cross them relatively easily. Only Elaine came out the other end with a small scratch from a branch on her shin, but she shrugged it off as one of the dangers of preferring shorts.

Once we cleared the woods, a large red barn came into view, but unlike the windowless building at Wilson’s Farm, this structure had three small windows on each side, along with a large sliding door as its main entrance. The land that surrounded it was pristine, and there was a picturesque mini-windmill off to the side. The sight could be on a postcard were it not for the nefarious activities that we expected took place inside.

The farm was quiet and still, and we didn’t see any movements from anything except the windmill.

“Stakeout,” Elaine declared as she looked around for a place we could hunker down for a while.

“Yep,” I said. “We have a little time before the meeting is supposed to start, let’s see who shows up.”

We found a small dip in the ground behind a thicker band of trees that, if we all crouched down, was the perfect angle to watch the barn without being visible from the other side. Then we settled in and stayed as still and as quiet as possible while we waited for the members to appear with just the sound of the wind to keep us company.

After a while, the sky started to tint with the telltale signs of a setting sun, and I looked at my watch and was alarmed at how much time had passed.

“It’s nearly six o’clock,” I said. “The meeting is going to start in a couple minutes, but we haven’t seen anyone go in. Are we sure we’re at the right place?”

“It is strange,” Elaine said with a frown as she looked around the grounds in front of us. “HSF can only mean Homestead Farm based on the map, so where is everyone?”

“Oh, duh,” Laura said and slapped a palm to her forehead. “The underground tunnels. They won’t be going in through the front door.”

“Shit, you’re right,” I said and raised myself up slightly. “Right, part two. Time to get closer.”

The women followed my lead as I crouched my way toward the barn. I stuck to the tree line as long as I could, but eventually I had no choice but to cross the mostly empty grassy land between the woods and the barn. I shot a look behind me at the women, who nodded their understanding before I increased my speed and dashed to the barn as quickly as I could in my crouched position.

Luckily, there was a bush underneath one of the windows, and I quickly dove behind it. Then I turned to see Laura making the same crouched dash to my position. Once she landed panting next to me, Elaine made her dash, and soon all three of us were ducked behind the bush next to the barn.

I could hear muffled voices through the window already.

The meeting had obviously begun, but the window was sealed shut, and I couldn’t make out the words they were saying.

Shit.

I looked to the other two windows on that side of the barn, but both were closed just as tightly as the one we were under.

Just as I was about to suggest that I check out the other side of the barn, Elaine nudged me.

“Look,” she whispered and pointed to something yellow on the bottom corner of the barn. It took me a moment to realize the yellow was actually a sliver of light, and it was coming from a hole in the side of the building.

“Perfect,” I said as I remained crouched down and crab-walked to the hole. As I got closer, the voices became more distinct, so I lowered down even further until I was laying on my stomach and could peer through the hole, where I could see the meeting taking place from a mouse’s point of view.

I shot a look over at the two women behind the bush. Laura had removed her FBI windbreaker and tied it around her waist. She wore a plain black t-shirt underneath, and she was currently stretched onto her tiptoes as she peered in through the window. She shot me a quick thumbs-up, so I assumed she had a good view of the meeting also and would be able to warn me of any sudden changes. Elaine stayed in a crouched position with her back to the barn, and she was clearly on the lookout for any newcomers on the outside of the barn.

I was satisfied the two women were in position, so I turned my attention back to the meeting taking place through the hole.

Chapter Twelve

The interior of the barn was predictable and not unlike the barn at Wilson’s Farm, though there seemed to be fewer hay bales stacked against our side of the structure. A row of empty animal stalls stood on the other side of the barn, and in the middle of the building, bales of hay were arranged in a circle where at least one person sat on each one, though some bales contained two or three people. There was one man standing at the top of the circle who directed the meeting, and I didn’t know how, but I knew instinctively that this person was not the Sigil Killer.

I tore my eyes away from wannabe Charles Manson, and then I studied the rest of the attendees.

I noticed Tattoos instantly, since he was sitting right next to the man in charge of the meeting. Most of the other people, though, did not look like the cult members we saw yesterday. I counted fifteen people in total, but only Tattoos and four others, including the man in charge, were dressed in the cult’s burlap outfits.

Then I saw three younger-looking people all on one bale of hay. There was one male and two females, all in their late teens, and they were dressed in goth-like outfits with baggy pants with chains hanging off them, ripped shirts held together with bobby pins, and heavy black eye makeup. The male goth had a green mohawk, and the other two female goths had greasy hair with streaks of blue in it, but they all looked enthralled as they hung on every word the man in charge said.

Next to the teens was a group of three serious-looking men, but they all sat on separate bales of hay. The middle-aged men appeared like they belonged to a backwater militia group, because they all wore old-school army fatigues they probably got at a military surplus store. They were also decked out in tactical gear that they hung on tan tactical belts. From here, I could make out a handgun, flashlights, pepper spray, and binoculars, and that was just on one of the men. They were also entranced by the words the man spoke, though their faces showed less feelings of wonder and more angry determination.

I could tell those men were dangerous, not because of their wannabe military gear, but because they looked ready to die for their fight, whatever that was.

And they didn’t care who they took with them.

On the next bale of hay, two women sat next to each other while clutching their hands together. They were attractive women with dark curly hair, and they were dressed in simple jeans and t-shirts and had no visible weapons. The two women looked more scared than anything else, but they leaned forward and kept their eyes trained on the man in charge.

Finally, on the last bale of hay, there were two pretty normal-looking men in their mid-twenties. The men wore plain t-shirts and jeans and looked like they’d come to the meeting together, but they apparently didn’t know each other very well since they sat on the same bale of hay but faced away from each other and didn’t make much eye contact. They carried no weapons or tactical gear, either, and their faces were impassive as they listened to the man in charge.

This didn’t look like a meeting for cult members. It looked like the cult was trying to recruit new members.

The man in charge was in charge for a reason. He was tall with a quietly demanding presence. He wore the same burlap clothes as the other cult members, but unlike them, he kept his graying hair slicked back neatly, and he looked like he hadn’t lost touch with basic hygiene when he joined the cult. He reminded me of the teacher at school you didn’t want to disappoint, not because he would be mad at you, but because he would be disappointed in you, and that was so much worse. His deep voice carried well in the large barn, and he kept a steady tone as he spoke.

Luckily, the meeting had just begun, and the man in charge seemed to be wrapping up the welcoming remarks.

“Now, many of you have expressed interest in joining us before, but we must ensure total commitment on your end before we are able to bring you into the commune,” the man in charge said in a clear and resonating voice. “You must be able to demonstrate your loyalty to us, without question.”

A murmur of agreement came from the seated attendees, and some glanced at their friends with knowing looks.

“You will all have seen on the private forum that we have already sourced our next subjects for the ritual. These subjects have come forward willingly, for they understand the higher purpose. I believe we have some possible future subjects in attendance tonight.” The man in charge gestured to the two dark-haired women, who clutched each other tighter but smiled nervously at the recognition. “Welcome.”

Willing subjects? As in… willing to die? Were these some of those insane women who wanted to be killed by the Sigil Killer? I studied the two women closer, and I found it almost impossible to believe. They looked completely normal, but more terrified than they had when the meeting started. Why would such attractive young women offer themselves up to be murdered?

There was a brief smattering of applause as the other attendees nodded at the women with impressed expressions, and I felt like I was going crazy. I chanced a glance over at Laura, who looked back at me with a horrified expression.

I returned the sentiment before I turned my attention back to the meeting, and the man in charge continued to speak.

“The preparations for the next ritual have had a minor setback and will be slightly delayed.” The man in charge walked slowly around the inside of the circle of hay bales. “There’s been a… situation at one of our other locations that will be dealt with swiftly.”

“Situation,” Tattoos suddenly hissed as he jumped up from his seat and began to pace around the outside of the circle, in the opposite direction of the man in charge. “Situation!”

The man in charge seemed unfazed by Tattoos’ sudden movement and continued his own route while speaking in the same even tone.

“A situation we did not anticipate, but fear not, this will not delay the initiation proceedings of any new members,” Wannabe Manson continued.

There was another murmur from the people sitting on the bales of hay, and everyone kept their full attention on the man in charge, except for the two brunette women, who eyed Tattoos nervously as he circled the bales of hay.

A noise behind me caused me to turn suddenly, and I immediately looked toward the women. Laura had crouched down next to Elaine, and both women started behind me with wide eyes.

I turned as quickly as I could to see a cult member disappear behind the barn. Shit. He’d definitely seen us. I stood and scrambled to the bush with Elaine and Laura.

“We need to go,” I whispered urgently, but before we had the chance to move, a loud, shrill whistle cut through the air. “Shit!”

I’d lost eyes on the meeting, but I could hear the people inside the barn react to the whistle and scrambled around inside. Within moments, I could hear the door at the front of the barn slide open and footsteps pounding the hard, dirt ground in front of it, and then the light that came from the barn disappeared and plunged us into semi-darkness.

“We can make a run for it,” Laura hissed as she eyed the distance between the bush and the tree line.

“No, some of them are armed,” I said. Then I looked around and was surprised at how dark the sky had gotten while my attention was on the meeting. I could still see fine, and I knew I would be able to when the sky darkened even more, but I worried Laura and Elaine would lose visibility in the dim light.

Before we could come up with a plan, the cult members rounded the corner of the barn and came into full view. Tattoos spotted us instantly, and he pointed at me and started jumping up and down in that psycho way he did.

“You!” he screamed and lunged at me.

“Fuck,” I muttered before I stood to my full height.

It was go time.

Tattoos’ crazed expression was locked onto mine as he barreled toward me, but he made the grave mistake of ignoring the two women at my sides. As soon as he was close enough, Laura stuck out her leg, and Tattoos tripped over it, went flying through the air, and landed face-down in front of me.

“So close.” I sucked in air through my teeth and watched as the lanky cultist scrambled to his feet.

“You,” he hissed as his eyes narrowed at me.

“Is that, like, the only word you know? Not a great education system in the commune?” I raised my hands as I spoke to give Tattoos the illusion of compliance, but I glanced over his shoulder to see Laura and Elaine making their way around him to stand behind me as I continued to speak to distract him. “You sure you want more? Things didn’t go your way last night from what I remember.”

That struck a nerve. Tattoos narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth at me, but Laura and Elaine had managed to sneak around him and now stood behind me ready to fight. Laura stood just behind my right elbow, and I could hear the sound of her windbreaker shift as she moved, so that meant Elaine was behind my left elbow.

Neither woman had drawn their gun yet, but I knew they could do so in the blink of an eye.

Tattoos’ fellow cult members joined him, along with the three militia-looking men from the meeting. The group of freaks formed a semi-circle around me and the two women while Tattoos started that weird screaming thing he did last night.

The rest of the non-cult members at the meeting were nowhere to be seen.

Then the man in charge of the meeting stepped forward and put a hand up to silence Tattoos, whose screech died in his throat, but he continued to glare at me.

“Who are you?” the man in charge asked me in a deep, calm voice.

“I’m Sammy, who are you?” I decided to keep up the same alias I had used last night.

“My name is Chad.” The gray-haired man took a step toward me, but I instinctively took a step backwards.

“Really?” I snorted and then addressed the other cult members. “All this for a guy named Chad?”

“My subjects do as I say.” Chad continued to speak in the same calm tone, but I could see his eyes as they darted between me and the two women behind me.

He was looking for weapons.

“Subjects?” I snorted again. “Nice try, but you’re not the one in charge.”

“I assure you I am.” For the first time, Chad smiled and revealed a row of crooked yellow teeth, and it sent a shiver up my spine.

“Nah,” I said as I tried to hide how disconcerted I was by this mob of freaks. I’d rather face the copycat Sigil Killer ten times again than this unpredictable group of weirdos. But we already had the copycat in custody, and now it was time to take down these freaks. “Maybe that’s what you want these guys to think, but we know you’re not the top dog. Where is he?”

“Observe,” Chad said with a wicked grin before he turned to the cult members and said something I couldn’t understand.

The four cult members all moved on Chad’s command and pulled out guns from somewhere in their oversized burlap outfits, and the three militiamen looked around at the group in confusion before they unholstered their own weapons. Now, everyone in front of us was armed, except for Chad, who held my gaze and continued to grin.

“It is time you took your leave,” Chad said serenely, and not like he had seven guns trained on me. “We do not like using unnecessary force.”

“Is that a joke?” I kept my voice light with a hint of curiosity as if I was genuinely asking this freak if he was being serious. “Pretty sure killing women is unnecessary force.”

“I see this is not going how it should, and I am sorry to have to do this.” Chad turned to the cultists and spoke again in a language I didn’t understand, and all of the cult members shifted and pointed their guns at Elaine instead of me.

The three militiamen were a beat behind the freaks, but they also followed suit.

Shit. I knew the women didn’t have their guns drawn, so we had the slight advantage of surprise, but they needed to be able to draw them first. And that was still two guns against seven, but the freaks didn’t know about the cuffs, either.

These fuckers were about to feel the full wrath of the cuffs after pointing their guns at my girlfriend.

“Take your leave now!” Chad’s voice boomed as he raised his voice for the first time. “The consequences are not worth it.”

“I don’t think we will, thanks.” I spoke with more confidence than I felt, but I could feel the kinetic energy start to crackle beneath my fingers.

Then Chad shouted a word, and there was a sudden flurry of cracks in the air as the cult members fired their weapons at Elaine, but I had lunged an instant sooner in front of my girlfriend as she and Laura hit the ground. There were no cries of pain, so I knew they weren’t hit.

Then I felt the force of a few bullets absorb into my skin, but most of the cult members were terrible shots. Of the seven bullets, I felt three for sure, and maybe a fourth grazed on my elbow. My body jerked with the force of the bullets, but I stayed on my feet and smiled when the gunfire died down.

“Well, that wasn’t friendly,” I said to Chad in a teasing tone. “Is that how you treat all your guests?”

“T-This is not right.” Chad frowned at me. “Something is wrong.”

The other cult members gaped at me in shock while the militiamen glanced at each other and looked like they were ready to bail on the situation. On the ground at my feet, Laura wriggled very slightly, and I could tell she was pulling her gun from her waistband. A few seconds later, Elaine made a similar movement, and I felt more comfortable knowing both women now had guns in their hands.

Then Chad walked to Tattoos and took the gun from his hand, and the gray-haired cultist pointed the gun directly at my chest and fired.

I maintained eye contact while I absorbed the force of the bullet, and I was glad I’d trained with the beanbags earlier and let Mary shoot me exactly like Chad just had.

I was getting better at staying upright after being shot.

“Unlucky,” I said with a grin. “Agent?”

“FBI, put your weapons down!” Laura shouted as she stood in one easy movement.

Then Elaine got to her feet as well and pointed her gun at the group of freaks in front of us.

The three militiamen dropped their guns and immediately turned and hightailed it away from the federal agent.

But not the cult members. They continued to glare, and only one lowered his weapon, but when he noticed no one else had, he raised it again.

“We do not recognize your laws.” Chad looked at Laura while he spoke, but his gun was still pointed at me.

“Maybe you’ll recognize mine.” In one quick movement, I threw my hands up and shot out a wide energy blast before the cultists could react. I watched the ripple of kinetic energy blast across the space between us and throw the cultists backwards off their feet, and then I shouted to the women behind me. “Grab their guns!”

All three of us sprang forward. The cultists were on their backs and struggling from the shock of the blast, but that wouldn’t last long, so I grabbed the gun from the ground next to Chad and threw it over the barn. Then I ran past Tattoos, who was writhing in pain on the ground, and grabbed the gun on the ground between him and the next cultist, a weasel-looking man in his twenties. I threw that gun over the barn and ran for the next weapon, but before I could, I heard a scream.

I looked to my right and saw one of the cultists had grabbed Elaine’s ankle as she was tossing guns out of the way. The cultist had scraggly blond hair and a scar in the shape of an upside-down cross on his forehead, but this freak didn’t know how much he’d fucked up when he touched my girlfriend.

I flung my hand out and threw a burst of kinetic energy toward Scarface. My aim still wasn’t the best, and I hadn’t had time to train it this morning, so the burst went wide, but just barely. Scarface still felt the pressure of the energy, and he turned to me with a wild look in his eyes. Elaine used that moment of distraction to stomp on the freak with her other leg. He screamed out in pain, and when she removed her foot from his face, I could see his nose had been shattered as it spilled blood all over his scraggly hair and burlap tunic. Then Elaine leaned down and picked up a nearby gun, and she smashed it into his face for good measure before she tossed the gun far away from their reach.

“These guys are weird!” she shouted over to me.

The cult members were starting to recover from the kinetic shockwave, and most of them were on their feet again but still dazed. I managed to throw one more gun away before a cult member I didn’t recognize stepped in front of me. He was the biggest by far, with a thick neck and arms that looked like they could crush a watermelon, but the barrel-chested cult member was about three inches shorter than me. He looked the angriest as well, so I wondered if his height gave him a Napoleon complex.

“I’m going to crush your skull with my hands,” the cult member growled at me.

Definitely a Napoleon complex.

Napoleon shot forward, and he was surprisingly fast for such a bulky person. I remembered how fast the cult members ran last night and wondered again if they had some sort of ancient power artifact or enhancement as well.

The stocky cultist tried to grab my neck with one hand, but I ducked and threw him off-balance. He recovered quickly and turned back to me. His face was red with anger, and I could see a vein on his forehead bulging out furiously.

“Nice try,” I said with fake sympathy. “Unfortunately for you, my skull remains uncrushed.”

Napoleon rushed at me again, and this time I dropped my height and thrust a kinetically-charged uppercut into his stomach the second he was within reach. The large man let out a strangled groan as the force of the punch launched him several inches into the air and then caused him to crash to the ground with a sickening thud, and I watched as his head bounced like a basketball off the hard dirt. The ground beneath my feet shook from the weight of his body, and the bulky man stayed face-down on the ground.

That was one down, so I turned to see how the women were doing.

Elaine was in a hand-to-hand battle with a young redheaded cult member, but it looked like she was about to win it. The scrawny redhead didn’t stand a chance against my ex-military girlfriend, and I watched as Elaine’s hand shot out and jabbed the redhead in the throat. The cult member clutched his neck, and even I could hear the gargled sound he made as he fell to his knees while desperately trying to breathe. Then Elaine pushed him over with her foot so he landed on his side, and she shot me a grin before she sprinted forward to take on another cultist.

Behind her, Laura was in a fierce battle with Chad. I trusted the agent’s combat skills, but Chad had at least a foot in height on her, so I needed to make sure he didn’t get the upper hand in the fight. I stepped forward and shot a quick blast of energy at Chad’s feet, but it landed wide again and didn’t distract the leader of the meeting as much as I had hoped.

I took another step forward, but before I could interrupt Laura’s fight, something hit me on the shoulder. I turned to see a rock bounce off my body and fall to the ground, and then I looked up to see Tattoos smiling at me like a maniac.

Seriously? The guy just watched me get shot a bunch of times, and he was trying to stop me with rocks?

“Ouch, please, not rocks.” I rolled my eyes. “How will I ever recover?”

Tattoos bared his teeth at me and hissed, and then the deranged cult member started jumping up and down and screeching like he had done the night before.

These guys were seriously fucking weird.

“God, not this again. Shut up.” I shot a quick burst of energy in his direction, and I was surprised that it was the first one of the evening to make contact, even though I didn’t really mean to. The ball of energy struck Tattoos’ foot and caused him to howl in pain while he hopped on his other foot, so I closed the distance between us, pulled my fist back, and punched Tattoos square in the jaw, with the power of my kinetic energy charge behind the blow. His face contorted from the blow and the pain, I may have even felt his jaw crack beneath my fist, and then he fell to the ground silently like he was too shocked to scream.

I quickly turned back to Laura and Chad. The fight was still in full swing, but I could see Laura had started to tire so I ran forward and launched myself at Chad’s knees.

The gray-haired man fell forward and tried to break the fall with his hands, and I heard the crack as one of his wrists broke, but the cultist did not cry out in pain. Instead, he put his weight on his shoulder and tried to twist underneath me, but I pushed my full weight into him, and he fell forward again. Then the leader of the group kicked out at me, and the force of the kick caused my grip on his legs to loosen. He used that opportunity to pull his legs out of my grasp, and he pushed himself forward and into a barrel roll, where he landed on his feet and pushed himself to standing.

What the hell kind of old man could do that?

“Chad, are you a gymnast?” I asked as I scrambled to my feet and took a fighting stance. “Because that was impressive. No, really, that was cool, can you show me how to do that?”

The old man narrowed his eyes at me, but I just grinned at him.

“Who are you?” Chad demanded as he eyed me up and down. “You are not FBI.”

“Now, that hurts my feelings, Chad,” I said and put my hands on my hips. I could hear fighting still going on behind me, but I trusted Elaine’s abilities, and I figured the leader of the meeting was our best chance at getting the most information about where the fucking Sigil Killer was hiding. “Are you saying I don’t look like I could be in the FBI?”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Laura circle around behind Chad, and she nodded at me as she creeped in closer to the old man. I returned the nod discreetly, but Chad narrowed his eyes at me again and looked to his left, like he was trying to see behind him.

Shit, he must know Laura is behind him.

Chad’s eyes flicked back to mine, and he stared me in the eyes and shouted something I didn’t understand. Then, the second the word left his mouth, he ran.

The gray-haired man darted past me too fast for me to react, and I turned to see the other cult members running around toward the front of the barn. They were all freakishly fast, and I ran after them, but by the time I rounded the front of the barn, they were all gone.

“Fuck!” I raged as I slowed my pace to a walk and looked desperately around the land for any sight of the cult members, but they were gone, as if they had disappeared. The sky was almost fully dark now, so I turned and headed back to where the fight took place and found a pleasant surprise.

I’d been so focused on running to catch the other cult members that I hadn’t noticed Elaine was a step ahead of me. I rounded the corner to see my exotic girlfriend standing over the young redheaded cultist, with her boot in the middle of his back and his arms extended above his head.

Laura stood on the other side of him and looked like she was ready to react if he made a run for it, so I jogged over to the two women and let out a whistle.

“Great work, Elaine.” I smiled at my girlfriend, who winked back at me.

“What happened to the others?” Laura asked me quietly as I stood next to her.

“Gone,” I replied in a low voice. “Like they just disappeared, I don’t understand.”

Laura frowned but didn’t respond, and we all turned our attention to the cult member.

Then I grabbed the captive’s collar and dragged him to his knees while I shoved his hands behind his head. He looked even younger up close, and his eyes darted around while he desperately searched for an exit, but he wasn’t going to find one.

I leaned in close to his face.

“It’s time to start talking.”

Chapter Thirteen

The redhead clamped his mouth shut and shook his head wildly back and forth, and I scowled as I suddenly remembered the stunt his fellow cult member had pulled yesterday.

“Oh, no, you don’t.” I pushed him down to the ground again, grabbed his wrists, and pinned them against his back while I leaned my weight against him. “Laura, check for any suicide pills.”

I wasn’t going to let this fool get away with it as easily.

The blonde agent crouched and patted down the young cult member. From his pocket, she pulled out a small brown pill and held it up to show me before she slipped it into a small pocket in the waistband of her leggings.

“Bingo.” She smirked.

“Thought we might find one of those.” I pushed myself up and dragged the redheaded cultist up to his knees again, while I stood behind him and continued to hold his wrists. “Now, with that out of the way, what do you reckon, Laura? Should we bring this one in this time?”

“I’ll have some explaining to do,” Laura sighed, but she eyed the captive suspiciously. “But I don’t trust his friends not to turn up looking for him. I say we bring him in and deal with the consequences later.”

“Agreed, let’s get this freak back to the city.” I patted my pockets and then looked at the two women with a grimace. “We’ll need to restrain him somehow.”

“No problem,” Laura said and pulled out some plasticuffs.

“That comes in handy.” I took the cuffs and flashed the blonde a wink. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Laura said with a smirk. “But you should tie up this kid before he gets any ideas.”

“I don’t have any ideas,” the redhead said quickly as his eyes continued to dart around. “I’m not the ideas guy here, I’m hardly any guy here. You don’t want me, please, you need to let me go. I’m going to get in so much trouble for this. Please, I won’t tell them anything.”

“Slow down there, big guy. You’re not going anywhere, except with us.” I reached out and pulled the redhead’s wrists from behind his head down to behind his back, and then I began securing his wrists with the cuffs. Once I was satisfied he couldn’t break free, I dragged him up so he was standing and then looked around at the women. “Back to the car?”

“Yes, I’ll take the front, Elaine, you get the back, and Jonah, you stay in the middle with the suspect.” Laura was all business as her FBI training took over, and she pulled a flashlight out of somewhere and shone it in front of her as she walked toward the tree line.

The last remaining light faded from the sky, and we were plunged into further darkness when we entered the wooded area, but the blonde agent kept her flashlight steady as she guided us through the trees. Our captive didn’t speak, but he stumbled a few times without the use of his hands to balance him. I couldn’t see Elaine, but I heard her keeping pace behind me.

It took us longer to cross the woods this time, but soon enough we reached the other side of the tree line, and Mrs. Taylor’s house came into view. The lights were on in the house, and we could see silhouettes of the occupants in the windows.

Suddenly, Laura held up a hand, and we all stopped walking. Then she turned to the redheaded captive and pulled his face close to hers.

“Not a word out of your mouth,” she warned him in a low, dangerous voice.

The cult member’s eyes grew wide, and he made a show of closing his mouth tight and nodded at her command.

“Good. Stick to the perimeter, let’s try not to disturb these nice folks’ evening.” She crouched down and set off toward the back of the house where the Lincoln was parked, and the rest of us followed the leggy agent and tried to be as quiet as possible while we hunched forward and walked.

I may have also snuck more than a few glances at the blonde’s ass, but what can I say? Her large and in charge FBI persona was sexy.

Before we even got halfway to the house, the front porch light clicked on, and the door opened. Then Mrs. Taylor stuck her head out, looked right at us, and waved.

“Is that you, Miss Laura? We were just fixing to eat dinner if you and your friends are hungry!” The elderly woman shouted out as she continued to wave, but then she squinted and leaned forward. “Is that one of them commune folk?”

Laura grimaced and shot a look back at me before she stepped forward and into the light so Mrs. Taylor could see her.

“Hi, Mrs. Taylor. Yes, it’s us, and yes, it is. We have to take him in for questioning, so we really have to be getting back for the night. Thank you for the offer, though!”

“Oh, that’s alright, dear, next time, you do what you need to!” Mrs. Taylor shouted over to us. “And thank ya for dealing with them… people.”

She waved one last time before she disappeared back into the house, but she kept the porch light on.

“Well, she was sweet,” I snorted as I stood up straight, and the others followed suit since there was no reason to try to hide our presence anymore.

We walked to the back of the house to the Lincoln, and Mrs. Taylor stood at the kitchen window and waved to us one more time before she turned back into the house.

At the car, Laura climbed into the back seat first and pulled her gun out. Then she trained the gun on our prisoner and motioned for me to put him in the back seat. I shoved him through the back door, and I heard Laura warn him not to try anything while I shot Elaine a look over the roof of the car. My girlfriend returned my look and got into the front passenger seat, with her gun also in her hand, and finally I took my seat in the driver’s side and started the car.

I navigated the Lincoln down the long country driveway slowly to avoid dings, and the only thing I could hear was the sound of the tires crunching on the gravel since the inside of the car was silent.

At the end of the driveway, I took a right onto the main road to direct us back to Middleville and then the highway, but when I pulled onto the smooth main road, the young captive began to weep.

Laura nudged him with the barrel of his gun, and he stifled his sobs to a quiet cry.

This kid was definitely going to be easy to break.

We passed through Middleville and made it onto the highway, and then we made the whole drive to Chicago in total silence. Our captive stopped crying eventually, and I watched him in the rear-view mirror as his puffy eyes blankly followed passing cars outside the window like he was resigned to his fate as a prisoner.

The silence made the return journey seem a lot longer than the first one.

Eventually, the Chicago skyline appeared, and I took the exit to take us to the FBI Headquarters. The building was still brightly lit, but there were few employees around because of the late hour. I parked in the secure parking lot, and we hauled the young cult member out of the car and into the FBI building.

The security guard at the front desk gave us an inquisitive look when he saw our captive, so Laura briefly explained the situation without giving any details, but the security guard seemed satisfied and waved us through the metal detectors. Then we all crammed into the elevator that lowered us down to the Clubhouse.

When the elevator doors pinged open, we were met with darkness, but the motion-activated lights soon clicked on. There was usually an agent from The Hero Project somewhere in a back office or meeting room, but it looked like we mostly had the Clubhouse to ourselves.

“Interrogation Room Three,” Laura stated, still in FBI mode in front of the prisoner. “Throw him in there for now, I’ll be there soon.”

Laura turned and jogged toward her office, while Elaine and I led the prisoner down the other side of the corridor toward the interrogation rooms. We went through the door labeled three, and the room looked exactly like interrogation rooms in the movies did. It was a small, windowless space with black plain concrete walls, a metal table, and two chairs in the center of it. The room was a few degrees warmer than the hallways, and there was a large mirrored window on the left side of the room. I knew that it was a two-way mirror, and we would soon be on the other side of it.

I pushed the captive into a chair, and he started to cry again.

“No, p-please, I can’t get in trouble, my m-mom will kill me.” The young cultist wiped away his tears before he looked up at me with large, begging eyes. “Please, you know what moms are like, she’s totally going to kill me.”

“Maybe,” Elaine said from the corner of the room and startled the kid.

He looked over at her with wide hopeful eyes, and he probably thought he had a better shot begging a woman for mercy.

He didn’t know my girlfriend.

“But you should have thought about that before you joined a cult,” she finished in a hard voice, and as her dark eyes glared down at the boy, she looked every inch the soldier she used to be.

The kid began to weep again and let his chin fall to his chest, and I watched the tears fall onto his burlap trousers and leave an irregular, wet shape on the coarse fabric.

Then Laura entered the room with a pair of handcuffs and a plastic cup of water. She walked straight to the table and set down the cup before she turned to the redheaded prisoner and undid the plasticuffs with one quick movement. Next, she guided his hands to the front of him, not unkindly, and she cuffed his wrists together and then connected them to a chain that was attached to the top of the table.

“You two, outside, please.” The agent nodded at me and Elaine, and we followed her out of the interrogation room.

Laura closed the door behind us and then walked to the door right next to it and pushed it open. We walked into the room on the other side of the two-way mirror, and I was last in the room, so I made sure the door clicked shut behind us before we gathered around the small table to strategize.

“He will broke,” Elaine said with confidence.

“Break,” I corrected automatically. “But agreed, it won’t take much for him to give us everything he knows. He was crying before we even left Middleville.”

“I know.” The blonde agent nodded. “The Director gave us the go-ahead to interrogate him. Jonah, I think you and I should do it. Elaine, I want you to record it and watch the kid for anything suspicious. Contradictions, signs of lying, his mannerisms. Think you can handle it?”

“Of course.” Elaine stood straighter and jutted out her chin proudly. “We did enemy interrogation training in the Israeli military, I’ve got it covered.”

“Great,” Laura said, and then she pulled out a small notebook from a hidden side pocket in her leggings and flipped it open before she read from a list with a frown. “Let’s see what we can get from him. Anything about the Sigil Killer, James Roland, Chad, their weapons capabilities, the underground tunnels…”

“Hey.” I reached out and lowered the notebook in her hand. “We’ve got him, he’s not going anywhere.”

“You’re right, sorry, it’s just…” The agent blew out a long sigh. “This is the closest we’ve gotten so far, we need this kid to give us information. We’ve disrupted cult activities twice now, so they’re going to either strike back or go dark, and we can’t have either of those things happening.”

“I know,” I soothed the beautiful blonde. “Let’s go see what we can find out.”

Laura nodded before she turned to help Elaine set up the recording system, and I studied the redheaded cult member through the two-way mirror. The young cultist was sitting at the table with his head still hanging down, but he had at least stopped crying. For now.

Elaine was right, this kid was going to crack easily.

“Okay, ready,” Laura said. Then she straightened her shirt, smoothed her hair back, and gave me a quick nod before she led us through the two doors and into the interrogation room.

The redhead started when we entered the room, and he looked close to tears again.

“Please let me go.” The prisoner’s voice was soft and strained as he looked at the blonde agent with pleading eyes.

To my surprise, Laura allowed her face to soften, and then she crossed the room and pulled the other metal chair out from under the table. She lowered herself into it so she was sitting opposite from the redhead, and she leaned across the table and spoke to him kindly.

“I know you’re scared, but we’re not going to hurt you,” she said.

I would have come into the interrogation room with guns blazing and demanding answers, but the blonde agent’s approach made more sense. The kid was already frazzled, he didn’t need us to break him. Some gentle prodding would probably do the trick. No matter how much I felt like I’d learned over the last few weeks, I was always being reminded that I still knew very little about the world of law enforcement, so I took a place in the corner behind Laura and leaned against the wall with my arms crossed.

I would be the silent observer for the time being.

“We won’t keep you any longer than we need to,” the agent continued as she tried to make eye contact with the captive, but he lowered his gaze. “Hey, it’s okay, look at me.”

The kid dragged his tear-filled eyes up to meet the agent’s gaze, and his face crumpled as he fought back tears.

“What’s your name?” Laura asked him gently.

“Tommy.” The redhead sniffled, but he seemed to relax with the familiar question.

“How old are you, Tommy?” Laura prodded as she pulled her notebook out quietly and set it on the table next to her.

“Nineteen,” Tommy said as he raised his chin in slight indignation. He did look like one of the younger members we’d seen tonight, so it made sense he would be defensive about his age.

“Wow, nineteen.” Laura sat back like she was impressed. “And you’re already so disciplined. I mean, you must be to be involved with an organization like yours. You know what I was doing at nineteen? Smoking pot and screwing around. How about you, Jonah?”

“Same.” I played along, since I knew the nerdy blonde agent was doing nothing of the sort at nineteen. She’d probably had her nose stuck in a history book at nineteen.

“Pot is bad for you, you know.” The redhead sniffled again, but he seemed to be gaining confidence.

“It is bad for you.” Laura nodded in agreement. “So is cyanide.”

Tommy’s face crumpled again. He didn’t respond, but he didn’t cry, either.

“How long have you been involved in the cult?” Laura continued questioning the nervous kid.

“A couple months,” Tommy said in a voice barely above a whisper, and I had to lean in to hear him.

“A couple? So, two?” I asked.

Tommy jumped at the sound of my voice, but he nodded.

“Okay, two months, good.” Laura smiled at Tommy to encourage him. “What can you tell me about Chad? Is he the leader?”

“Chad is…” Tommy shrugged and fidgeted in his seat. “I guess, yeah, he’s the leader. Sort of, you know?”

Laura shot me a look, and I nodded. We knew Chad wasn’t the Sigil Killer, but maybe we were getting somewhere here.

“What do you mean, sort of?” Laura pressed.

“I can’t.” Tommy suddenly looked around with wild eyes and began to panic as his breathing grew rapid, and his restraints rattled with his movements. “I-I can’t. They’ll kill me, I can’t. I’m sorry, I can’t, I need to get out of here--”

Laura suddenly slammed her open hand against the metal table, which caused a loud crack and the cup of water to shake, and me to jump since I hadn’t been expecting that.

The redhead froze in terror, and Laura reached into her pocket, pulled out the cyanide pill, and held it up for Tommy to see.

“Here, save them the trouble. Take this.” Laura held out the pill for Tommy to take, but he didn’t. “Go on, that’s what you would have done at the farm, right? Take it, Tommy.”

“I… I--” The redhead hung his head again and began to weep.

Laura tucked the cyanide pill back in her pocket and sat back with her arms crossed until Tommy’s weeps subsided to sniffles, and then she leaned toward him again.

“Tommy, we can protect you. But you have to work with us. You have to give us everything you know, and if you cooperate, we can put you in protective custody. Now…” The agent rose from her seat and picked up her notebook, which she used to gesture to the door. “We’re going to give you a minute to think about it, and we’ll be back to hear your decision. You can either work with us, or we’ll drop you back off at the Homestead, without your suicide pill.”

Tommy looked up suddenly when Laura said the word Homestead, and she nodded at him knowingly.

“That’s right. We know about the Homestead. Now, we’ll be back.”

Laura jerked her head to the door, and I took her cue. I led us out of the interrogation room and into the room next door where Elaine was.

My girlfriend looked up with a wide smile when we entered the room.

“Oh, you’re good,” she said to Laura.

“I know.” Laura returned her grin. “Interrogations have always been fun for me. I got the highest score in my class during training, the men I trained with were pissed.”

“I’ll bet,” I snorted. “But you were amazing in there. Even I was scared when you slammed your hand on the table.”

“All part of the job,” Laura said, and she winked at me before she turned to Elaine. “Are you picking up anything particular on this kid?”

“He has information about Chad. Look.” Elaine turned to the screen where the recording was displayed. It continued to record the redheaded prisoner, but Elaine pulled up a menu and rewound the recording, until right before Laura slammed her hand on the table and Tommy was protesting about talking. She pointed to his right leg, which bounced very slightly up and down.

I hadn’t even noticed it in the interrogation room.

“That could just be a nervous tic, doesn’t mean he’s hiding something,” I pointed out.

“Yeah, but…” Elaine leaned forward and rewound the recording again to show us how his leg bounced almost imperceptibly each time he answered a question.

“He wants to talk.” Laura studied the redhead through the two-way mirror. “He’s scared, though.”

“I would be, too,” I said with a sigh. “This cult is no joke. He’s probably worried he’ll be the next dead body found in the town’s water supply.”

“Can you really offer him protection?” Elaine asked the blonde agent.

“I don’t know,” Laura admitted as she chewed on her lower lip. “Probably, but I haven’t had any verbal confirmation on that.”

“He doesn’t know that,” Elaine said. “And he doesn’t need to.”

“Okay…” Laura took a deep breath and looked up at the clock above the door. “Let’s let him sweat it out for a while. Twenty-minute break, then we go back in.”

“Got it,” Elaine said. She turned back to the screen and pressed a button so the stream was live again and then stood and stretched.

We spent the next fifteen minutes taking care of the basics. I ran to the bathroom while Laura left the room to get us all coffees and snacks. Elaine was stretching when I left for the bathroom and was still stretching when I got back.

“You okay?” I asked the sexy woman. “That’s a lot of stretching.”

“I’m fine.” She shot me a sultry smile. “Just stiff from all the sitting in the car and at the desk.”

“Oh, yeah?” I slid up behind her and wrapped my arms around her thin waist before I leaned in close to her ear. “I could help stretch you out.”

“I’m sure you could,” she purred, and her voice was thick with desire. Then she pressed her tight ass into the front of my jeans, and I felt my cock stir beneath the fabric.

“You tease,” I growled as I slid my hands down her waist, grabbed her hips, and pulled her ass into me even more.

“I know,” she giggled while she swung her ass back and forth.

“Ugh,” I groaned and spun her around to face me in one quick movement. I pulled her close as she wrapped her arms around my neck, and then I leaned my face close to hers and kissed her. “Don’t get me excited, I have a cult member to interrogate.”

The door opened then, and we turned, still entwined, to see Laura enter carrying a tray of coffee cups and a brown paper bag.

“So this is what you two get up to when I’m not around.” Laura narrowed her blue eyes and put down the drinks and food on the desk, before she turned to us with her hands on her hips. “You don’t even invite me.”

“Sorry,” Elaine giggled and broke away from me, but instead of returning to her seat, she grabbed Laura’s wrist and gently pushed her into my arms. “Jonah, don’t be rude.”

I smiled down at the beautiful blonde agent in my arms before I leaned down and kissed her hard. She melted into the kiss and returned it with fervor before she broke it off and smiled up at me.

“Better?” I asked with a grin.

“Much.” The blonde agent gave me one last peck before she broke the embrace and turned to the desk. Then she handed us each a paper cup of hot coffee and a muffin. “Sorry if they’re stale, they were the only things left in the convenience store.”

We scarfed down the muffins and slurped up the much-needed caffeine quickly. I checked the screen periodically, and the redheaded captive was still sitting at the metal table dejectedly, but he had drunk the water while we weren’t in the room.

“Okay, time for round two,” Laura said and clapped her hands together. “Ready, Jonah? Elaine?”

“Ready,” Elaine said as she sat in front of the screen again and shot us a thumbs-up.

“Let’s get this kid,” I said and followed Laura out of the small room and back into the interrogation room.

Tommy started again when we entered the room. He seemed to be getting jumpier the longer we held him, and he didn’t even wait until Laura sat down again to start speaking.

“I’ll tell you anything, you just have to promise you can protect me. You need to get me out of there.” The redhead’s eyes were wide, but there was determination on his face.

“Sure, we can protect you, I’ve already cleared that with my boss,” Laura lied easily as she took her seat across from Tommy and pulled out her notebook and pen again.

Meanwhile, I returned to the corner and crossed my arms again.

“And my mom?” Tommy’s eyes darted between Laura and me as his confidence faded.

“I can speak to my boss about protecting your mother, as well. But we’re going to need you to give us some information first.”

“What do you want to know?” Tommy clenched his jaw and looked straight ahead.

Laura pulled her notebook in front of her, flipped it open, and poised her pen over it. “Tell us about Chad.”

“Chad Westinger…” Tommy spoke in a monotone voice and continued to stare straight ahead without making eye contact with Laura or me. “He started the commune with James Roland.”

“Did you know James Roland?” Laura asked, and she scribbled as Tommy spoke.

“No, he died before I got there. I guess he was Chad’s friend from childhood, and there was some sort of disagreement between them right before he died.”

Laura frowned but didn’t say anything.

Tommy was silent as he waited for the next question, the only sound was the clinking of his handcuffs as he shifted, and Laura let the silence stretch. I figured this was one of her tactics, since I remembered seeing something similar in a movie once. Silence makes people uncomfortable, they want to fill it, and sure enough, Tommy continued speaking after a few moments.

“Then Chad took over from him, like, when he died, you know.” Tommy still avoided eye contact as he spoke, like he just wanted to get the interrogation over with. “It was Chad who got in contact with the Sigil Killer.”

Laura and I froze as we exchanged a knowing look, and then Laura leaned toward our prisoner.

“So, the cult is in direct communication with the Sigil Killer. Have you seen him? Do you know who he is?”

“No,” Tommy said flatly. “I’m too low on the totem pole for that sort of information. I just know he’s the one Chad answers to.”

“How do you know that?” I asked from the corner.

“Everyone knows it.” Tommy shrugged and avoided my gaze. “That’s how the whole thing came about. Chad was interested in the killings, so he went online for more information, and he somehow got in touch with the Sigil Killer and decided we would join forces with him.”

I frowned as I considered the captive’s words. So, the Sigil Killer operated independently of the cult, but then this Chad guy was so impressed with the Sigil Killer’s handiwork that he sought him out online to help him with the killings? It sounded insane, but it wasn’t as far-fetched as I wanted to think it was. I mean, I’d been on the forums and seen the insane shit people posted. There were literally women on those forums who were begging the Sigil Killer to be his next victim, and I had seen plenty of fan pages for the Sigil Killer.

I wondered what made Chad stand out to the serial killer. Out of all of the Sigil Killer’s fans, he’d chosen Chad and his cult to attach himself to. That was a big risk, so the Sigil must have considered it worth it.

“What else can you tell us about Chad?” Laura pressed the redhead for more information, and the prisoner finally made eye contact with the agent, with an apologetic look on his face.

“Not much,” he admitted. “Like I said, I’m new to the commune. I only get the necessary information, you know. But…”

The redhead’s eyes darted between us again, and his expression betrayed a hint of fear. He shifted in his chair uncomfortably, which caused his cuffs to rattle against the chain connecting him to the metal table. That sound was starting to sound like nails on a chalkboard, and I was starting to sweat in the heat of the room.

If I was feeling this anxious while being on the right side of the law, I couldn’t imagine how the captured cult member was feeling now.

“But…? But what?” Laura leaned forward with her pen ready to write. “Remember, Tommy, we can’t offer any protection unless you give us something to work with.”

I watched as the prisoner had an internal war. He shook his head back and forth, squeezed his eyes shut, blew a long breath out of his mouth, and then shook his head again. Finally, he sat still and met Laura’s gaze.

“I… overhead something I wasn’t supposed to,” Tommy finally said.

“Tell us,” Laura prompted, and her blue eyes glinted with eagerness.

“A few weeks ago, I was… doing something I wasn’t supposed to be doing, you know.” Tommy looked around nervously again but continued to speak. “Chad didn’t know I was still at the Homestead, and I heard him on the phone.”

“Who was he speaking to?” Laura asked while she scribbled.

“I don’t know.” Tommy shrugged. “But I think it was… him.”

“Him?” The blonde agent’s head snapped up. “You mean the Sigil Killer?”

Tommy nodded solemnly.

“Tell us about the conversation,” Laura pressed with her pen poised again.

“Well, a lot of it didn’t make sense to me, but I remember some of it. They were talking about how they needed to recruit more members, even though we’ve been recruiting new people every week. Actually, the commune has gotten a lot bigger since I’ve been there, we’re always getting new folks on the farm.” The young cultist shrugged and looked between us. “But I guess it’s not enough, I could hear the guy on the other side of the phone. Chad’s a little deaf, so the volume was up all the way. He said they didn’t have enough people last time, something about a ritual. Something with a woman.”

“The Scarlet Woman?” I asked. I stepped up to the table and stood next to Laura as I recalled the conversation I’d had with the Sigil Killer on the dark web forums. Under his username Leiber_49, the Sigil Killer had explained to me that the Scarlet Woman ritual had failed in the past because the occultist attempting it, Aleister Crowley, wasn’t willing to go far enough.

But he was.

Is that why the cult and, by extension, the Sigil Killer were trying to recruit more members? They needed to go farther than Crowley in order to complete the Scarlet Woman ritual?

These occult people were freaks, and dedicated ones at that.

“Yeah, that’s the one.” Tommy nodded vigorously and looked excited to be able to give us useful information. “They said something about the position of the planets or something, that’s when they do the ritual.”

“This is good, Tommy,” Laura praised the young cult member while she scribbled quickly. “Keep it coming, tell us about the Scarlet Woman ritual.”

“Well, this is where it gets weird.” Tommy looked between us, and the fear was back in his eyes. “This made me sorta wonder if I still wanted to be part of this, you know?”

“No, we don’t know, Tommy, you need to tell us.” Laura raised her eyebrows at the distressed captive.

“Right, but before I tell you, you gotta hear me when I say that I’m not into this weird shit,” Tommy rambled as he sat up straighter and leaned toward Laura, and he seemed to really need her approval. “I just found these guys on the internet a couple months ago, I thought we were on the same page about big government and stuff, but they’re into some weird shit, and I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.”

“Okay, Tommy, I hear you.” The blonde agent nodded solemnly at the young prisoner. “Your cooperation is noted, we hear you. Now, tell us about the ritual.”

“Alright,” Tommy sighed, and he sat back and cleared his throat. “The guy on the other end of the phone asked Chad to go over the ritual again. It sounded like he didn’t trust him to get it right, and Chad recited it like he had it memorized, like he was in school.”

I leaned in toward the teenage cult member, and I was reminded of the meeting at the Homestead farm earlier this evening, how they’d all leaned forward and hung on Chad’s every word. I straightened my posture instead but watched Tommy’s face closely as he spoke.

“I don’t remember everything exactly, I can’t recite it like Chad,” Tommy said carefully. “But, it was something like this. On the next day of… some inner-planet shift or something, is when the next ritual will take place, that’s soon. And the ritual starts with the new sacrifice, the Scarlet Woman, well, it starts when she, um, gets impregnated by a goat, and…”

The young prisoner trailed off as he looked to Laura, and the blonde agent nodded back at him.

“That’s fine, Tommy, we’ve heard weird stuff before, keep going,” Laura prompted him to continue, so he did.

“Okay, so the goat impregnates her first.” Tommy used air quotes around the word ‘impregnate,’ and his handcuffs rattled with the movement. “Then the other guy, the Sigil Killer, he, um, steps up and takes his turn. Then there’s a big orgy with everyone else, to raise the ‘orgone energy,’ whatever that is. Actually, that part sounds okay, that’s the part they told me about in the forums. Not the goat, that’s weird, but they did say there would be orgies.”

“Move on, Tommy,” Laura said curtly, and the prisoner cleared this throat.

“Right, so after the orgy, or actually, it’s when the Scarlet Woman, um…” The redhead blushed. “Orgasms, when she orgasms, then the lower members are supposed to commit mass suicide, which no one told me about when I signed up for this. I was freaked out when they gave me that suicide pill, but they said death was better than captivity…”

The prisoner’s voice faded again as he suddenly looked around the room and laughed.

“So much for that, huh?” He continued to laugh until it devolved into sobs.

After a moment, I tapped my knuckles on the table, and Tommy jumped at the sound and looked up wildly.

“Keep going,” I instructed him.

Yeah, it sounded like a shitty situation, but the kid did go online and join a cult. He can’t really cry about a suicide mission, everyone knows that’s what cults do. Especially ones found on the dark web who worship a serial killer.

Dumbass.

“Fine, so, after that, where was I?” The redhead counted off things on his finger as he spoke. “Goat sex, orgy, orgasm, suicide. Right, then they sacrifice the Scarlet Woman also, and with all of our sacrifices, some goddess called Babalon will rise. And then when She’s here, the other guy, the Sigil Killer, and the other higher-up members of the cult, the ones who didn’t commit suicide, like Chad and stuff, I guess. Then they’re going to ‘go forth and wipe the earth clean of inferior beings.’ That part I remember exactly, because it was such a weird thing to say, like something in an old book, you know?”

“More than you know,” Laura muttered. She was an expert on ancient civilizations, so I was sure she had heard of bizarre rituals and sacrifices before.

Not me, though, and the kid was right. This shit was weird.

“Okay, what else?” Laura asked while she was still busy writing down notes about the ritual.

“That’s it, really.” Tommy shrugged. “That’s the ritual. They spoke for another minute or two after that, but I had to get out of there before Chad caught me. I don’t know what he would have done to me.”

“Any other information you can give us?” I asked the captive. “Have you heard anything about someone having powers? Chad, maybe, or the Sigil Killer?”

Laura shot me a look, but then she looked back at Tommy and waited for him to speak.

“I have heard stuff…” Tommy spoke slowly, like he was trying to remember something. “Some of us have heard rumors of something like that, but I really don’t know much. Just that someone has a special power, I don’t even know what it means.”

“That’s fine,” Laura said as she continued to scribble, but I saw the brief flash of disappointment in her eyes.

I felt the same.

“Why did you stay?” I asked the cultist suddenly, and I relaxed my posture and uncrossed my arms to give off a more friendly demeanor, since that’s what seemed to have worked on him with Laura. “You said it yourself, you were kind of hoodwinked about their intentions. It is some pretty weird stuff. So, why did you stay?”

“I had to.” Tommy looked scared again. “When they initiate us, they make us take a blood oath, which is whatever, but they make you give them the names and addresses of all your close family members. I only have my mom, and I didn’t know what they would do to her if I ran away, you know?”

“And what about the other cult members? Were they tricked like you, or are they all in?” I studied the cultist’s face, but it looked like he was being honest to me.

“Oh, no, most of them have drank the Kool-Aid,” Tommy snorted. “A lot of them are really into the Sigil Killer guy, but a few of us that joined together were just recruited on anti-government stuff. One other guy is like me, he wants out, but the other guys we joined with are totally in deep now. Speaking in tongues and shit, it’s weird.”

I nodded at the redheaded captive as Laura finished writing and flipped her notebook shut. Then she stood, and her chair scooted backward with a clatter.

“We appreciate your cooperation, Tommy. You sit tight, we’re going to find a cell for you tonight.” The agent nodded at the prisoner and then led us out of the room and into the one next door again.

Elaine was waiting for us with an awed look on her face.

“Wow,” she breathed.

“I know,” Laura sighed and gestured to the screen. “Did you get all that?”

“Yes, it’s all recorded, no problems,” Elaine confirmed, and then she stood up and sidled over to me. “You look so sexy in there, interrogating suspects.”

“Me?” I laughed as I lifted my arm, and she slid underneath and pulled me in for a hug. “I barely said anything. That was all Laura.”

“Yes, well…” Elaine turned her head to look at the blonde agent with a smirk. “Laura was very sexy in there, too.”

“Stop it, you two,” the blonde said, but her cheeks grew pink, and she shot us a wink.

“So, what’s the plan?” Elaine asked as she broke our embrace and sat at the desk in front of the screen. Then she gestured to the two other chairs pushed haphazardly under the long desk, so Laura and I pulled them out and sat down to come up with a plan.

“We need to stop the ritual,” I said, and I felt like a general declaring war.

But we finally had valuable information that could actually help us take the cult, and the Sigil Killer, down.

“We still don’t know when it’s going to take place,” Laura pointed out.

“Leave that to me,” Elaine said as she tapped the desk in front of her. “The prisoner mentioned the position of the planets, and I think I know what he means, but Mary must have taken my books back to the penthouse with her. Once I see them again, I can confirm, but I think he’s talking about some of the planets going direct. Or maybe retrograde, I don’t know, I need the books. I’ll have it for us tomorrow.”

“I trust you, baby.” I smiled at my girlfriend. “That will really help us. Sammy gave us pretty thorough maps already, but maybe Tommy can help us verify his guesses.”

“What do you make of the superpowers rumor?” Laura gazed off into the distance, and I could see she was swimming in her own thoughts and hoped we could give her some direction.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Maybe the Sigil Killer does have powers. He’s managed to convince a lot of people to follow him.”

“Some under fake pretenses,” Elaine said and gestured through the two-way mirror to Tommy, who had resumed his hung head position.

“False pretenses,” I corrected with a smile. “That’s true, they must be desperate for people if they’re lying to get them to commit. But like the kid said, even the ones who were lied to are mostly on board now. I don’t know, it’s definitely a possibility, though.”

“It’s getting late,” Laura sighed as she pressed her hands into her eyes. “Why don’t we break for the night and reconvene in the morning, with Mary and Sammy, and come up with a plan.”

“Sounds good,” I said, and I suddenly felt exhausted. I wasn’t looking forward to the drive back to Bellamy.

If this FBI thing was really going to be my life going forward, I would have to think about leaving Bellamy and relocating to Chicago. It would make more sense, and I was making more money than I ever had before in my life.

I stole a glance at my sexy Israeli girlfriend and wondered if she would leave the peace of Bellamy for the hustle and bustle of Chicago, but I had a feeling she would come with me without any objections. Then my gaze slid over to the sexy blonde agent. Maybe she would want to join us, too.

“Do you two want to stay at the penthouse tonight? You can save the drive to Bellamy and get an earlier start in the morning.” Laura looked between Elaine and me and waited for an answer with her eyebrows raised.

“That sounds wonderful,” Elaine answered quickly.

“It’s like you read my mind,” I said with a smile.

Chapter Fourteen

Laura left the room to find a holding cell for Tommy while Elaine and I tidied up the interrogation room and office. Half an hour later, we were packed into the Lincoln and on our way to the penthouse. When we got to the luxurious apartment, the lights were off, and we had to be quiet so we didn’t wake Mary sleeping in one of the guest bedrooms.

Because of Mary’s presence, Elaine and I decided to take the second guest bedroom instead of joining Laura in her huge bed. Things were guaranteed to get heated if we did that, and we didn’t want to wake Mary.

By the time my Israeli girlfriend finally laid down in the comfortable guest bed, it was so late that we fell asleep straight away.

The next morning, we were woken by the sounds of people in the kitchen. I let Elaine use the attached bathroom first, and then I threw on a robe and went out to the kitchen where Laura and Mary were both sitting at the breakfast bar.

They both wore robes, and their hair was mussed from sleep. They heard me approach and turned to me with smiles.

“Good morning, beautiful ladies.” I grinned at them and stifled a yawn.

“Good morning, handsome,” Laura said, and the blonde beauty handed me a steaming cup of coffee, which I sipped on gratefully. The agent seemed to accept that Mary knew about us, so she didn’t need to hide her affection for me, in the penthouse, at least.

“Laura was just telling me how it went at the farm last night, sounds exciting,” Mary said as she blew on the hot liquid in her own mug.

“It was something else,” I said. The coffee energized me instantly, even though the caffeine hadn’t had time to work yet, but just the sweetly bitter taste on my tongue was enough. “But we got a lot of good intel, so we’ve got a full day ahead of us, sifting through it all.”

“Ah, ah, ah,” Laura tutted. “No work talk during breakfast at home. That’s one of my few rules. If I’m lucky enough to eat breakfast in my own kitchen, I don’t want it sullied with talk of work, where I’m about to spend my day.”

“Fair enough,” I chuckled as I took a seat at the breakfast bar next to Mary and across from Laura. I could just make out the swell of the sexy blonde’s breasts peeking out from the folded fabric of the red bathrobe, and Mary had her legs crossed so I could see the delicious curve of her ass as she slowly rocked back and forth on the stool.

I could get used to starting my mornings off like this.

Especially if I bought an apartment or condo here in Chicago.

We chatted for a few minutes before the women slipped off the stools and went to their bedrooms to get ready for the day, and I made a cup of coffee for Elaine and returned to our guest bedroom, where my girlfriend had just stepped out of the bathroom with one towel wrapped around her chest, and one around her hair.

The air was thick from the warm water and fragrant bath products, and I smiled at the perfect picture Elaine made.

“Ohh, is that for me?” she squealed when she saw the mug of coffee in my hand, and my girlfriend moaned when she took her first sip. “I needed that.”

“I know you did, baby.” I leaned down and kissed her quickly before I headed to take a shower. “I won’t be long.”

“Hey,” Elaine said, so I turned to face her.

She had dropped the towel around her chest and stood stark naked in the middle of the room, and with a devilish grin, she started to slowly sway her bare body.

“Mmm,” I said and closed the space between us. I pulled her fit, naked body into mine and kissed her, but I was careful not to spill her coffee. Then I pulled away and gave her a wicked grin. “You love to tease me.”

“I do,” she agreed before she gave me another quick kiss and then pulled away. “Go take a shower, I’m going to see if one of the girls has something I can borrow to wear.”

“Okay, baby.” I watched as Elaine slid on a robe and left the bedroom before I turned on the shower. There was a selection of hair and body products, for both men and women, and I enjoyed the steamy water and the commendable water pressure, but I showered quickly since we had so much work to do today.

We really needed to pin down those astrological events and come up with a plan of attack for the cult.

When I finished my shower, I brushed my teeth and applied deodorant, and I was grateful for Laura’s fully-stocked guest bathrooms. When I finally emerged from the attached bath, Elaine was sitting on the bed with another cup of coffee, and she swung her legs as she flipped through a book, but she looked up and smiled when she saw me.

“Hey, sexy,” my girlfriend purred as she let her eyes travel down my bare chest and to the towel tied at my waist.

“Hey, yourself,” I said as I took in her outfit.

It wasn’t her usual style, and I guessed she’d borrowed it from Laura, but Elaine looked amazing in the skintight black yoga pants that had gray monstera leaves all over them and the cropped black yoga top that she wore under a baggy black cardigan. Her face was natural since she didn’t have her makeup on her, and she had tied her thick hair in a bun on top of her head.

She looked stunning.

“Laura had these for you,” my girlfriend said and gestured to a neat pile of folded clothes on the bed. “Just some FBI-issued joggers and shirts.”

“That’s great,” I said and crossed the room to pick up the clothes. There were two sets of the training clothes, along with a plain black duffle bag, and there were also new, sealed packets of underwear and socks. I guessed Laura had these brought in for me, that sounded like something that would come with her access to old money.

I dressed quickly while Elaine sat on the edge of the bed and made perverted comments, which I enjoyed a lot, and we were both giggling when we finally left the bedroom and joined Mary and Laura in the kitchen again. Laura had prepared us all coffee cups to go, and Mary had a stack of books in her arms, and since I’d driven us all from the Clubhouse last night, we all made our way down to the secure parking lot and piled into the Lincoln.

The sun was shining, and the air was crisp as we drove to work.

It was a great day to dismantle a cult.

It wasn’t long until the three women and I were sitting in our usual meeting room around the long conference table, with Sammy, who looked fresher than he had yesterday. We filled him and Mary in on everything we’d learned yesterday, from the recruitment meeting, to Chad, to Tommy’s confession in the interrogation room, to our plan to raid their camps and prevent the next ritual from going ahead. They listened intently, and Sammy took notes.

“So…” Sammy frowned down at his notes when I finished talking. “Does the Sigil Killer have powers or not?”

“Well, we don’t know for sure.” I cringed. “We are leaning toward yes, but we don’t know what exactly. Or how he got them. We know he does weird rituals, so he could have done a ritual to gain some sort of powers.”

“It could be an artifact,” Laura pointed out. “Like the cuffs. They’re rare, but I’m not unconvinced that other ancient civilizations also had powers, places like Atlantis and Lemuria. If the Ke-Beech tribe made items infused with these ancient powers, there’s no way to say the other ancient civilizations didn’t do the same thing. He did have the replica Sumerian knife, after all.”

“That’s a good point.” I nodded. “If he has an artifact with powers, he’ll definitely be using it. But what is it?”

There was a beat of silence while we mulled it over.

“Jonah, you said the cultists who ran away last night just disappeared?” Mary asked with her head cocked in thought.

“That’s right,” I said with a nod. “I chased them around to the front of the barn, and it’s like they just completely disappeared. I figured there was another underground tunnel somewhere, but I couldn’t see one, and I didn’t want to leave Laura and Elaine alone when I went to look.”

The two women shot me grateful smiles, but I could still see the gears working behind Mary’s green eyes.

“And the cameras outside the water treatment facility, they didn’t get anything, either, right?”

“That’s right,” I said slowly and leaned toward my curly-haired friend. “What are you thinking?”

“Well, I was just thinking…” Mary noticed us all looking at her and blushed. “It’s probably stupid.”

“No, tell us,” I encouraged the newest member of the team. “We won’t think it’s stupid, anything will help at this point.”

“What if, and this is only if he has powers, but what if he can control darkness?” Mary asked the room.

We all stared at my friend, and Sammy’s mouth hung open in surprise. It was a plausible theory, no weirder than anything else we’d come across since this whole situation started, and I leaned forward with interest.

“Explain,” Laura said in her FBI voice.

“You know, like Dumbledore’s Deluminator or something.” Mary’s face was pink with embarrassment, but she snapped her fingers to make her point. “Just a way to turn the lights off. Or at least make himself undetectable in the dark.”

I recalled how I’d chased the man in black away from Mary’s apartment just a couple weeks ago, and how he seemed to literally disappear into the darkness. Just like the cult members had last night.

“That’s a solid theory,” I said.

“Added to the list,” Sammy said as he scribbled it down on his notes.

Mary looked pleased with herself, as she should. My green-eyed friend was really getting her feet under her on the FBI team.

“Okay,” Laura said in her let’s-get-down-to-business voice. “Sammy and I are going to speak to Tommy again and see if we can get more information from him. Names, locations, Sammy will show him the maps to see if we’re on the right track.”

“I’m really close to figuring out the planetary alignments,” Elaine said as she pointed at the pile of books next to Mary’s elbow. “Mary, do you want to help me figure that out, once and for all?”

“Okay,” Mary said and smiled cheerfully.

Then everyone turned their heads to me, like they were waiting to hear what I would do.

“Great,” I said and cleared my throat. “If no one minds, I think I’m going to head down to the mats and get some training in. My accuracy is still way off, so I need to work on that before we encounter these freaks again.”

“Fine by me,” Laura said, and then the team broke off into their respective subteams.

Mary and Elaine immediately took over the conference room table, and they spread their books wide and put their heads down to pore through them for the important astrological event we were still looking for. Sammy had his rolled-up maps tucked under his arm when he and Laura took off down the corridor toward the interrogation rooms, and I grabbed a water bottle from the kitchenette before I took the elevator up to the main floor and made my way to the training area.

The training area was busier than it was yesterday, but still not too bad. A few of the agents recognized me and gave me a polite nod or a wave, which I returned, but I made my way to the back of the training area and to my favorite obstacle course that was tucked away in the corner, almost secluded from the rest.

This one was my favorite because the dummies were funny. All the other obstacle courses had realistic renditions of people from criminals wearing masks to little girls holding toy dolls, but this obstacle course sported outlandish dummies like aliens and clowns. I supposed it was a bit of comic relief for the agents who faced unspeakable horrors on a daily basis, so they deserved to have a laugh when they could. But the FBI was full of some serious people, so this obstacle course ended up being the least used.

Which was perfect for me, since I didn’t want anyone interrupting my workout anyway.

I did a quick stretch before I began the obstacle course. This one was relatively low compared to some of the other ones that contained high ropes and ladders. This one had a few platforms to jump over, but the dummies were in more awkward positions since aliens could obviously get in places common everyday criminals couldn’t.

There was a small podium to the left of the starting position with one big, green button on it, so I slammed my hand on the button, and it lit up to indicate the timer had begun. The obstacle course would keep record of my time and release the dummies at timed intervals.

I took a deep breath and started the course at a jog. The first obstacle was a pit with wires over it. In enemy territory, the wire would be barbed, but for training purposes, it wasn’t. I dropped to my stomach and army-crawled through the sand pit, and when I came out the other side, I stood and started to jog to the next obstacle, but a dummy popped up suddenly from the ground about four feet in front of me. It was a purple alien with huge, crazed eyes and a forked tongue sticking out, but I still had plenty of kinetic energy stored up after taking all those shots last night. I raised my hands, aimed for the alien’s head, and shot out a ball of energy, but just like last night, it went wide.

“Damnit,” I muttered to myself. I charged up another ball and took a deep breath as I aimed at the center of the alien’s chest. Then I shot out the energy, and it made contact, just to the left of where I aimed, and the dummy spiraled around its support post. The blast would take a man down, but I didn’t want to risk any mistakes with these cult freaks.

The dummy disappeared back into the ground, ready to be automatically released for the next course, so I jogged to the next obstacle, which was a low balance beam.

Balance had never been my forte, especially before all my FBI training when I was a bigger guy. I’d practiced it over the past few weeks, so I was getting better, but I still teetered along the wooden bar precariously and was prepared to fall at any second. Suddenly, I imagined Mary’s toned legs walking over the balance beam with pointed toes. I could imagine her being good at balance, since it sort of went hand in hand with flexibility.

Focus, Jonah.

I reached the end of the balance beam and thought I would try something different. I remembered how Chad last night had barrel rolled away from me, and I figured if he could do it, I could do it, especially with the power of the cuffs, so I bent my knees, tucked my chin, and pushed myself off the balance beam with enough force that my rotating legs wouldn’t hit the wooden bar as I barrel rolled forward onto the mat and gained a miniscule amount of kinetic energy. I was surprised when it worked, and I stood up after the barrel roll feeling pleased with myself, but also a little dizzy.

I hadn’t even used my kinetic power, that was all me.

I continued the course with a new bounce in my step, and I continued to be impressed with my tumbling abilities. I jogged to the next obstacle, a window jump, and I knew a dummy would pop up as soon as I crossed the threshold of the window, but I couldn’t remember exactly where, so I charged up a ball of kinetic energy and readied to launch it at any moment. I took the middle window and propelled myself through it, and as soon as my feet touched the ground, the dummy popped up to my left. It was a sinister-looking clown with the stereotypical red hair and red nose, but the eyes made him look like he’d just killed your whole family and couldn’t wait to tell you about it.

I had always hated clowns.

I raised my hand and let the already charged ball of energy release, and to my delight, the energy hit the clown right in the face. I was aiming for the chest, but a kill’s a kill.

I jogged on to the next obstacle, a cargo net climb that took me an embarrassing amount of time to get over. I hated those things, the net swung back and forth so much I could never get a good grip. I had seen other agents fly up them like they were solid, but I needed more training before I could make it look so easy.

I made it over eventually and hopped down when I was halfway down on the other side. A green alien dummy popped up when I landed, and I shot a ball of energy that went wide again.

“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered. My aim seemed to be really inconsistent, so I decided I would try some static aiming practice for a while before I finished the obstacle course.

I looked around the obstacle course area, and I was totally alone, so I decided to rearrange some things.

I slid the green alien off his support pole and propped him against a wooden post that was part of another obstacle. Next, I jogged away from the alien and stopped about eight feet away. Then I turned, charged up some energy, and fired a yellow blast in his direction.

Wide.

“Okay, Jonah,” I said and jumped up and down a little bit, which caused a fresh ripple of kinetic energy throughout my body. Then I stood still, took a deep breath, raised my hands carefully, and aimed at the alien’s chest.

I threw the yellow ball of energy and watched it tear the alien’s chest in half.

“Score!” I shouted and pumped my fist in the air. I’d have to tell someone about the obliterated dummy, but I was just happy my blast had ended up exactly where I wanted it to go.

I set the alien to the side and ran through the next obstacle, a tunnel crawl. The dummy attached to the tunnel crawl obstacle was a weird Bigfoot-looking guy that spun around on his support pole when I fired a shot of energy at his chest. My aim was getting better, but I didn’t want to destroy another dummy, so I moved onto the next obstacle.

This obstacle required me to run through a long, short windowless shack and jump through the tires on the ground, but when I entered the shack, another idea came to mind. I remembered how I went down the hatch and into the underground tunnels built by the cult and how I could see surprisingly well in the dark. I had wondered at the time if the power of the cuffs had anything to do with that, and now was the perfect time to test out that theory.

The windowless shack was completely dark, so agents had to rely on their training and intuition to get through it. I stood at the entrance of the shack and allowed my eyes to adjust to the low light. There was still some light coming in through the entrance and exit, but the middle of the shack was pitch black.

Then, after a few seconds of adjusting, I could see inside the shack almost as if there was a dim light.

I knew it. I did have improved night vision.

If that was true, though, then maybe Mary was right about the Sigil Killer being able to control darkness. And maybe his powers of darkness manipulation were stronger than my night vision powers, which would make sense because improved night vision wasn’t the main power of the cuffs, just an extra benefit.

If the Sigil Killer did control darkness, we needed to come up with a plan to disarm or disable his powers.

I thought it would be good to train some aiming in the dark, so I stayed inside the shack for a while. There were marks on the walls, big Xs that looked like they’d been there to mark where the windows should go, but the developers changed their minds and kept it windowless, so the marks made perfect targets.

I stood on the far-left wall and faced the right wall where the Xs were. The tires laid in the middle of the shack, sad and deflated-looking from years of being stepped on by booted agents, but I ignored the tires and focused on the four Xs.

First, I shot a blast of energy at each of them, one after the other, in quick succession down the row. I hit two dead on, but the other two went either high or low, so I reset and did it again and again and again until I hit each one of them perfectly. Then I switched up the order of the blasts, randomly calling out one, two, three, and four, before I shot the yellow balls of energy.

After a while, I felt drained, but my aim had improved a lot from when I started the first obstacle. I leaned against the wall to catch my breath, but then I suddenly heard a voice from the entrance of the shack.

“Jonah?”

I looked over to see the silhouette of a woman against the doorframe, and I could tell from the posture and hair outline that it was Mary. I pushed myself off the wall and jogged over to meet her, and her face lit up in a smile when she saw me.

“There you are,” she said cheerfully.

“Hi, Mary.” I grinned back at my friend as I wiped the sweat from my brow. “What are you doing here?”

“I just came to find you, the team is getting lunch soon,” she said while she squinted into the shack, but she took a step back so I could exit the shack. “What was all that noise? How can you see in there? It’s so dark.”

“I was practicing my aim, there are some targets in there against the wall, so the noise was my blasts of kinetic energy hitting the wall,” I explained, and then I lifted my arms to show off the tattooed cuffs. “And I think the cuffs give me better night vision, too.”

“Oh, can I see you shoot a blast?” Mary asked me, and her green eyes were wide with excitement.

“Sure,” I chuckled and then gestured around. “Pick something here, and I’ll try to shoot it.”

“Okay, how about…” Mary turned to look at the section of the obstacle course we were on and pointed to a sandbag tucked next to a wooden pole on the tunnel obstacle. “That bag, can you hit it?”

“I might make a mess, but I’ll try,” I said as I raised my hands, aimed, and fired a blast. It hit the sandbag square on, and we watched as the bag exploded and leaked sand out everywhere. “Oops.”

“Jonah, you’re so bad,” Mary giggled, and she tried to playfully hit my shoulder.

I raised my arms to block the hit and caught her hand, and we froze for a moment.

Our touch felt different this time.

Mary reached a finger out and traced the outline of the cuffs, and her touch felt like electricity. My whole body was acutely aware of her finger on my forearm, and I felt a stir of desire deep in my gut.

“This mission to stop the ritual sounds dangerous,” the green-eyed woman whispered. She kept her eyes on my cuffs, and I could hear the fear in her voice. “Are you sure you guys can take them all on?”

“Hey,” I said gently, and I reached up and lifted her chin with my finger so I could see her face. She tried to avoid eye contact, but eventually she looked up at me with those gorgeous green eyes of hers, and I smiled. “I don’t want you to worry about me, I will be fine no matter what.”

“I know, I know, the cuffs,” Mary sighed and looked away, so I dropped my hand from under her chin. “Logically, I know you’ll be fine, but realistically, it’s scary to think of you out in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of those freaks.”

“I understand it’s scary,” I said and nodded at the curly-haired woman. “But it needs to be done, we can’t let the Sigil Killer hurt any more women. Plus, Elaine and Laura are more than competent out in the field, I know we can take this bastard down.”

“Oh, Jonah,” Mary sighed again, but this time she looked up at me with darkened eyes. “You’re such a good person. I can’t believe I wasted all that time with Raymond when you were right here…”

Her voice trailed off, and her eyes fell from my eyes to my lips. Then the emerald-eyed beauty bit her own lip, and I couldn’t resist it anymore.

I leaned down and kissed her gently, and when I broke off the kiss, Mary looked surprised.

“Sorry, was that okay?” I asked, and I was suddenly worried I’d misread the situation, but Mary’s face broke out into a huge smile.

“That was more than okay,” she giggled, and then Mary threw her arms around my neck and kissed me hard.

Chapter Fifteen

I returned the curly-haired woman’s kiss, and years of sexual tension broke in an instant. I grabbed her small waist, pulled her against me, and let my hands explore her. I had been imagining this scenario for years, and it was everything I’d hoped it would be. Her body was small and tight in my arms, and my hands slid down to cup the ass that had appeared in my dreams countless times.

Mary’s lips were soft and inviting, and I pushed my tongue in between them to explore her whole mouth. The beautiful woman moaned slightly as her tongue met mine, and our kiss grew more heated.

“Oh, Jonah,” Mary breathed between kisses. “I’ve been thinking about this for so long.”

“Me, too,” I managed. My head was swimming with the knowledge this was actually happening, and my cock was already growing hard as my hands continued to rove over Mary’s dress.

Mary slid her hands down from my neck to my biceps, and then she pulled away from the kiss, squeezed my muscles, and gave me an appreciative look.

“You’re so sexy,” she whispered.

“Not nearly as sexy as you,” I growled as I pulled her closer and kissed her again.

Mary returned the kiss and then pulled her face back, but she kept her body tight against mine, and I could feel my hard erection pressing through my thin joggers and into her flat stomach. The beautiful brunette gave me a sexy look, and then her eyes flitted behind my head to the training shack before she grinned up at me.

“Looks like we’re pretty alone back here,” she said with a mischievous grin.

“Yeah, we are,” I said slowly, but I was unsure where the green-eyed beauty was going with this.

“I have an idea,” she purred, and then she broke away from our embrace, grabbed my hand, and led me toward the doorway of the shed.

“Really?” I gasped and looked around just to be sure there was definitely no one around, but I still let the small woman lead me into the darkened shack.

“Yeah,” she giggled, and as soon as we passed the threshold, she spun around and kissed me again.

“Oh, Mary,” I moaned as I lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist, and I carried her farther into the left corner of the shack until her back was against the wall.

“Oh, my god, Jonah,” Mary gasped, and she kissed me even harder. She clutched my neck and ground her hips against mine, and little moans and mewls rattled in the back of her throat.

“Fuck,” I growled as I pushed my hips back harder. My erection was at full mast now, and I was so horny for the woman in front of me, I could barely see.

“Take me, Jonah,” Mary breathed into my ear. “Take me right here.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. I let my hand fall down to the hem of Mary’s dress and traced the edge of the fabric that sat on her sexy thighs. Then I slid the dress up her thigh and my hand along with it until I reached her lacy panties.

I pulled back from kissing Mary to appreciate the view of my hand up her skirt and grinned down at her.

“You sure?” I asked as I playfully ran a finger from the fabric of her underwear at the side of her hip and moved it closer to her womanhood. “Or we could wait until we have a bed…”

“Now,” Mary moaned with her eyes shut, and her head tilted back as she gasped at the feeling of my finger on her skin. “I want you now, Jonah.”

“If you insist,” I teased as I let my finger find the wet patch on her panties. She was ready to go, so in one sudden movement, I reached to the top of her panties and pulled them down.

Mary cried out, and I covered her mouth with my other hand before I leaned into her ear.

“Shhh,” I growled. “Be a good girl.”

Mary whimpered into my hand and looked up at me with sexy, hooded eyes, but she nodded all the same.

“That’s right.” I grinned down at the sexy woman and ran my fingers over her wetness. She shuddered at my touch, which caused my cock to strain even harder, and I slowly slid my fingers up from the hot entrance of her pussy until I found her hard clit. Then I ran my finger over it lightly, and Mary gasped and grabbed my neck harder.

“Uhhh, I want you inside me, Jonah.”

“Not yet,” I teased. “I want to make you cum first.”

“Oh, Jonah, you don’t have to.” Mary looked up at me with her wide green eyes and bit her lip.

I felt a sudden urge of protectiveness over the small woman. She didn’t know what it was like to have a man treat her right, but I was about to show her.

“I want to. I want to show you how you’re supposed to be pleasured.” I ran my finger over her clit again to watch her shudder, and then I got to work. I added a finger and rolled the hard nub between my fingers, and I felt Mary’s pussy below my fingers grow even wetter.

“Oh, my god,” Mary breathed as she squeezed her eyes shut.

“Look at me,” I growled.

Mary’s eyes flew open, and she stared deep into my eyes while she gasped.

“Good girl.” I slid a finger suddenly into her pussy, and Mary cried out but kept her eyes locked on mine.

I reached up with my other hand and covered her mouth again, and I fingered her slick pussy with quick, short thrusts for a minute. Then I pulled my dripping wet fingers out and slid them over her hard clit again. Mary’s whole body shuddered, and her eyes grew wide. She moaned against my hand and started nodding furiously, and I knew the sexy woman was about to cum.

“Do it,” I demanded. “Cum for me, I’ve wanted to make you cum for years.”

“Mmmmmmm!” Mary’s eyes rolled into the back of her head, and I felt the force of her orgasm as her body convulsed against my hand.

I kept my fingers against her mound as I pulled my other hand away from her mouth, and the small woman gasped up at me with a big smile on her face.

“Jonah, that was incredible,” Mary purred as she leaned forward and nuzzled against my neck.

“I aim to please,” I said and leaned down and kissed Mary hard.

My cock was rock hard and ready to experience Mary like my fingers had.

“I want to feel all of you,” she whispered as she pushed herself against my hand.

“Soon,” I said as I slipped my hand down and inserted a finger into her waiting wet pussy.

Mary gasped as her pussy clenched around my digit, and I slipped another finger inside her so she cried out.

“Shhhh.” I covered her mouth again and pulled my fingers out of her, and I pulled the waistband of my joggers and underwear down and felt my cock spring free. Then I guided my hard erection to Mary’s waiting pussy and thrust it in, and I moaned when I felt her tight, wet pussy finally wrapped around my cock.

“Ah!” Mary cried out again, but my hand stifled it, and I leaned into her ear again as I continued to thrust.

“You like that?” I whispered into her ear.

“Mhhmmm,” she mumbled into my hand, but her head nodded up and down excitedly, and her green eyes displayed the pleasure she was feeling.

I took my hand away from her mouth and kissed her deeply, and the sexy brunette kissed me back and whimpered with each thrust. She pushed against the wall to brace herself as she raised her hips to meet my movements, and I could feel her pussy tightening around my cock as it slipped in and out of her wetness.

“Oh, Jonah,” she gasped. Her words were shaky as I continued to thrust, and her body rocked between me and the wall. “I-I can’t believe how good you feel inside me.”

“Your little pussy feels amazing,” I groaned. I could feel the sweat beading on my forehead with the effort of holding Mary up while I thrust into her, but stopping wasn’t an option.

I had waited so long to feel the inside of my beautiful friend, I wasn’t going to stop now.

“Tell me you want me, Jonah,” Mary whispered as her wide green eyes looked up at me.

“Mary, you have no idea how badly I’ve wanted you for so long,” I said and slammed into her even harder. “I’ve wanted to make you mine since we first started working together.”

“Oh, God, Jonah,” she started to cry out, but I covered her mouth again and grinned down at her.

“Shhh, be a good girl,” I grunted.

“Mmm, mmm,” Mary said through my hand.

“What did you say?” I pulled my hand away from her mouth.

“Yes, sir,” Mary whispered and bit her lip while she looked up at me with submissive eyes.

“Fuck, that’s hot,” I moaned. “Are you going to be a good girl for me?”

“Yes, sir,” she whispered again.

“Ughhhh,” I groaned as I felt my orgasm building up.

“Jonah,” Mary breathed, and she dragged her nails down my back as she jolted with every thrust. “You’re going to make me cummmm.”

“Good,” I growled, but then I covered her mouth with my hand again. “Be a good girl and cum for me.”

“Mmmmm, mmm, mmmmmm.” Mary’s sounds were muffled by my hand, but I watched as her green eyes rolled into the back of her head. Then her pussy tightened around my shaft before I felt a flood of juices soak me, and Mary shuddered with the force of her orgasm.

Mine wasn’t far behind hers. I thrust a couple more times, and then, at the last second, I pulled my cock from Mary’s warm cocoon and sprayed my seed across the front and insides of her thighs. My legs felt weak from the force of the orgasm, and I had to lean Mary’s back against the wall to take the weight off my shoulders as I gasped to catch my breath.

After a moment, Mary unwrapped her legs from my waist, and I held her up as she slid down to stand up again. She giggled as she pulled her dress down, and I pulled my joggers back up. The shack was dark, but there was enough light pouring in from the open doorframe that I could make out Mary’s face easily enough.

“Wow,” she said as she grinned up at me, and her eyes searched my face. “That was… incredible.”

“Yeah, it was,” I said and returned the grin. “But next time, I’ll be sure to take my time with you.”

“Next time?” she asked with a hint of hope in her voice.

“Of course,” I murmured as I met her gaze. “And every time after that… if you want.”

Mary seemed to struggle to find her words, but then she just leaned forward and rested her head against my chest. I pulled her close and squeezed her tight while I rocked her back and forth a little bit, and she sighed into my shirt before she peeled back to gaze up at me again.

“I really have been thinking about this for a while,” Mary said, and her voice was soft and thick with emotion.

“Me, too.” I leaned down, kissed her gently, and let my forehead rest against hers. “I had feelings for you the whole time we worked at CPS together, but I could never act on them because… you know. I’m just so glad to finally have the chance now, Mary.”

“Oh, Jonah,” Mary sighed and leaned into me again. “I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to realize how amazing you are. I wasted so much time that I could have spent with you.”

“At least you got there in the end,” I joked as I kissed her forehead again and then gestured around. “Especially here, I’m surprised at you.”

“Well, I have a little secret,” Mary said and batted her eyelashes up at me.

“What is it?” I couldn’t help but smile at my cute, coy lover.

“Well, it’s sort of a huge turn on for me, doing it like this.” The curly-haired woman gestured around.

“Like what?” I asked, since I was unsure what she meant.

“Like, in public.” The beautiful woman giggled and blushed. “It’s exciting for me, the risk of getting caught.”

“Mary! My, my, I’m surprised at you.” I grinned down at her.

I could hardly believe it, Mary seemed so innocent and sensible. I never would have guessed that her big turn on was the thrill of fucking in public, but my cock stirred at the excitement of future possibilities.

“I know, but I can’t help it.” Mary smirked and shrugged, but then her eyes went wide, and the brunette chewed her lip as she looked away, suddenly shy. “What about Elaine? And Laura? Will they be… mad at me?”

“No, of course not,” I laughed. “Elaine will be thrilled, she loves hearing about me getting with other women. And Laura is totally cool with it. They’ve actually both already mentioned this happening.”

“Really?” Mary cocked her head and then giggled again. “I guess I was a lot more obvious about my crush on you than I thought I was being.”

“Maybe,” I chuckled. “But everyone is cool with it… if you are?”

I realized a few weeks into my polyamorous situation that this was an important conversation to have, and to have it early, even though I wasn’t entirely sure of the situation myself, but it was important Mary felt comfortable with it before we went any further and feelings got hurt. The poor woman had put up with enough pain in her love life, and I never wanted to be the cause of it.

“I am, I think.” Mary nodded thoughtfully. “I mean, I’ve never been in a situation like this, but I’m not opposed to the idea of it. Elaine and Laura are amazing, and the fact you still want me when you have both of them is incredible to me, and I don’t want to mess that up.”

“You won’t mess anything up either way,” I assured the brunette. “But I don’t want you to agree to this… situation just because it’s the only way you and I can… be together.”

“I’m not, I swear, I really am cool with it,” Mary said and shook her head quickly, and there was sincerity in her voice, so I believed her. Then she shot me a wicked grin. “So, when you said next time, you really meant you want this to happen again?”

“Of course,” I answered instantly with a chuckle. “Like I said, I’ve wanted this for a while, so I want it to happen as many times as it can.”

“So…” Mary’s eyes shifted away, and she was shy again. “Does this mean, we’re like… together now?”

“Do you want to be together?” I asked the brunette.

“Yes,” Mary answered so quickly, I couldn’t help but laugh, and she shot me a self-conscious smile. “But only if you want to.”

“I do,” I assured the sexy woman. “Let me have a conversation with Elaine to establish the boundaries of all of this, but I know she’ll be cool with things.”

“Okay, good,” Mary sighed and giggled. “I definitely don’t want to piss off those two women. Of course, you get not one, but two girlfriends who can kick my ass.”

“They would never,” I promised.

“I know, I’m joking,” Mary said and slapped me gently. Then she started straightening her dress and hair. “We should probably get back, I’ve been gone for a while, and I said I wouldn’t be long. This is all your fault.”

“My fault! I’m pretty sure you were the one who was all like ‘oh, Jonah, take me right here in this dusty shack.’”

“Hey.” She scowled and gently slapped my shoulder again, but then she broke and giggled. “I didn’t hear you objecting. Anyway, I should run to the bathroom to, ah, clean up a little before we head back up. And now I’m starving, are you hungry?”

“Yes,” I said as my empty stomach churned. “We can grab something from the cafeteria before we head back down.”

“Cool,” Mary said with a nod.

We left the obstacle course and stopped at the locker rooms in the training area, and then Mary and I went to our respective locker rooms to freshen up. I used the bathroom and washed away any evidence of the sexual encounter I had just experienced while the details flashed through my mind, and I enjoyed the playback with a grin on my face.

Another agent entered the locker room as I was leaving, and he gave me a quick nod while he held the door open for me to pass him. I nodded in return, and when I entered the corridor, I was surprised to see Mary already waiting for me.

“That was fast,” I said.

“I didn’t have much to work with.” She shrugged, and then she struck a pose for me and turned around in a circle so I could fully appreciate the view. “But I did the best I could. Do I look like I’ve just been fucked?”

“Mary!” I gasped and looked around to make sure there was no one within earshot.

Luckily, the corridor was empty.

“What?” the green-eyed woman giggled, and she batted her eyelashes up at me with an innocent look on her face.

“You know what,” I said with a grin. “I can’t believe that dirty mouth on you, I thought you were so cute and innocent.”

“I am cute.” Mary pouted up at me before she grinned again. “But I’m not innocent.”

“I can see that now.” I laughed as we walked down the corridor and toward the main building. We passed a few agents on the way, and I noticed a couple of them checking Mary out, discreetly, of course, but I walked a little straighter with pride at the knowledge of what we had recently done.

Finally, Mary and I headed to the cafeteria, which was starting to fill up with the late lunch rush.

“Have the rest of the team eaten?” I asked the short woman next to me as I studied our options.

“Let me check,” Mary said as she pulled out her phone and typed a quick text, most likely to Elaine, who answered immediately and caused Mary to giggle. “Oops, no, they’ve been waiting for us, and they’re starving, so we’d better hurry up.”

“Oh, damn, we might be in trouble,” I chuckled as I surveyed the lines and calculated the wait times at each. The generic Chinese takeout, Wok This Way, looked like it would be the fastest, so we went to stand in line below the sign with a flaming wok lit up in neon red.

We chatted about the latest anime series Mary was into while we waited, and soon we got to the front of the line and ordered seven different variations of their noodle and rice dishes, enough for everyone to have an option they would like, and used the team card to pay. Then we made our way to the elevators with arms full of bags of food, and a few minutes later we finally stepped back into the Clubhouse.

We hustled to our usual meeting room where the rest of the team was already waiting with plates and cutlery.

“Finally!” Sammy stood when we entered and reached for the bag of food in my hand. “Did you get lost or something? I’m starving.”

“Sorry,” I chuckled as I passed the bag over and put the rest on the table. “Mary helped me with a bit of, ah, extra training.”

Sammy was too busy digging into the food, but Elaine and Laura gave me curious looks. I winked at the women while Sammy was still preoccupied with his meal, and then I started handing out plates to everyone.

Soon, we all had piles of noodles, rice, chicken, vegetables, sauces, spring rolls, and more. Sammy’s pile was the highest, and he held his fork like a shovel while he ate it enthusiastically. Laura, Elaine, and Mary all used chopsticks with ease while I struggled to get them to sit in my hand right before I ultimately gave up and used a fork.

The team chatted happily, and we put our work talk on pause while we ate, like Laura preferred. Everyone seemed to inhale their lunch since Mary and mine’s sexcapade had delayed us. Sammy and I went back for seconds, and soon all the containers were empty, and plates were scraped clean.

Mary and I also cleaned away the dishes and trash to make up for our tardiness, and then we were all sitting around the table and ready to go.

Everyone looked to me, so I stood and addressed the team.

“So, what have we got so far? Did we have any luck with the cultist?” I asked and pointed to Laura, then Sammy, who both nodded.

“He gave us everything he knew, pretty much,” Laura said as she indicated to Sammy to do something. “We got names, locations, and a rough idea of a plan. The kid is pretty low-level, like he said, but there’s been a lot of movement lately in preparation for the upcoming ritual. The big push to recruit members has been ongoing and across a few locations, so we don’t know the exact number of bodies, but we have a pretty good estimate. We also had some chatter on the forums that helped us narrow down our search and eliminate some options.”

Sammy reached under the table and pulled out a large rolled-up map, which he spread across the table and weighted down each end with a book. We all leaned over it to get a better look, and it had more circles on it, and some circles were crossed out.

“So, the cult shut these two down completely after your breach.” Sammy jabbed his thick fingers at the Wilson and then Homestead Farms, which both had big Xs over them, and his brow knitted in concentration. “Also, some of the ones we believed to be owned by the cult were purchased by the cult, and then sold shortly after. We believe as the cult grew and the rituals became more involved, they moved farther away from civilization, so we’ve been redirected to focus more on these backwater lands. Which leaves three active operating bases for the cult.”

“These three? Gerald’s Farm, Hidden Ranch, and Sunny Fields.” I pointed to the three circled farms as I read out their names, and the innocent Taylor’s Farm was unmarked as it sat between the crossed-out Homestead and circled Gerald’s Farm. “What do we know about these?”

“Well, the first we already knew about is Gerald’s Farm.” The bearded tech pointed to the farm closest to the town center, right next to the Taylor’s Farm. “We have the least information on this one, the kid has never been in it, just the underground tunnels that he confirmed run underneath it. Or, that used to, but those were probably destroyed last night after your visit.”

“Sorry again, guys.” I flashed the group a smile.

“You’ll destroy all our options to get them,” Elaine said as she scowled at me, but her eyes twinkled.

“Well, they keep picking fights, and I try to tell them not to.” I shrugged and grinned at my exotic girlfriend before I turned back to the serious agent in front of us.

“Right, so.” Sammy ignored the flirtatious remarks, and I cleared my throat and refocused my attention. “There are four or five cult members there, and the underground tunnels did lead out through a cave in the woods, which is how they managed to travel discreetly. We heavily suspect those will have been destroyed by now.”

“Okay…” I studied the farmhouse and the surrounding areas. This one was closest to the local population, so it had to be handled carefully.

The last thing we needed was a crazed cult member to escape our raid and go on a killing spree in Middleville.

“This one is the biggest,” Sammy said as he indicated Sunny Fields, which was the middle circle of the three, at least thirty-five miles away from the town center. The large ranch was surrounded by thick trees on each side, and there wasn’t another farm for miles. It was deep in the backwoods, nowhere close to Gerald’s Farm, so no way were there underground tunnels connecting them. “Bit of a misnomer there, because it is also surrounded by trees, but there are big fields behind the house. It used to be a horse-riding school before the owners moved to Florida years ago. Currently, it trains aspiring cultists instead of aspiring jockeys. There are eight confirmed senior and mid-level cult members, and likely a number of low-level cult members, including your tattooed friend, whose real name is Preston Melville, by the way.”

“Ha, no way.” I snorted as I recalled the crazy tattooed cult member who jumped around like a rabid animal. “He’ll be thrilled to see me again, I’m sure.”

Laura and Elaine snorted, while Mary looked between us with a confused smile on her face and worried eyes, so I shot her a reassuring smile.

“And then there’s the Hidden Ranch.” Sammy pointed to the last circled piece of land, much farther away from the rest. “This one we didn’t realize belonged to the cult at first, we have Tommy to thank for that. Hidden Ranch has four or five members stationed there at all times.”

“Is there a reason it’s so much farther away than the others?” I asked.

“Because that’s where the really nasty stuff happens,” Mary said as she wrinkled her nose, and the other two women nodded solemnly.

“We believe that’s the ritual site,” Laura said in a strained voice, and I could see the anger in the agent’s blue eyes. “The prisoner hasn’t been to the rituals, but that’s where he was told they took place, so it’s deep in the backwoods for privacy.”

My own stomach churned at the thought of the sick practices that took place in these secluded areas. I felt the anger rise up as I thought about how scared the victims must have felt, those poor women helpless at the hands of a group of psychopaths.

I couldn’t wait to take down these sick bastards.

“They keep it under pretty tight wraps,” Sammy continued. “The members stationed there are under strict instruction never to leave the premises, they must stay and protect the ritual site, which could work to our advantage, depending on how the other raids go.”

“Excellent work, this is some solid intel.” I nodded and then studied the circled farms as I planned the best approach. “Okay, so I think we need to hit Sunny Fields first, where it will hurt them the most. We eliminate their higher-up guys and take out the majority of their manpower. Hell, maybe we’ll get lucky and find Chad and the Sigil Killer there, too. And it’s pretty secluded, so even if one were to escape, they wouldn’t be able to raise the alarm to the other farms before we got to them anyway.”

“Or if they did, we would already have eliminated the rest, anyway,” Elaine pointed out.

“Exactly. So, we attack the most populated one first.” I tapped the largest circle before I slid my finger across the map and tapped the circle closest to town. “Then I’m thinking we double-back and get Gerald’s Farm, because if the cult members from Sunny Fields did manage to warn them, we don’t want them getting any crazy ideas and going into town to snatch a civilian to be a hostage. We’ll hit Hidden Ranch last, maybe we’ll be able to gather more intel on the site during the other two raids.”

There was a beat of silence as everyone processed the plan.

“When are you going to raid them?” Mary asked me.

“Tonight,” I said.

“What? That’s not enough time to prepare.” Mary’s green eyes went wide as she looked between me and the two women, but I noticed she tried to calm herself since the other two women weren’t freaking out. “I mean, isn’t it? Don’t we need, um, more intel or something?”

“I think we’ve got what we need.” I smiled down at my newest lover, and I thought it was cute how much she worried about us. Then I turned to Sammy. “Actually, do we have any more intel on the members themselves?”

“Yes, we do,” Sammy said as he strode to the corner where his laptop was already hooked up to the projection screen, and he tapped a couple buttons until a list appeared on the screen. It was a list of every confirmed cult member, their photos, and any pertinent details about their appearances or activities.

“Wow, impressive,” I said, and I meant it. Our captured cultist, Tommy, had made some stupid mistakes when he got himself involved with this cult crowd, but he was making amends by giving us all of this information, in my eyes at least. Of course, not all of it came from Tommy, Sammy had been running his own programs for weeks to gather as much intel as possible. “Great work, Sammy.”

“Okay, if we’re raiding tonight, I’ve got some admin work to do.” Laura held up her phone, and then the blonde agent sighed and began pacing back and forth on the small stretch of floor in front of the door. “The Director wants every detail, and I’m not sure how he’s going to take the news about our three planned raids. And weapons, we’re going to need weapons, I might have to sign some things out of the armory. Maybe vests for me and Elaine? Night vision goggles for sure.”

“Laura,” I said gently.

This caused the leggy agent to come out of her spiral, and she looked at me, like she was surprised I could hear her.

“Sorry, that was meant to be internal.” She glanced up at the clock that was pushing its way farther and farther into the afternoon. “We don’t have much time to prepare, we should leave here by five at the latest, so we need to get moving.”

“You go, do what you need to do,” I assured Laura. “We’ll be here going over the intel.”

The blonde agent nodded and left in a hurry as she muttered under her breath, so I turned back to the rest of the team.

“Alright, let’s get to work.”

Sammy, Mary, Elaine, and I spent the next couple of hours poring over every piece of information taken from the FBI database, the forums, and the suspect’s interview. Laura came in and out of the conference room while we prepared, and she had already swapped her pencil skirt suit for her field outfit of tight leggings and FBI windbreaker.

The clock got closer to five o’clock, so I pushed back from the conference room table with a big sigh.

“Okay, I think my eyes are going to cross if I look at this stuff anymore.” I rubbed my eyes until I saw bursts of stars behind my closed lids. “I need coffee.”

“And food,” Elaine said as she stretched back in her chair, which exposed her sexy flat stomach, and I let my eyes linger on it for a second.

My girlfriend caught me looking and shot me a wink.

“I need to get out of this room for a bit,” Sammy said as he stood and looked around the conference room. “I can go grab us some food from the cafeteria. Mary, want to give me a hand?”

“Sure,” Mary said, and she stood and stretched while she looked at me and Elaine. “Any requests?”

“Anything is fine with me.” I shrugged.

“Me, too.” Elaine nodded.

“Back soon, then,” Sammy said, and then the burly agent and the small woman left the room and immediately started chatting about an anime series.

I watched their receding backs and grinned. Sammy seemed to be getting along a lot better with Mary, which was a relief for the whole team, and I let my eyes fall down to Mary’s round ass before she turned the corner. Then I turned to my girlfriend to see her looking at me with an amused expression.

“What?” I asked, but I grinned because I already knew.

“Why don’t you tell me?” Elaine smirked and nodded toward the space where Mary just was. “You and Mary were gone for a while earlier.”

“Yeah, about that…” I smirked and shot my girlfriend a sexy look.

“Ahhhh, I knew it!” Elaine shrieked before she stood and wrapped her arms around the back of my shoulders while I sat. Then she leaned in and whispered into my ear. “You’ll have to tell me all about it later, sexy.”

“Oh, I will,” I assured my exotic girlfriend, and I tilted my head up to kiss her.

Since she was standing above me, it felt like a Spider-Man kiss, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“What?” Elaine giggled.

“Nothing,” I said before I took her hands and kissed them each. “Thank you for all your help lately, we’re so close to taking these bastards down. And hopefully that will make Sigil Killer reveal himself.”

“I know, I can’t wait.” Elaine had a determined look in her eyes that was irresistibly sexy. Then the beautiful woman’s stomach let out a loud growl, and she giggled again. “I guess I can wait until after we eat.”

“Come on, let’s go get some plates.” I stood and held out my hand to my girlfriend, and we went to the kitchenette for the plates and cutlery, then back to the conference room where we placed the plates in front of everyone’s seats.

We chatted about the mission until Sammy and Mary reappeared with bags of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and coleslaw. Mary also carried a tray of paper coffee cups, which we all reached for instantly. They had run into Laura at the elevators, who told them not to wait for her, and that she would join us soon, so we loaded up our plates and dug in.

Just as we were finishing our meals and cleaning up the mess, Laura entered the conference room with a large duffle bag. She placed it on the table, and I heard the undeniable sound of guns clattering against the table and each other.

We all looked at the blonde agent.

“I don’t know about you guys,” she said and looked at each of us. “But I’m ready to take this cult down.”

Chapter Sixteen

“Woo!” Elaine let out a cheer and pumped her fist in the air. She was obviously renewed from the sugary, caffeinated coffee, and I grinned at her outburst.

“Ditto,” I chuckled.

“We’ll finish cleaning up, you guys should head out,” Mary said, and she indicated the mess from our dinner. Then she crossed the table, stood in front of me, and gave me a hug. “Stay safe.”

“I will,” I assured the small woman and squeezed her back.

Mary released the hug and turned to hug Elaine and Laura as well to tell them to have safe raids, and Sammy shook my hand and handed me a flash drive attached to a keychain.

“Keep this on you, it might come in handy if you come across any computers belonging to the cult,” the bearded agent informed me.

“Will do,” I said and returned the handshake.

Sammy broke the handshake and nodded to the women. Then we gathered the maps and documents that would be useful to go over in the car, and we all said a final goodbye to Sammy and Mary before me and the two women made our way to the elevators, up through the FBI building, and into the secure parking lot. We piled into the Lincoln, with Laura taking the front seat and Elaine in the back middle seat with Laura’s heavy duffle bag in the seat next to her.

I drove us out of Chicago, and the cityscape was soon replaced with the sprawling farmlands I was getting used to. There was a certain charm to the country, with its wide-open spaces and fresh air, but I didn’t think I could ever give up city living, not until I could order a Thai takeout at midnight in the country and have it arrive at my door twenty minutes later.

Since I had the two women in the car, I figured it was as good a time as any to bring up what I’d thought about earlier. I reached out and turned the music down, and the two women protested, but I just chuckled.

“I’ve been thinking about something, and I want to get your opinions on it,” I said and shot the two women a look, and they were watching me closely with a slight hint of concern in their eyes. “It’s nothing bad, don’t worry. But, if we take these guys down--”

“When we take these guys down,” Elaine interjected, and I smiled at her in the rear-view mirror.

“When we take these guys down, then Bellamy will be safe again.

“Thanks to you.” Elaine grinned at me again.

“Thanks to us. But, I was thinking, if the FBI is going to keep us on…” I shot a look at Laura, who nodded, and then I caught Elaine’s eye in the mirror again. “And since my income is so much higher, then maybe we can move out of Bellamy and closer to the headquarters in Chicago.”

“I would love that!” Elaine giggled and bounced in her seat a little bit. “I’m starting to really like Chicago, so that sounds perfect.”

“I think that’s a great idea, too, as long as it’s not too far away from me,” Laura said as she blushed and looked down into her lap.

“Laura, you should come with us,” Elaine said as she leaned forward excitedly. “Wouldn’t that be so fun, Jonah?”

“That’s okay, I don’t want to impose if you two want your own place together,” the blonde woman said quickly.

“Don’t be silly, we would love to have you live with us,” I assured the beautiful agent as I reached over and squeezed her thigh.

“Really?” Laura asked, and the excitement was clear in her voice.

“Of course.” I grinned at her and squeezed her thigh one last time before I took my hand back and put it on the steering wheel. “If you want to, that is, I don’t mean to pressure you.”

“I do,” Elaine giggled and then playfully shook Laura’s shoulders. “It’ll be so fun, you know you want to, come on, let’s do it.”

“Okay, okay,” Laura laughed. “I’d love to join you two. The penthouse is nice of course… but it would be nicer to have a place to really call home.”

“Yay!” My exotic girlfriend did a little dance in the back seat, and I chuckled. Then Elaine leaned forward and addressed the blonde agent again. “Ohh, Laura, have you heard, we might have another friend to play with.”

“Is that right? Well, I’m not surprised, I saw that one coming a mile away.” Laura shot me a sly grin.

“Dittos,” Elaine said with a giggle. “You owe me the details later, handsome.”

“I know, I know, you’ll get them,” I said and pretended to roll my eyes in exasperation, which caused both women to laugh.

We turned the music back up to work up some energy before the raids, and Elaine looked at condos in Chicago on her phone while we drove the rest of the way. Sunny Fields was a good bit past Middleville, so it was a longer drive than normal. The sunlight started to fade as we drove, and then the farmlands were replaced with thick trees on each side of the road, so it looked even darker than it actually was. After a while of driving through the thick trees, the GPS indicated we had arrived at the final turn, so I took the left turn and drove slowly down the narrow road. Tommy had informed us there was a narrow side lane before the Sunny Fields entrance, which was where we would park the car and then cover the rest of the distance on foot.

I found the narrow lane and navigated the black car down it far enough to be hidden from the main road, and I felt the nerves and excitement start to build in my chest as we got closer to the raid. The kinetic energy crackled under the surface of my skin, and I was grateful I took the time to practice on my aim earlier today. I still had plenty of kinetic energy in the reserve tank, and I was more confident in my aim, so I was looking forward to kicking some cult ass.

Once I was satisfied that the car was hidden from view, I cut the engine off, and we all quietly got out of the Lincoln. We hadn’t seen any movement so far, but these guys were crazy, fast, and had night vision goggles, so we couldn’t be too careful.

We kept our heads on swivels as we prepared, and Laura pulled the duffle bag out from the back seat and unzipped it to reveal a cache of assault rifles, Kevlar vests, smoke grenades, and night vision goggles.

“Damn,” I said with a whistle. “Working for the FBI sure does have its perks.”

“I know.” Laura shot me a grin.

“And it looks like you’re coming around on your gun stance.” I nodded at the assault rifles.

“Not really,” Laura said, and then she fished under the assault rifles and brought out a Glock 19M. “I might stick to this tonight, the assault rifles were in case Elaine wanted one. And to impress you.”

“Color me impressed,” I chuckled.

“Yeah, me, too, whatever that means,” Elaine said and bent down to pick up an assault rifle. She was a total natural with the Colt M4 carbine in her hands, and she held it a few different ways to get used to the weight and size of it. Then she sighed and shook her head sadly. “Oh, I missed this gun. You know, this used to be the standard-issue gun for us in the Israeli army, but they replaced it with the Tavor X95, which is just too big and bulky. The M4s are so much better, I do not understand why they made the switch. Other than national pride.”

“Gun nerd,” Laura teased.

I chuckled at the two women. I thought it was sexy as hell how Elaine knew so much about guns and had her preferences. I also thought it was sexy as hell that Laura knew about guns, but still chose her own hands and martial arts training as her preferred weapon.

I handed the women a Kevlar vest each and watched as they placed the guns back in the bag and strapped the thick fabric over their small frames. Then I handed them night vision goggles, which they put on top of their heads, but they didn’t cover their eyes yet since there was still the last bit of daylight clinging to the sky. There was a pile of smoke grenades at the bottom of the bag, so I handed each woman two, and they tucked them in their waistbands while I stuck two in my own pockets.

Once the women were kitted up, Laura shoved the duffle bag back in the car, and I locked the doors before we crept back to the main road and started carefully making our way down the road toward Sunny Fields. We kept close to the tree line so we could dive out of sight in a moment’s notice if needed, and my heart pounded steadily in my chest.

Soon, the tree line started to thin, and we saw the main building come into view, along with cult members who looked like they were on security detail and carrying out perimeter patrols.

“Shit,” I said when I saw them and indicated to the women to get low.

We all crouched down and pushed as close to the building as we could. A long driveway led to the building, and I could tell the lawn in front of the building used to be meticulous and manicured. The cult members had let it grow wild, which gave us a little more coverage, and there seemed to be a few fire pits scattered across the land. There was a white fence around the perimeter of the house that was peeling and broken in some parts, and I spotted a fence post partially obscured from the view of the main building by a large bush. It was at the front left corner of the fence, so it was a good vantage point, and there was a piece of broken fence right next to it that gave us easy access to the yard.

I pointed to it and looked back at the women, who nodded when they understood. Then I dropped down and belly crawled the distance to the bush, with the two women right behind me. We pushed ourselves up into crouching positions, and we made sure to stay behind the bush.

The main building was a large two-story brick house with a wraparound porch and huge windows, but the windows were boarded over, so we couldn’t get a good visual on the inside, and the front door was also boarded over and unused. I could see a row of stalls behind the house and a few cult members inside those, but most of the members seemed to be hanging out toward the back of the house, so the entrance they used must be there. We could try to press through the front of the lawn and make it to the porch and attack them from behind. I counted at least twelve cult members just on the grounds, but we had no way of knowing how many were inside.

I turned to the two women and kept my voice low.

“So, Tommy lied.” I jerked my head to the number of cult members in their burlap sack outfits. “That’s way more bodies than he told us.”

“He did say he couldn’t be sure how many would be here with all of their recent recruitment efforts,” Laura pointed out.

“True, but we should still take his intel with a grain of salt, just in case,” I said. Then I peeked past the bush to see two cult members doing a perimeter check.

They looked young, too young to be holding the assault rifles in their hands. Still, one of them appeared confident while the other one kept looking to his partner for reassurance, and they spoke in low voices. The two cultists passed close to the bush we were hidden behind, but we ducked down when they passed, and they didn’t see us.

Then I caught a snippet of their conversation. The less confident one was asking when their next patrol would be, and his partner sounded annoyed when he said they were patrolling every twenty minutes while other groups would patrol in twenty-minute shifts so there was always a group on the perimeter.

I surveyed the area for a few more moments before I turned to the women with a plan.

“Okay,” I whispered. “We’re going to have to take them out in small groups, and we should take as many out as possible before we have to confront all of them. The next pair that comes past, we need to grab them. They said they’re constantly on patrol, so they should be here--”

Laura cut me off with a wave of her hand and pointed with her head behind me, and I turned to see another pair of cult members approaching the far end of the fence on their perimeter patrol. I ducked back so they couldn’t see me and studied them, and they looked more serious than the last pair, maybe been in the cult for longer. The two members wore the typical shapeless burlap outfits, but one man was built like a truck and had a shaved head, while the other was a lanky, trashy-looking guy with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

Both men looked like they would have no problem with killing someone.

I shook my head at the women, and we waited for them to pass. I knew I was indestructible with my powers, but Elaine and Laura only had the protection of their Kevlar vests, which only protected against people who didn’t know what a headshot was.

“Wow, those guys looked scary,” Elaine whispered when they were safely out of earshot.

“Yeah, we should wait for some of those younger-looking ones again,” I said in a low voice while I kept my eyes on the far side of the fence, where I could see the patrol coming as they passed the side of the house.

We didn’t have to wait long for the next pair of cultists, except this time it was three. I indicated to the women we would wait, and they nodded.

It seemed like a more experienced member was showing newer members the ropes. The man in charge of the trio looked like he was in his thirties, and he was talking to the other two like he was their dad. The other two members stared up at him eagerly and hung on his every word. I hoped the older man would let some important information slip like the first pair had, but it seemed he was mostly bragging to the younger members about the hardware on his belt, including hand grenades.

Elaine rolled her dark eyes at the men as they passed, and we watched for the next pair. Two people soon appeared, and I studied them as they approached. These were the guys. One looked like he was barely eighteen, and the other looked only a few years older, but they both seemed scared. The younger one wore glasses and had a smattering of freckles across his face, and he was so skinny, I thought he would blow away if the wind picked up. The older one was shorter and chunkier with awkwardly large ears, and he looked like he was afraid his gun would go off at any second.

The women and I nodded to each other, and we crouched down as we prepared for the attack. Then Elaine waved over at us and mouthed that she would go first, so we nodded and let her take the lead.

The men approached our bush, and Elaine wrapped her cardigan around her to hide the Kevlar and then popped up.

“Hi, is this the cult meeting?” Elaine asked with a fake innocence. and she twirled a piece of hair around her finger.

“Um, stop,” Glasses said awkwardly and raised his gun to point at Elaine.

“Hey, that’s not nice,” my girlfriend pouted. “I saw online there was a recruiting meeting here tonight.”

Laura and I crept around to the far end of the bush as Elaine distracted the two inexperienced members.

“There’s no meeting tonight, who are you?” Ears tried to muster up some false confidence and pointed his gun at Elaine, but it wasn’t working for him.

“Why are you guys being so mean to me?” Elaine started to look sad, and that was all it took.

The two cultists lowered their guns a fraction, so Laura and I pounced.

I grabbed the gun from Ears and thrust it up into his face, and his nose exploded with blood. Before he could cry out, I slammed the butt of the gun across his face, and he went down like a sack of potatoes.

In the same instant, Laura and Elaine rushed Glasses. Laura pushed the gun to the side, and Elaine looked like a spider monkey as she jumped and used Glasses’ body as leverage to climb up him, spin, and get him in a rear naked choke before he even realized what was happening. Then Elaine squeezed hard, and we watched Glasses’ skinny face turn red as he gurgled and slapped at Elaine’s arms before he was out.

“Move ‘em fast,” I whispered urgently.

Elaine hauled Glasses through the small hole in the fence while Laura helped me move the much bigger Ears, and we got them behind the bush and dove down just as the next pair of patrolmen came into view. Then we held our breaths as the patrolmen passed, but they did so without any suspicion, so we turned to wait for the next pair.

It was the first pair again, and we nodded to each other. We could take them out, and I used predetermined hand signals to communicate my plan to the women. The more experienced member was closer to the fence and us, so Elaine would make a noise to distract them, and I would jump up and disarm the more dangerous member while Laura eliminated the less experienced one.

The men approached, and Elaine broke a branch to set our plan in motion. I sprang up and did the same quick two movements on the cult member until he fell to the ground unconscious. Laura used the opportunity to show off her hand-to-hand combat skills, and she kicked the younger cult member in the groin so he doubled over in pain. Then the blonde quickly grabbed his face to muffle his scream and pulled him into a rear naked choke. We moved them back behind the bush just as efficiently as last time, but now we had a problem.

There were too many bodies behind the bush.

We didn’t have to come up with a solution to that problem, because we heard a voice shout from the back of the house, and I could tell all hell was about to break loose.

I shoved an assault rifle in Laura’s hand and slung one across my shoulder, but I slid the gun to the back. Elaine already had her rifle locked and loaded, and the shouting continued and grew louder and more confused.

“Breach!”

“Where?”

“There!”

“No, that’s me, dipshit!”

“Where’s Gary?”

“Fucking BREACH!”

Suddenly, there was a pop as a bullet was fired, but I didn’t see where it landed.

It was go time.

We all moved at once. I stood and threw out an energy shield that rippled across the grounds and toward the cult members at the back of the house. They were too far away to feel the full effect, but it was a good distraction. Then Elaine and Laura popped out from the bush and fired their weapons into the crowd of cult members, and I watched four members fall to the ground, with their burlap outfits now suddenly and violently red.

The cultists quickly recovered and started firing back, so the women ducked behind the bush again to take stock while I let the bullets charge up my reserves.

Unfortunately, these guys were terrible shots, so they were probably mostly new guys.

“Eight down, including these four.” Laura’s voice was all business. “At least five more there, maybe more.”

The bullets slowed to a stop, and the sky seemed to plunge us into darkness at that moment.

I chanced a look and saw a cult member looking at us and talking into a headset. Then he glanced up at the windows, and I followed his gaze and saw at least three gun barrels trained on us.

“Fuck!” I shot back behind the bush and checked the position of the women’s heads to make sure they weren’t in the snipers’ sight picture.

“Movement in the windows,” Elaine said as she peeked through the bush.

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Laura, you try to pick off the last guys in the back, I think some went inside, so there aren’t many. Elaine, lay down heavy fire on the windows, I’m going to try to get an energy blast through them. Hope that aiming practice today was worth it.”

“You got this, baby.” Elaine shot me a wink before she took her position.

I clenched my fist as I sensed the energy grow beneath the skin until there was a sharp crackle in the center of my palm, and I knew it was ready.

“Three, two, one, GO!”

I stood and threw an energy shield up to block the bullets that started spraying from the windows as Elaine shot rapid-fire into them. Then I fired my ball of energy at the first window and watched as the wooden pane shattered around it. The gunfire stopped for a second from all of the windows, but then it resumed from the other two.

“Two more down over on the left!” Laura shouted above the gunfire.

I ducked and fired up another ball of energy while Elaine kept her head low and laid suppressive fire into the windows. I knew she would need to reload soon, so I stood and fired another ball of energy at the second window, to the same effect.

The gunfire stopped completely, and the silence sounded strange now.

“I think everyone that’s left has gone inside.” Laura slid over to my side, and the blonde agent reloaded her gun while she spoke. “We need to go around to the back and get eyes on the entrance. And away from these guys.”

She gestured to the inert bodies of the unconscious cult members behind us.

“Let’s move before they start shooting again, but you two stay right behind me, since the bullets can’t hurt me,” I said, and then pointed to a small shed at the back of the property. “Let’s get behind that shed and reassess.”

“We know, baby,” Elaine said and blew me a kiss. “Let’s go.”

The two women lowered their night vision goggles over their eyes, and we all crouched down and stayed low as we followed the fence to the back of the house, then slipped through the bottom rung of the fence and made it to the back of the shed without any more gunfire. I knew the cult was well-equipped with night vision goggles, so I didn’t know if they weren’t firing because they wanted us to come closer, or if we had taken out more than we realized, and the remaining cult members had abandoned their posts at the window.

The windows in the back of the house were boarded over also, but the back door wasn’t, so I figured that was their point of entry into the house, but it was closed and dark behind the small window on the door. There were five bloody bodies sprawled out across the unmowed lawn between the shed and the house, and I couldn’t help but notice at least two of them were perfect headshot kills.

“For someone who doesn’t like guns, you sure are a fantastic shot,” I said to the beautiful blonde agent crouched behind me.

“Seriously,” Elaine said with an impressed tone of voice, and she nodded at Laura.

“Thanks,” Laura said and shot me a smile. “I started shooting clay pigeons when I was eight, so I guess it just comes pretty naturally to me.”

“God, I have the coolest girlfriends ever.” I grinned and turned my attention back to the house. There was still no movement that we could see. “Okay, I think I’m going to have to go in alone. We don’t know what’s on the other side of that door, and they’re good and riled up now. I don’t want you two going in with just those vests for protection.”

“We have you,” Elaine pointed out. “We could follow behind you, and you can send up an energy shield if they attack.”

I considered Elaine’s suggestion for a moment, but then I shook my head.

“It’s too dangerous.” I turned to face the women. “I’ll go in and sweep the house, you two stay out here and pick off anyone that tries to get out.”

“Roger that,” Laura said with a nod. “Elaine, are you good on ammo?”

“Yep,” Elaine said confidently, and the two women knelt down on either side of the shed with their guns pointed toward the back door of the large house. “Ready whenever you are, Jonah.”

The assault rifle was still slung across my back, so I swung it around and flicked the safety off as I crouched down next to Elaine. Then I gave my surroundings one last good look, but there was still no movement, and now was as good a time as any.

“I’m off,” I said, and then I stayed low, but ran as fast as I could to the porch. I made it up the small wooden steps and threw my body flat against the wall next to the door.

No gunshots rang out, and no cult members ran out of the house, so that was a good start. I shot a quick thumbs-up to the women and then focused on the door, and I stayed low to avoid the window and pressed my ear against the door.

Nothing.

I was confident there was no one directly on the other side of the door since I couldn’t hear any movement, so I reached out and tried the doorknob, but it was locked.

“Damnit.” Now I was going to have to kick the door down.

I used hand gestures to communicate my intentions with the women, who both gave me a thumbs-up and maintained their positions. I felt the kinetic energy crackling in my legs as I took a step back from the door, and I gave it a stiff kick before I dove back to the side of the door, just in case I was wrong and there was a crazy burlap-clad cult member on the other side with his gun at the ready.

With the help of the kinetic energy, the door flew backwards off its hinges, and I heard a curse from deep in the house but still no gunshots, so I slowly pushed myself away from the wall and peered around the empty doorway into the house. I could only see darkness, so I took a step forward and crossed the threshold.

There was a very dim yellow light coming from somewhere in the front of the house, but I had just walked into the kitchen where there was no light source. Then a strong smell hit me suddenly, and I instinctively covered my nose and mouth and tried not to gag.

It smelled like something had died, then was buried in sewage before it was dug up again and stored in this house.

“Fuck.” I pulled my shirt up to cover my nose and mouth and took a few gasps of hot breath under the fabric. I could still smell it through the shirt, but at least I could breathe some.

I looked around the large kitchen and scrunched up my nose at the sight and smell. It was completely filthy. The cabinets and floors were smeared with I didn’t even want to know what, and dirty dishes and empty food containers were piled high in the sink until they overflowed onto the counters and floor. There was another pile of garbage in the corner, and there might have been a garbage can underneath it at one point, but now the garbage had taken over the whole area of the kitchen.

I gagged and knew I needed to get out of this room ASAP.

The house was suspiciously quiet, so I kept my gun raised as I pressed into the house. I knew I didn’t need the gun with the power of my cuffs, but if I had the chance to take any of these psychos out instantly, I was going to take it.

Their crazy ways and bullets aimed at my girlfriends were really pissing me off.

The kitchen doorway led into a wide hallway that was just as filthy as the kitchen, with garbage strewn across the floors, and the walls were smeared with an unidentified substance. I walked quickly down the hallway and turned into the first room on the left, which looked like it used to be the dining room, but there was no furniture in it anymore. The large room was just as filthy, and there was a huge circle drawn on the floor with weird markings I didn’t understand. Thin white sticks were scattered everywhere across the floor, so I kicked one that was close to my foot, and it skidded across the floor with a rattle.

I bent down and realized with horror that they weren’t white sticks, they were bones. The bones looked like they came from smaller animals, like squirrels, rabbits, maybe chickens or something. They must have been used for smaller sacrifices or something equally disturbing.

Suddenly, I heard a thud coming from upstairs, so I ducked back into the hallway and followed it to the front of the house. As I got closer to the end of the hallway, I saw the boarded-up front door in front of me, a staircase to my left, and another doorway to my right, across from the staircase. That was probably the living room and, even though I didn’t expect anyone to be in there, I still needed to check it out.

There was a soft, flickering light coming from the living room, and no shadows passing in front of it, so I jogged to the side of the doorway and peeked my head around the corner. I stepped into the room when I didn’t see anything, but as soon as I did, something slammed against my body and caused me to fall backwards onto the floor. Then the shape of a person ran down the hallway toward the kitchen as I scrambled to my feet.

Like the rest of the cult members, he was freakishly fast and passed through the kitchen doorway before I could even raise my gun, but I knew Elaine and Laura were waiting on the other side of the kitchen with their guns ready, so I wasn’t too worried.

Sure enough, just seconds later, I heard two sharp pops and a muffled thud.

One or both of the women had taken him out.

I waited in the living room for a moment to see if anyone would rush out to defend their fallen comrade, but nobody came. There was a pillar candle on the windowpane that dripped a pile of wax across the wooden pane and onto the floor, and the state of the living room was just as bad as the rest of the house. The stench only got worse in here with even more bones scattered around the floor., and I suddenly realized that the unknown substance that had been smeared everywhere was probably blood.

I shuddered at the thought of these freaks killing animals and smearing each other with the blood of their victims.

Assuming it was just animal blood. My stomach churned again at the thought of it being human blood or how one of the murdered women spent their last moments in this hellscape. Then I remembered what Laura and Sammy had said about the big rituals taking place at Hidden Ranch and felt mildly relieved at the knowledge it was probably just animal blood. It was still sickening, though, and I was ready to get out of this death house.

I was closer to the staircase now, and I could hear the sounds of people moving around upstairs. The lack of fight they were putting up was starting to make me nervous, so it was time to take these fuckers out once and for all.

I moved over to the bottom of the staircase and took a deep breath. I felt like I was about to face the final boss in a video game, but the truth was, unless I was insanely lucky, and the Sigil Killer was hanging out upstairs, I wasn’t even close to the final boss. I was on a really disgusting level that was designed to break my spirit before I had to complete another level and then get to face the final boss.

There was another thud from upstairs, and I couldn’t put off the confrontation any longer, so I took the stairs two at a time until I reached the top, where I slowed my pace and looked around.

The stairs opened into a large hallway with four closed doors, one on the wall to my right, one on the far-left wall, and two on the long wall in front of me. I stepped to the closest door on my right and leaned my ear against it. There was no sound or movement that I could hear, so I slowly reached out, turned the handle, and pushed the door open. I saw a toilet and sink, but the stench was overwhelming, so I shut the door quickly. The room was empty, or at least not worth the risk to my lungs to enter it and give it a thorough check.

I stuck close to the wall and moved to the next door, the first one on the longest stretch of wall. As I approached the door, I heard movement and knew this was the one, so I pushed myself against the wall next to the door and leaned forward to try to catch what was happening behind the closed door.

I couldn’t make out any words, but I could tell there were at least three people inside. They were talking, but there was something weird about it. I listened for another beat before I realized they weren’t talking, they were chanting.

Fuck. Maybe they were doing some ritual right now that would give them some sort of power. Who knew what these freaks could pull off, but I knew I couldn’t give them the chance since they’d already had too much time up here on their own.

It was time to take these freaks out.

In one swift movement, I stepped forward and used a charged kick to blast the door open like I had in the kitchen. Then I stepped into the room to see probably the weirdest thing I had ever seen in my life, and that was a lot considering the last few weeks I’d been through.

There were three men standing in a triangle with their arms raised above their heads, and another burlapped body laid still at their feet. The man closest to me was Tattoos, and the other two men I recognized from our intel, Colin Watch and Krystof Wozniak.

The men stopped chanting when the door flew open and stared at me with wild eyes, too shocked to speak, but I didn’t see any guns in the room, so I decided to mess with them a little.

“Oh, it’s you.” I pointed my gun at Tattoos, and then I swung the rifle around to hang on my back. I wanted to finish off this freak with my own hands. Well, my own powers, at least. “This is going to be fun.”

Tattoos suddenly let out an earth-shattering screech and ran at me in a full sprint. I threw up a quick energy shield so it wasn’t as powerful as usual, but it knocked Tattoos off his path, but only for a second. Then Tattoos continued to charge at me, so I braced myself for the fight.

Tattoos started swinging both fists wildly before he even reached me. I scoffed and let him get close enough to hit, and then I ducked and drove an energy-charged uppercut into his stomach. He grunted against the force, and I was surprised when he continued to attack, but his swings were less powerful, and he still couldn’t land them. He had spirit, though, I had to give him that. His fighting method reminded me of an animal, and I wondered if he got it from the animals he’d killed for his sacrifices. The thought made my blood boil, so I charged up my fist and landed a punch across the tattooed member’s face. I felt his jaw crack beneath my fist, and Tattoos fell to the ground and continued to screech. Then I kicked him in the stomach, and the screech died in his throat as the cultist curled up into a ball and whimpered.

I turned my attention to the other two men in the room, and I was surprised to see they hadn’t moved at all. They were still in their triangle, minus one. They were staring at me intensely, but at least they’d lowered their arms to their sides.

“Whoa, you guys are kinda freaking me out, what’s with the staring? Didn’t your mothers tell you it was rude to stare?” I took a step toward the freaks, but they bent down suddenly, and I stopped to see what they were doing.

The two men, Colin and Krystof, stood as abruptly as they’d bent down, but now they held long blades in their hands.

“Careful,” I warned as I raised my hand that had a crackle of kinetic energy beneath the surface ready and waiting to be thrown.

Before I could make another move, the men held out their empty hands, plunged the blades into their wrists, and dragged them up toward their shoulders. The blood painted the floor as the men cried out in agony and fell to the floor, and I ran to them, even though I knew it was useless. The cuts were efficient, and the men were bleeding out in front of my eyes.

I bent down and pushed Colin over onto his back, and he stared up at me with a crazed look in his eyes.

“Who’s the Sigil Killer? Where is he?” I demanded of the dying man, but it was no use.

The cult member tried to laugh, but as his blood poured onto the floor, he lost his strength, and the laugh died in his throat as his eyes shut for the last time.

I rushed over to Krystof next, but he was already unconscious. I checked the body in the middle of the triangle, but it looked like that cult member was dead before I entered the room.

“Fuck!” I shouted as I stood up and crossed the room to Tattoos, and I grabbed his shoulders and rolled him over but realized with horror he was already dead.

There was a blade sticking out his neck, the front of his burlap tunic was soaked with his thick blood, and his eyes stared ahead but saw nothing.

“Shit.” I sighed, stepped back from the body, and surveyed the room. There were four dead bodies and bones scattered everywhere, just like the rest of the house, but nothing else that could give me any information.

The stench was overwhelming now that fresh blood had been added to the mix, so I left the murder room and did a quick sweep of the rest of the upper floor. The rooms behind the other two doors were disgusting, but empty of live people. Still, each space contained two dead bodies that must have been taken out with Elaine’s bullets.

I jogged down the stairs and did a final sweep of the house before I went to the back door I’d entered the house through. I didn’t want to startle the women by running through the door outside since they might fire, and I knew their shots would land. Instead, I stood to the side of the door and threw out a small ball of kinetic energy that crackled yellow and faded quickly. Then I stuck a hand out and waved before I leaned out the doorway.

The women had gotten my signal, and I could see them peering over their guns and waiting for me. When I fully emerged from the house, they smiled and stood, and I waved them over to meet me at the bottom of the stairs.

“It’s all clear,” I told them as they jogged over to me.

“How many dead inside?” Laura asked when they reached me. Then she pulled out her small and strangely powerful flashlight from her side pocket and flipped her night vision goggles onto the top of her head. Elaine followed suit as Laura flipped on the flashlight, and it was like a floodlight had just been turned on.

“Eight… three by their own hands, one who looked like a sacrifice, and four that you shot through the windows.” I said. “We should go in and do one big sweep for any intel, but I have to warn you, it’s disgusting in there. It looks like these guys used this place for sacrifices and frat parties with their brother cults or something, it is nasty.”

The women nodded as if they understood instantly. Then Laura took off her FBI windbreaker while Elaine shrugged off her cardigan, and they fashioned makeshift masks around the lower halves of their faces.

“Perfect.” I nodded at the women. “Let’s try to be as fast as we can, we still want to hit the other farms tonight.”

The women nodded and then followed me into the janky interior.

“Oh, my god, you weren’t kidding,” Elaine said, and her voice was strangled as she tried to hold back a gag.

“This is vile,” Laura grunted. “Let’s be fast, like Jonah said.”

We spread out and did a thorough sweep of the disgusting house, but we didn’t come up with any new evidence. Laura used her phone to take photos of each room and took a few of each dead body, and once we’d finished sweeping through each room, we exited the house through the back door again and took deep breaths of the fresh night air.

“How can they stand to be in there at all?” Elaine asked with her nose wrinkled in disgust. “I’ve never seen something like that, so filthy.”

“The power of crazy.” I shrugged.

“Whatever it is, it’s gone now. At this farm, at least.” Laura shook her head, and her face was creased with emotion.

“It’s pretty brutal, but at least we’re getting closer to taking down their whole operation,” I said and then looked at my watch. “Speaking of which, are you ladies ready for round two?”

Chapter Seventeen

The walk back to the Lincoln was easier without the threat of the cult members at the farm and with the help of Laura’s powerful flashlight. The air was cooler, but we were all riding on adrenaline highs, so it didn’t bother us. We found the car where we’d parked it deep in the side lane, and I was relieved to find it in the same condition we’d left it in. At least no rogue cult members had found the Lincoln and smashed it up, or worse, performed one of their weird rituals on it.

The women stripped off their raid gear and shoved it back into the duffle bag, and then we folded ourselves into the car before I slowly backed out of the lane and back onto the country road. There were no streetlights out here, so the land surrounding us was pitch black, and we only had our headlights to rely on.

Laura entered the address of Gerald’s Farm into my GPS, but I had a pretty good idea of where I was going already, since it was the closest farm to Middleville.

“Do you think the next farm will be as disgusting?” Elaine asked from the back seat, and I glanced in the rear-view to see her nose wrinkled in disgust already.

“Not sure,” I sighed. “But I’m hoping not, since it’s so close to the town, you know? There’s a higher chance of people randomly stopping by, and it would be hard to cover up what they’re doing if people saw what a mess they lived in.”

“Makes sense.” Laura nodded as she typed out a text. “I’m just filling in Sammy and Mary on the raid.”

“Tell them I said hi,” Elaine said from the back seat, and Laura chuckled.

I was glad the women were able to smile and laugh after what we’d just seen. I was trying to stay strong in front of them, but they were right. The state of the farm had been appalling, and I was worried what else we would be walking into.

At least we’d taken out a good few members of the cult. The final body count was seventeen dead cult members, which meant seventeen less people trying to actively kill us.

We drove the rest of the way in mostly silence, and I could tell we were all lost in our own thoughts. Elaine eventually put some music on, and the mood lightened a little bit as we bobbed our heads to the alternative metal playlist. Then the trees started to disappear from the side of the roads and were replaced with farmlands, so we were getting closer to Gerald’s Farm.

“Think we can park the Lincoln at Mrs. Taylor’s farm again? It’s right there, and she didn’t mind last time.” I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel as I formulated our plan.

“I’m sure she won’t mind at all,” Laura snorted. “She’ll probably offer us some iced tea before we go.”

“Okay, so we’ll park there, cut through the woods at the side, and approach Gerald’s Farm from the side,” I said. “If our intel is correct, there’s only four members here, so we’re up against less weapon-wise, but it’s possible these guys are higher-ups in the cult, and they could have some kind of power or something else we don’t know about.”

“Either way, we’ll take care of them,” Laura said with a determined expression, and Elaine nodded from the back seat.

I was glad to have them by my side.

The land started to look familiar, and it wasn’t long until we were passing Gerald’s Farm. I drove right past the farm and navigated the car down the long country driveway at the Taylors’ farmhouse, and as I approached the end of the driveway, the front porch light flicked on, and a silhouette appeared at the window.

I pulled the car up and cut the engine off just as Mrs. Taylor stuck her upper body out of the front door.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Laura said, and she clicked off her seat belt, opened the door, and slid out the car in one fluid movement.

I watched as she jogged to the front porch, and I tried not to concentrate on the curve of her ass as she moved. Then the blonde agent spoke to Mrs. Taylor briefly before she jogged back to the car, opened the door, and leaned in to talk to us.

“We’re all good to leave it here. She asked us not to pull it around back in case it tears up her grass, but it’s dark, so we should be fine to leave it here.”

“Great,” I said and got out of the car.

Elaine got out with the duffle bag in her hand, and the women took a few minutes to get their gear on again. Then we started off across the Taylors’ farmland with guns in hand, and we marched toward the thicket of woods that separated it from Gerald’s Farm.

We walked quickly and quietly, and my nerves started to rise. Elaine and Laura looked as cool as cucumbers, and I knew they were confident in their training, even if the content of the mission was disturbing. I only had weeks of training compared to their years, but I had the power of the cuffs, so I decided to push down my nerves as best as I could and act like the kind of man the sexy women with me deserved.

Soon, we were at the edge of the woods with eyes on Gerald’s Farm. It was a small, beige house, and there was only one floor, which was a relief after the huge house we’d just had to raid. There was a small porch with two steps that led to the front porch, and the windows weren’t boarded over, but the curtains were drawn, so the house was dark. From the outside, it looked like a normal house, but no one was home. There was a small wooden fence around the perimeter and a long, dark country driveway that was a comfortably far distance from the main road, and in the back of the house, there was a shed too small for a person to stay in for an extended period of time, so I knew it wasn’t a threat.

“Let’s try not to use the guns,” I instructed in a low voice. “We’re too close to town, and I don’t want the sheriff poking around here just yet.”

“Fine by me.” Laura unslung the rifle from around her shoulder and laid it down on the ground.

“I didn’t mean ditch them entirely,” I said with raised eyebrows.

“I’ve still got my handgun.” Laura smirked and patted the sidearm on her hip. “It’s harder to move with the long gun.”

She had a point, but I didn’t want to run into a group of these crazed cultists unarmed.

“Don’t worry, baby, I’ll keep this gun. I’ll only use it if it’s strictly necessary.” Elaine lifted her rifle slightly, and she looked incredibly sexy wielding the weapon in her yoga leggings and combat boots.

“Okay,” I said and turned back to study the house. “There hasn’t been any movement, so I say we get this over with. It’s late, and I’m sick of these cult bastards. There are no security patrols, so let’s get to the side of the house and see if we can get eyes on the inside.”

The women nodded at me, crouched down, and prepared to follow my lead. I bent down and threaded through the fence, and then I jogged as fast as I could to the side of the beige house. When we were almost there, I saw a flurry of movement from a window, so I dove down and dragged myself the rest of the short distance to the house. The two women did the same until we had our backs flat against the house under a window, where we caught our breath.

“I think we’ve been made,” Laura breathed.

“Look,” Elaine said, and she pointed to a small blinking light near the fence we had just crossed.

“Shit, motion sensor alarm. These guys are more sophisticated than their buddies over at Sunny Fields.” I looked up at the window above me, but there was no movement or light that I could see. “Well, they already know we’re here, so we might as well make this a real raid. You ladies game?”

“Let’s do this, motherfuckers,” Elaine said with a smile as she raised her gun, and I smirked at my girlfriend’s cute accent.

“I agree, let’s get these freaks.” Laura grinned at us and got ready to run.

“I’ll go in first, then Elaine with the gun, and Laura at the end. On my count. Three, two, one, go.”

I sprung forward, rounded the corner of the house, and bounded up the two small steps to the front door, and I felt my kinetic energy tingle under my skin. I didn’t even bother trying the knob, I just aimed a kinetically-charged kick near it, and the door flew backwards off its hinges with a yellow spark and a loud bang.

I cringed at the noise, but at least it wasn’t gunshots.

There was a flurry of movement to my left, and I instinctively threw up an energy shield, which knocked two bodies backward. Laura rushed forward toward the fallen cult members, but they rolled over and jumped to their feet in an instant. I threw a ball of energy at them to knock them back again before I took better aim, and then I launched a ball at the closest man and the one behind him.

The second set of blasts finished them off, and they fell to the floor like sacks of potatoes, but I wasn’t taking any chances with these crazy cult guys when we were this close to the town. They could easily slip away and hurt more innocent people, and I wasn’t about to let that happen.

“Check them,” I said to Laura in a low tone as I kept my head on a swivel.

The blonde trained her handgun on the fallen cult members until she was sure they weren’t moving. Then she rushed forward, checked their pulses, and confirmed they were dead.

“Good,” Elaine muttered under her breath.

Then we heard a sudden thud from the back of the small house, so I took the lead and followed the short corridor where there were two doors, both closed. Laura motioned to me that she would take the door to the left with Elaine, and I should take the one on the right. I trusted her FBI instincts and the badass women’s abilities to handle themselves, so I pushed the right-side door open and found myself in a small room with a curtained window and two twin beds that looked like they had recently been slept in. There was no one visible in the room, but I felt a presence, so my energy reserves were on high-alert.

Behind me, I heard the women get into a scuffle, and I turned toward the door to see if they were okay, when I heard a sudden voice.

“Jonah.” I turned back to see a man standing in front of the window, and I recognized the build of his stocky body as one of the twins from our first confrontation with the cult at Wilson’s Farm.

From Sammy’s research, I knew the twins were called Robert and Richard Spencer, but I couldn’t be sure which one was in front of me.

“What the… were you hiding behind the curtain? Have we been playing hide-and-seek all this time?” I smirked at the burlapped man and flexed my fists. The room was small, so I’d probably get knocked back myself if I used my powers, but it was worth it to take down this creep.

“I know all about you, Jonah. And your friend, Mary. Where is she these days? I have a friend who’s just dying to know.” The twin fixed a creepy smile on his face, and my blood boiled.

“Where is he?” I took a threatening step toward the bulky cult member. “Is the Sigil Killer here?”

“You will never catch him, you incompetent fool. You might as well give up now.” The Spencer brother smiled and spread his hands wide, which just made me want to punch him more.

Suddenly, Elaine and Laura rushed into the room with their guns drawn, but I held up a hand.

I didn’t want them to shoot if there was a possibility I could get any information out of this cult member.

“I hope my colleagues here didn’t just take out your brother in the other room,” I said with raised eyebrows. “Richard, was it?”

“Robert, I’m Richard,” the man growled and then cleared his throat, but I could see the anger glinting in his eyes and how his posture stiffened.

For the women’s sake, I was glad he didn’t have any weapons. But the room was too small for me to use my energy blasts without hurting the women, so I took another small step toward the twin.

“Well, Dick-- can I call you Dick?-- we can make a deal,” I bluffed as I took another step toward Richard.

I didn’t have any authority to offer a deal, but he couldn’t know that.

“You don’t have the authority to offer a deal,” he sneered immediately.

Damn. This guy was crazy, but he wasn’t as stupid as some of the other members of his weird cult. The bulky man laughed at me and crossed his arms, but I wasn’t fooled by his relaxed posture.

I could still see the rage in his eyes.

“No, but she does.” I jerked my head back at Laura, and I took another small step forward. “And we’re already working with another defector from your cult, he’s getting full protection. We can offer you the same, my colleague just needs to make a couple calls. Just tell us where the Sigil Killer is. Or give us a name. We can protect you from him. And Chad.”

“You still don’t get it, you’re all fools. You’re the ones who need protection from him. And now, me!” Dick suddenly lunged at me, he moved as freakishly fast as the rest of them, so he managed to take me down to the ground and pinned me down with his bulky frame.

I heard one of the women shout something, but Richard was already swinging, so I couldn’t make out what was said.

I absorbed a couple of Richard’s blows and felt my kinetic energy build up, and I let him think he had the upper hand for a few swings before I blocked his next attack and shot a fist into his face.

“Arrugh!” he cried out, and I used the moment to buck my hips and rolled his thick body off mine. He landed on his back with a grunt, and then he reached behind his back and pulled out a knife.

Shit. I couldn’t risk him potentially slipping by me and attacking the women, so I had to finish the fight.

I leaned back, pulled my foot forward, and stomped on Richard’s hand, which caused the knife to fall with a clatter. He tried to lunge for me, but I knocked him down again. The look in his eyes said he was ready to die taking me down, so I knew I had to finish this before he did.

“Fuck! Off!” I lunged forward and wrapped my hands around his thick neck. His eyes went wide, and he swung his beefy fists at my shoulders, but the blows bounced off. I squeezed the soft flesh and felt the cultist clench and flex his neck in an attempt to loosen my grip, but I used a jolt of kinetic energy to tighten my grip, and sweat beaded on my forehead from the effort. My fingers sunk into the cultist’s neck, and I squeezed until I saw his eyes bulge, redden, and then dim as the last bit of life went out of him.

I tossed his body aside, sat back, and panted from the effort of taking down the large man, and Laura and Elaine rushed forward. The blonde felt for Richard’s pulse, and Elaine put a hand on my shoulder.

“Are you okay?” my girlfriend asked, and she looked concerned.

“I’m fine.” I tried to shoot her a smile, but I wasn’t feeling too cheerful after I just strangled a man to death, and she patted my shoulder gently. “What happened in the other room?”

“His twin, Robert, attacked us as soon as we entered the room, but he didn’t stand a chance against us,” Elaine said while Laura nodded.

“Not many could,” I said as I stood and wiped my hands on my pants. “Let’s do a quick sweep and make sure there aren’t any other lurking cult members.”

The women nodded, and we left the room in a triangle formation so we were ready to attack if needed. Luckily, there were no other crazed cult members in the small house, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Okay, let’s gather any intel we can here and see if we can find anything new,” I instructed the women, so we swept the house again, but more thoroughly this time.

This house was much cleaner than the last one, and there were no animal bones scattered or trash piled high or an overwhelmingly awful stench. It looked like this was a headquarters for a couple of the higher-up guys, and they valued their hygiene more than their subjects.

As we inspected the kitchen, I noticed a door hidden behind a cupboard that I hadn’t noticed before. I pointed it out to the women, and they raised their guns as I pushed aside the cupboard. Then I leaned my ear against the door, but I didn’t hear anything. I braced myself in case there was an attack waiting for me on the other side of the door, but I reached forward and flung it open anyway. It looked like it led to a basement, and I still couldn’t hear any people downstairs, but I could hear the buzz of electrical appliances. Laura handed me a flashlight, which I shone down the dark stairwell, and when no eyes stared back up at me, I slowly stepped down the stairs, with Laura close behind me, while Elaine stayed on the main floor.

I took the last step and landed in the basement, shone the flashlight around, and saw a wall lined with monitors and computer towers. Laura lowered her gun and shouted up to Elaine that it was safe, but to stay and stand guard, just in case.

“What the hell is all this?” I muttered as I stepped to the nearest monitor, shook the mouse, and watched the screen light up with a discussion page from one of the Sigil Killer forums. I clicked a couple of the other monitors and found more forums, an astrological chart I didn’t understand, and a website to buy disinfectant. Then I leaned in closer to read them more carefully, and the third monitor caught my eye.

It was open to a Sigil forum I hadn’t seen before, maybe it was new or deeply hidden on the dark web. A message had been sent from the account just twenty minutes ago, right before we raided the house.

No1SKF@n: ATTENTION ALL! HIGH ALERT! UNDER ATTACK! Report to HR immediately. We are being attacked again. Protect SK at all costs. If you are unable or unwilling to face the fire, fulfill your end of the pact so our leader may grow more powerful. Tools available at HR.

“Come look at this.” I motioned the blonde agent over, and she stood next to me and read the message on the forum.

“Number one Sigil Killer fan, is he serious?” Laura snorted.

“These guys are so fucking dumb,” I said and shook my head. “It looks like a call to action for all remaining cult members to report to Hidden Ranch. What does he mean by fulfilling their end of the pact?”

“The suicide pact,” Laura said after a moment. “Tommy told us about that, remember? They all had to take a blood-slash-suicide pact for their initiations. Tools available must mean their cyanide pills.”

“Or knives,” I sighed. We had seen enough bloodshed by knives today, so I turned back to the monitors and formulated a plan. “Okay, I don’t think we should attack the third farm tonight. If they’ve been warned to be prepared for us, we should probably call it a night here and go back to Chicago to regroup.

“I think you’re right, we don’t want to walk into an ambush.” Laura nodded, but her eyes were still roving across the screen and absorbing all of the information she could.

“I’m going to get on the phone with Sammy and see what we can do about hacking these accounts quickly,” I said. “We can send out a message saying to stand down, and they’ve fought us off. That should buy us some time to come up with a plan to finally take down the killer.”

“Good plan. I’ll go finish the sweep with Elaine and see if we can find anything else useful.” The blonde agent shot me a wink and then headed up the staircase.

I pulled out my phone and called Sammy, and the tech agent answered on the first ring.

“Jonah, how’s it going out there? Everyone okay?” Sammy asked, and I could hear the hint of concern in his voice.

“We’re all good, Sammy, thanks,” I assured the agent before I launched into a brief explanation of what we had found.

When I finished, Sammy was all business.

“Okay, do you have the flash drive I gave you earlier?” I heard the agent clicking his keyboard in the background.

“Yes,” I said, and I pulled my keys out of my pocket and found the flash drive on the key ring.

“Okay, good, plug that into the computer you’re on. Is it a laptop, or a PC? Is there an active internet connection?” Sammy continued to type, and then I heard him pull away from the phone and say something before he came back on the line. “Mary says hi.”

“Tell her I said hi, too, and PC, and yes, there’s internet connection,” I said as I found the USB port on the computer and plugged it in. “Okay, done, now what?”

“Open it, click Bug, and run it,” Sammy instructed from the other end of the phone as he continued to type. “This downloads everything we need from the PC instantly and invisibly, straight to my computer. Highly classified FBI tech.”

I did what he said, and a pop-up window appeared with a loading bar. The tech agent informed me that it was good news and to wait until it was finished, which took about two minutes. Then the pop-up window flashed the word success and disappeared.

“Done,” I said. “The forum is still up, so I’m going to post a message pretending to be them. I’ll say they fought us off and to proceed as normal.”

“Okay, we’ll start going through the contents of the PC on our end. You can plug it in to each computer, and I’ll download them all,” Sammy said, and I could tell he was already distracted with the new information in front of him.

“Great, we’re going to wrap up here and head back to the Clubhouse. It’s too late to raid the third farm tonight, and the rest of the cult members will be on high-alert, so it would be better to regroup.” I unplugged the USB from the tower.

“Okay, stay safe,” Sammy said and ended the call.

I turned back to the computer, opened the forum page, and clicked on the button to create a new post on the same message board.

No1SKF@n: Stand down, enemies eliminated. Plans at HR to go ahead as normal. Going dark at GF until then. HR stay on standby.

I read the message over a couple times to be sure. If the rest of the cult, including the Sigil Killer, thought I had been killed in the raid, then they wouldn’t be expecting me, but the higher-ups knew the FBI was still involved somewhat, so it would make sense for the members here to go off the grid until the ritual.

Once I was satisfied with the message, I hit send, and then I powered down the computer as I pushed away from it. I plugged the USB into each computer and waited while they downloaded onto Sammy’s computer, and then I spent a few minutes taking photos of all the hardware and the rest of the room.

When I was satisfied I’d gotten everything I needed from the basement, I started to head up the stairs to find out what my two lovers had found in the rest of the house, but then I heard a dull clank from above.

My heart started pounding, and I ran up the staircase to make sure the women were safe.

Chapter Eighteen

I didn’t find the women in the small house, but I saw the flash of Laura’s flashlight, so I looked out the window. I spotted them outside near the shed and ran outside to meet them, and my heart rate slowed a little when I realized they didn’t seem to be in any immediate danger. I also noticed there were things laid out on the ground as I approached the women, but I couldn’t make out what they were.

“Hi, handsome, look at what we found,” Elaine said when I reached them, and she gestured to the things on the ground while Laura pointed her flashlight at the gear.

“What was that noise?” I looked around but didn’t see anyone else.

“Oh, that was this.” Elaine motioned to something on the ground, and I leaned in closer to see what it was.

“Is that… a bear trap?” I asked with a frown. “There are hardly any bears in Illinois.”

“Bear traps, bear spray, motion sensors, ropes, and some other random stuff you would expect to find in the shed on a cult’s farm. I guess they weren’t planning on using them just for bears.” Elaine shrugged. “We dropped one of the bear traps since they’re pretty heavy, so that must have been what you heard.”

“Excellent, let’s take this all back with us,” I said as I surveyed the loot. “I don’t know about you ladies, but I’m ready to head back to Chicago. Shall we?”

“Yes, please,” Elaine said.

“Agreed.” Laura nodded, and we started to pack up the gear.

Soon, we were cutting back through the woods toward the Taylors’ land, but we walked and talked more freely on the way back since we’d eliminated the immediate threat of being attacked by crazy cultists. Laura held the flashlight steady while we walked, and Elaine and I carried a big duffle bag each, which were full of the confiscated wares from the cult shed. I could hear the thick chains of the bear traps rattling as we walked, and the weight of the traps slowed us down some, but we made do.

The Taylors’ house was dark when we got to it, but I figured they were already in bed since it was so late. The women and I got into the car as quietly as possible, and I drove slowly down the long, country driveway so the sound of my tires on the gravel didn’t wake the elderly couple.

Then we started the drive back to Chicago, and we were more subdued than we were on the journey out to the raids. I was exhausted and shaken by all the horrible things we’d seen, especially at the first raid, and I could only imagine the women were feeling similarly. Elaine put on some chill acoustic music for some background noise, but we didn’t talk much on the ride home.

When we were almost to Chicago, Laura got a text, and the blonde agent pulled out her phone to read it.

“That was from Sammy. They tried to wait for us, but they were too tired, so they called it a night, and he just gave Mary a ride to the Penthouse.” Laura tapped out a response and then put her phone away. “You two are welcome to stay at the Penthouse again tonight. Tomorrow’s Saturday, so we can get a later start, and you can go to Bellamy in the morning to get fresh clothes and things.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Elaine said as she tried to stifle a yawn.

“Yes, it does, thanks, Laura,” I said and shot her a tired smile.

I took the exit that would take me to the penthouse, and then I navigated the car into the secure parking lot shortly after. The two women and I dragged ourselves out of the car, into the building, up the elevator, and to the door of the luxurious penthouse. Then Laura unlocked the door, and we all crept into the hallway and were careful not to wake Mary.

Now that I was so close to a bed, the fatigue seemed to take over my whole body, so I gave Laura a quick kiss and then followed Elaine into the guest bedroom we had used the night before. We undressed and laid on the bed, and I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

The next morning, I woke abruptly, and I was disoriented for a second until I remembered where I was. Then the smell of coffee reminded me that I was in the Penthouse, and I turned to see my beautiful girlfriend still asleep next to me. I leaned over and kissed her cheek, and the exotic beauty stirred but didn’t wake up.

I decided to let her sleep, and I slid out of bed and used the bathroom as quietly as possible so I didn’t wake her. When I came out of the bathroom, she was still sleeping, so I slipped on a robe, grabbed my phone from the nightstand, and slid out of the guest bedroom.

Laura was standing at the kitchen counter in front of her expensive coffee machine and wearing a sexy, red silk robe. She turned when she heard me and shot me a smile.

“Morning, handsome. Do you want some coffee?”

“Yes, please,” I said, and I sat on a stool at the breakfast bar. I pushed the home button on my phone, but it was dead, and I’d been too tired last night to think about plugging it in before I went to sleep.

There was a charger plugged into the wall near the coffee machine, so I stood and crossed the kitchen, plugged the phone in, and turned to the sexy woman next to me. Then I slipped my arms around the beautiful blonde from behind, and she leaned back against me with a pleased sigh.

“You’re looking amazing this morning,” I said as I slipped my hands around the front of her robe and underneath the folded-over fabric. Her skin was warm beneath my palm, and I slid one hand in further and cupped her firm, bare breast while I kissed her neck.

“Mmm, glad you like it,” Laura murmured as she pushed her body back and pressed into mine, and then she wiggled her ass slightly.

“I do, very much,” I said with a grin, and then I slid one hand down the silky fabric to cup her firm ass.

Suddenly, I heard a sound from behind us, and I turned to see a red-faced Mary standing at the doorway in her pajamas.

“Oh, good morning, Mary,” I said and pulled away from Laura.

This situation was new to Mary, so I didn’t want to freak her out more than she already looked.

“G-Good morning to you both,” the curly-haired girl said as she flashed us a bright smile, and she seemed to recover from the embarrassment of walking in on the intimate moment. “Is there any more coffee going around?”

“Of course, it’s just finishing now.” Laura moved to the cupboard and pulled out three mugs, but then she paused and turned to me. “Do you think Elaine will be up soon?”

“I’m up now,” a sleepy voice said from the doorway.

I turned at the sound of her voice and grinned at Elaine, who was now standing next to Mary. My exotic girlfriend looked adorable with her hair messed up from sleep, and she was wearing an oversized robe that made me want to wrap her up in my arms and squish her against me.

“Morning, sunshine,” I said and crossed the room to give her a kiss.

“Morning, handsome.” Elaine grinned and returned the kiss.

Mary was standing next to Elaine, and she looked up at me eagerly when I turned to her, so I grinned and bent down to kiss the curly-haired woman, whose face lit up with joy when the kiss was over.

Last year, if someone had told me I’d be starting out my day by kissing three gorgeous women, I would have said they were insane, but now I wouldn’t change my life for anything.

Laura poured our coffee and made us toast, and we sat around the breakfast bar eating and drinking and not talking about work, as per the blonde’s rule. Elaine and I decided we would drive into Bellamy quickly this morning to get a few things from our apartments, and Mary was going to text Lacy to get another bag ready for her. Then we would pick that up before we headed back to the penthouse.

“And then Sammy will come over here later this afternoon so we can go over all the new information and plan for the final raid,” Laura said as she tidied away the mess from breakfast. “We decided we would do the rest of the planning here.”

“Okay, we should probably head to Bellamy soon, then,” I said, and I stood to help Laura finish the cleaning. “Then we can be back by the time Sammy gets here.”

Elaine and I went into our guest bedroom to shower and get dressed, and Elaine borrowed clothes from Laura again while I had an extra set of FBI gear to wear. When we finished, we found Mary and Laura, still in their robes, in the living room, and they were both curled up on the couch reading their books.

“Well, don’t you two look cozy,” I teased from the doorway.

“We are, thanks,” Mary said as she looked up, and she stuck her tongue out at me.

“Don’t let us disturb you, then,” I chuckled and waved goodbye to them. “We won’t be long.”

“Bring something in for lunch for the whole team!” Laura called after us as she waved goodbye.

“Okay!” I shouted over my shoulder as Elaine and I were leaving the penthouse.

We made our way down to the secure parking lot and hopped in the Lincoln, which still had the duffle bags full of gear in the back seat. Then Elaine put on our favorite playlist, and we sang, laughed, and held hands as we drove to Bellamy.

It was nice to forget about the Sigil Killer and the crazed cult members out for our blood for a while and just enjoy spending time with my gorgeous girlfriend.

The drive went by quickly, and it wasn’t long before I was pulling into the tarmac parking lot in front of Arbor Shoals. It was weird, it had only been two nights away from my apartment building, but now that I was planning to move to Chicago with my lovers, the dinky apartment building hardly felt like home anymore. It was like I’d already mentally moved to Chicago, even though all of my things were still in Arbor Shoals and just waiting for me to U-Haul them to greener pastures.

Hopefully, we could catch the Sigil Killer and his cronies soon, so we could all move on with our lives.

I noticed there was no FBI surveillance team parked outside anymore, and that made sense since the window of time the Sigil Killer had given me to make contact had passed. I wondered if he’d sent me any more messages on the forums, but I hadn’t had time to check with all the time spent planning the raids lately.

“You okay, baby?” Elaine asked, and I realized she was waiting for me to turn the car off.

“Yeah, sorry, just been a crazy last few days, hasn’t it?” I chuckled and killed the engine before I opened the door and stepped out of the car.

“It sure has,” Elaine said as she got out of the car, too. Then she took my hand, and we walked into Arbor Shoals together and took the elevator up to our floor.

I stepped out of the elevator slowly, but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, so I continued walking toward Elaine’s apartment, just in case there was a crazy cult member waiting behind her door to attack her. My exotic girlfriend had her handgun on her, and I knew she could handle herself, but I still wasn’t going to risk letting her face one of our enemies alone.

We reached the apartment, and Elaine unlocked the door and then stepped back to let me enter first. I stepped into the apartment cautiously, but I didn’t see anyone or feel my Spidey-Senses going off, so I relaxed a bit.

My girlfriend followed me into the apartment, and we did a quick sweep of the whole place until we were satisfied no one had been in there. Then my lover and I went to my apartment and repeated the process, but it also seemed to be untouched.

“I guess the Sigil Killer lost interest in you,” Elaine said as we stood next to my apartment door.

“Or we’ve been keeping him busy by raiding his farms and killing his followers,” I said with a smile.

“Or that.” Elaine grinned and then shrugged. “As long as he hasn’t been here.”

“After last night, he probably thinks I’m dead,” I pointed out.

“I can’t wait to see his face when we attack the third farm,” Elaine said with a smirk, and she had a fire in her dark eyes.

“Does it make you nostalgic for your army days?” I chuckled.

“A little,” Elaine said while still smirking.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying our deadly raid date nights,” I joked.

“Oh, you have no idea,” my girlfriend purred, and then leaned up and gave me a kiss. “I’m going to go grab what I need. Meet you back here in like twenty minutes?”

“Okay, sexy, see you soon.” I gave her one last kiss and watched her walk down the hall, enter her apartment, and close her door before I turned back into my own apartment.

The apartment felt small after spending the last couple of nights at the penthouse, and I got that same feeling I had when I was outside the building. Like this wasn’t really home anymore, and my mind was already living in Chicago with Elaine and Laura. Mary also popped into my head, even though we hadn’t discussed having her move in with us, but it was an option.

I would have to bring it up with her and see what she thought.

I grabbed a duffle bag and packed some toiletries and a few nights’ worth of clothes, just in case. I wasn’t sure how long the rest of the mission would take, but I knew the ritual was coming up soon, so that might mean I would be spending a couple more nights at the penthouse while we developed a plan.

When I was done packing, I walked over to my computer desk, switched it on, and sat and spun around in my office chair while I waited for the machine to power up. Once it did, I clicked through my usual online habits for a moment, and then I pulled up the dark web forum I had last used to communicate with the Sigil Killer.

To my surprise, there was a recent post from Leiber_49, the username the Sigil Killer had retired after I’d contacted him through the forum, so he obviously brought it out of retirement once he thought I was out of the picture.

The post was titled ‘INFO,’ so I clicked into it.

Leiber_49: Another weakling eliminated. Shame I couldn’t do it myself and obtain what is rightfully mine. Rest uneasy to the unworthy.

Loyal followers, the time is nigh, and I expect complete devotion to the ritual. Remember your oath. Your sacrifice will be greatly rewarded.

I read the message a couple of times before I sat back in my chair and shook my head. This guy was a serious egomaniac, I could tell just by the way he talked. “The time is nigh?” It was like he thought he was the Second Coming of Jesus, which at this point would have been much easier to deal with.

There were a few comments on the post, so I went through them all, too, but I didn’t recognize any of the usernames. Two of them were clearly active cult members, since they promised to honor their oaths on the night of the ritual. I shuddered as I remembered the captured cult member describe the blood oath that took place and the ritual that ended with the members committing suicide.

Then there were two comments from people calling out Leiber_49, and they demanded to know what he meant by an eliminated weakling when there was no news coverage of a recent dead body. They said his language choice was a fucking joke, and he should get over himself, and I had to agree with the faceless commenter there.

There were a couple more comments from people who were just confused about what any of it meant. I knew there were other, more private forums for just the cult members, so the Sigil Killer posting here to a more public forum meant he only did it to stroke his own ego. I rolled my eyes at the thought of this creep jerking himself off to other creeps commenting on his post, and then decided I’d had enough of the dark web for today.

I powered down my computer, grabbed my duffle bag, and locked my apartment behind me to meet Elaine. As I was walking to her apartment, she emerged from hers with a duffle bag, locked her door, and met me halfway. Then I told her about the post from the Sigil Killer, and the exotic beauty started to seethe.

“That guy is such a creep. Weakling! He has no idea how strong and powerful you are.” Elaine shook her head and balled her hands into fists. “I can’t wait to see his face when you sabotage his ritual.”

“I know, he’s just trying to look strong in front of his ‘loyal followers,’” I snickered as we took the elevator down to the parking lot. “You’re right, it’s going to be really fun to see his face when he realizes I am, in fact, alive.”

“Can’t wait,” Elaine giggled, and her anger seemed to disappear when she reached up and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

We made it out to the Lincoln, chucked our duffle bags in the back, and then headed over to Mary’s apartment building, where Lacy had a bag waiting for us to pick up. We made it across Bellamy pretty quickly, and Elaine ran into the building to grab Mary’s bag to save some time. Once that task was completed, I aimed the Lincoln back in the direction of Chicago and drove while Elaine took control of the music.

It was midafternoon when we made it back to Chicago, and we stopped off at a pizza place before we went up to the penthouse. We expected Sammy to be there, so we ordered four large pizzas for all of us, and then I pulled out my phone and texted Laura to let her know we would be there soon, with food.

As we waited in the small, busy Chicago-style pizza place, I saw a few men checking out my insanely hot girlfriend in her curve-hugging yoga pants, and I felt a surge of pride and pulled her closer. Sometimes, the men glanced at me after they checked her out with an appreciative ‘well done’ look, and sometimes they flashed me a look that said ‘really, she chose you?’

But that didn’t bother me at all because, yeah, this ridiculously sexy woman did choose me, so they could think what they wanted.

Once we had the pizzas, we drove back to the secure parking lot at the penthouse. The doorman was used to us by now, so he let us in and up without a problem. A few minutes later, Laura opened the door, and I could hear Sammy and Mary chatting somewhere behind her.

“Welcome back.” The blonde beauty smiled at us as she took the pizza boxes. “Plates are set out in the dining room, everyone is waiting for you in there.”

We entered the dining room, and Sammy and Mary let out loud cheers when they saw us and the pizza boxes Laura was carrying.

“Yes, we have arrived, the wait is over,” I declared dramatically while Elaine took a bow, and the table laughed.

Then Elaine, Laura, and I took our seats at the table and placed the pizza boxes in the middle, and we all served ourselves while we chatted about anything except work.

“Mmm, you know what would go really great with this pizza?” Elaine asked after a big bite of her cheesy pizza. “Beer. A nice cold bottle of good beer.”

“I don’t usually like beer, unless it’s with pizza,” Laura said with a wrinkled nose. “They really are the perfect pairing.”

“Ohh, the perfect pairing,” Mary said in a playfully mocking tone as she twisted her face up and then giggled.

“Mmm, yes, quite,” Sammy said in a fake posh accent. “Very good, indeed, you can really pick up the subtle chocolate flavor in the hops.”

Mary and Sammy side-eyed each other and then snickered, and Laura rolled her eyes at the pair of them.

“They’ve been like this all morning,” the blonde woman said with a wave of her hand. “I swear, they sound just like my little brother and sister when they were kids. They were annoying kids.”

“Does this displease the lady of the house?” Sammy asked seriously, while Mary was in a fit of giggles beside him.

I grinned as I looked between the techie pair, because they were absolutely acting like kid siblings. They kept winding each other up with little jabs or digs, then pretending they didn’t. I was really glad they were getting along, and that pressure was taken off my curly-haired friend. I knew she’d been worried about her superior’s feelings toward her, but then she’d charmed her way into a little sisterly role, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Laura deadpanned. “I’m rich, but I was born that way, and I can’t do anything about it, so I won’t apologize for it.”

“Relax, boss, we’re only teasing,” Sammy said, and his eyes still twinkled with laughter.

“Yes, we are, I’m sorry, Laura,” Mary said as she contained her giggles. “Besides, Sammy doesn’t even drink, so he doesn’t know anything about subtle notes and perfect pairings.”

“Oh, because you do,” Sammy teased Mary, who gave him a playful push on the shoulder.

“You don’t drink?” I asked Sammy. “That’s rare these days.”

“Nah,” the bulky man answered with a shrug. “I’m straightedge, I have been since I was a teenager and got serious about being a part of the FBI.”

“Straightedge, what does this mean?” Elaine asked as she polished off her third piece of pizza.

“It means I stay ‘straight,’” Sammy said with air quotes. “No drinking, no drugs, no experimenting.”

“Wow,” Elaine said, and she sounded impressed. “I didn’t know this was a thing.”

I hadn’t known that about the bearded agent, and I was just as impressed as my girlfriend was. Most people experimented in high school, it must have taken some serious willpower for the tech when he was a teenager. Personally, I could never understand how anyone could give up the touch of a woman, but to each their own. Plus, not that I had been worried about the bulky man around my girlfriends, but now I could be certain he would never try to steal any of them.

“Yeah, it’s actually a subgenre of the hardcore punk culture, and some people take it a lot more seriously than even I do. But, I’ve got this, so I’m still part of the gang.” Sammy rolled up his sleeve to show us a small tattoo on top of his shoulder that said sXe. “This means straight edge, it’s our abbreviation.”

“That’s really cool.” Elaine nodded. “It must have been hard to stuck to it all these years, good for you.”

I smiled at my girlfriend’s misuse of the phrase, and I felt like I would never get tired of her cute mistakes in her second language.

“Yeah, he’s one of those annoying people who decides he wants to do something, and then he just does it, and that’s it,” Mary said as she jokingly rolled her eyes. “Not like me where I have to hem and haw over every decision.”

“Coming from the one who speaks multiple languages,” Sammy scoffed, and then he reached out and gave Mary a light, playful push. “But really, this one is okay, Jonah, you were right. She’s too smart for her own good, but she’s got pretty good taste in anime and comic books, so she can stick around.”

“Gee, thanks,” Mary said, and she stuck her tongue out at Sammy before taking another bite of her third slice of pizza.

The team finished lunch, and we all helped Laura clear the table. Then we all followed the blonde agent down the long hallway and into a large office, where Sammy’s laptop was already hooked up, and there was a projection screen rolled down and waiting for us. Some things had also been pushed aside while more chairs were brought into the office, so we all had a place to sit at the long desk.

As soon as we entered the office, Laura was all business.

“Sammy and Mary have been busy since last night, and they’ve got some good intel for us.” Laura gestured to the screen, and the burly agent moved into action as he stepped over to his laptop and clicked until a satellite image appeared on the projection screen.

“I’ve got some satellite images of the third farm, Hidden Ranch. It’s pretty secluded, but we found this clearing in the woods, not far from it.” Sammy zoomed in and pointed to a very small opening in the treetops that would be easy to overlook if it hadn’t been pointed out to me. “We compared some satellite images over the last couple months to the area, and it looks like there’s been movement in this area during the time frame the Sigil Killer’s victims were killed. So, we think this is their ritual site, about half a mile behind the Hidden Ranch building.”

“We were thinking of using some drones to survey the area before we attack,” the blonde agent said as she moved to the projection screen and indicated the perimeter of the ritual site. “Sammy and Mary can control the drones safely from Chicago, and we’ll use headsets to communicate with them.”

“So, we’ll be your eyes, basically first boots on the ground,” Sammy said with a nod.

“Aren’t drones a bit… loud for the mission?” I asked. “We don’t want to give them any warning that we’re on our way, especially when they already think I’m dead.”

“These are state-of-the-art drones, not even known to the general public,” Laura explained. “They can operate completely silently, and they’re equipped with night vision, extended communication range, and thermal imaging.”

“It does require more battery life if they’re operating silently,” Sammy added. “So that’s something we’ll all have to be aware of in the field.”

“That could work,” I said as I nodded thoughtfully. “The Sigil Killer won’t be able to slip away into the darkness if we’ve got thermal eyes on him.”

“That’s what we were thinking,” Sammy said.

“We’ve also got those bear traps we found,” I said, and I looked over to Elaine and Laura, who were nodding. “We should set them up around the perimeter of the ritual site. Then, even if the Sigil Killer runs, we can still catch him.”

“Good plan, Jonah,” Elaine said and shot me a sexy smile.

“Thanks, baby,” I said and returned the smile before I turned back to the screen. “Okay, so we know where the ritual is. Have we narrowed down when it is?”

“Yes.” Sammy clicked a couple things on his laptop, and then the satellite image from the screen was replaced with that weird-looking astrology chart I saw yesterday but didn’t understand.

“Ah, yes, it’s all clear to me now,” I said dryly.

“Tell me about it, I didn’t even know what this was, it was this one who had to explain it to me,” Sammy snorted and hooked a thumb toward Mary.

“That’s right, Mr. Big Shot FBI Tech doesn’t know everything,” Mary teased with a smirk. “But yeah, this is an astrological chart, and Elaine and I have been working out how to read it for a while now. But they were laid out in pretty good detail in the forums, so now we don’t have to decipher them anymore. Good thing you found all of those computers and access to the forums, Jonah.”

“I was about to give up and pay a professional astrologer,” Elaine said with a shake of her head. “There are too many components. Different planets and stars going retrograde or going direct. I thought it was related to the north node, but that ended up being way off.”

“What the hell is a north node?” I asked as I studied the chart, but the longer I looked at it, the more confusing it got.

“I still can’t wrap my head around it, but I don’t need to,” Sammy said with a shrug. “We know the ritual is taking place two nights from now, at seven at night.”

“Okay.” I nodded. “So we need to get in early and set up our traps. Actually, it might be best to head out to the area the night before and set them up the day before, test out the drones and stuff like that.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Laura mused as she tapped a finger against her lips. “It’s a pretty far drive, so we’d be best getting a couple hotel rooms for the night in the area.”

“Hotels,” Mary snorted, and we all turned to look at her. She blushed slightly at the attention, but she pressed on. “Motels, more likely. Haven’t you guys ever been out to backwater Illinois? I hope no one is expecting the Ritz-Carlton. You’ll be lucky to get running water.”

“Really?” Elaine asked with her head cocked. “But America is a first-world country, that doesn’t make sense.”

“It’s not the first world everywhere here,” Mary said and waved her hand. “I have some seriously redneck cousins who don’t even wear shoes to school, they’re so disadvantaged.”

“Wow,” Elaine said, and her eyes widened. “I had no idea.”

“Sad fact,” I sighed and shook my head. “But Mary is right, it will be pretty dire out there.”

“It can’t be worse than Sunny Fields,” Elaine said with a shudder.

“God, I hope not,” Laura said, and the anger and disgust she felt were clear in her curled-lip expression.

“Maybe they’ll keep it cleaner for the Sigil Killer, or maybe he’s the worst of them all, I guess we’ll find out soon,” I sighed again. Then another thought occurred to me. “Did we get anything from the forums about the next victim? Or next sacrifice, to them, I guess.”

“We did,” Sammy said in a strained tone. “They already have one ready. A… willing participant.”

“Really?” I wasn’t as surprised as I would have been a couple weeks ago, before I ever saw a dark web forum.

“Yeah,” Sammy said flatly. “I guess at least we don’t have to worry about them snatching a random woman off the streets.”

“A small comfort,” Laura said dryly.

“And do we know how many cult members will be there?” I asked with a sympathetic look to the distraught blonde agent.

“Harder to narrow that one down.” Sammy shook his head. “They’ll be expecting a lot more, since they don’t know how many members our team has taken out already. But everyone seems to be lying low at the moment, not much chatter on the forums today.”

“They’re probably doing what we’re doing now,” Mary said, and she made a steeple with her fingers and tapped them together, like an evil genius. “Putting the final touches on their ultimate plan.”

“Good thing ours is going to be better than theirs.” I grinned at the curly-haired woman.

The team spent the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening detailing our plan of attack. Sammy zoomed in as best as he could with the satellite images so we had at least an idea of where we would be going and where we could set up the bear traps around the perimeter. We would head out of Chicago tomorrow afternoon to set up base at a motel called The Fisherman’s Lodge, which was about a thirty-minute drive from Hidden Ranch. Then, after we were checked in and unloaded and all of our equipment was set up, we would go out early evening tomorrow to set up the traps for the ritual that would take place the day after.

“Fisherman’s Lodge,” Mary said and wrinkled her nose. “Is it going to smell like fish?”

“I would prefer it to smell like fish than for it to smell like the first camp we raided,” Elaine said with a shudder, and then her eyes went wide. “Actually, the motel is pretty close to the cult’s camp. What if they are in contact with the cult? Or have some connection with them and tell the cultists we are near?”

“Good point, Elaine,” Laura said, and she drummed her fingers on the table. “We might have to play a little dress-up.”

“Dress-up? I never get to do the fun stuff,” Mary pouted.

“Don’t worry, there will be better dress-up opportunities in the future,” Laura chuckled. “Unless you really like dressing up in oversized waders.”

“Maybe I’ll wait until next time,” Mary said, and she made a face.

We added a quick shopping trip to the agenda for tomorrow as we continued our plans. Then we packed our bags so they were ready to go, and it would be one less thing to worry about tomorrow.

Once it started getting dark outside, Sammy stood and stretched.

“I think that’s enough for tonight,” the bearded agent said. “My eyes are starting to cross.”

“Same,” Mary yawned, and the curly-haired woman leaned back and rubbed her eyes. I watched as she stretched, and I couldn’t help but smile at how cute my newest lover was.

If nothing else, at least Mary seemed to be off the Sigil Killer’s radar. Since he thought I was dead, there was no need to threaten her anymore.

“Sammy, I have to feed you before you leave as a thank you for all your hard work, so what would you like? I’ll order in.” Laura reached for her phone.

“I’ll never say no to food,” the bulky agent snickered and flexed his muscles jokingly. Sammy was like a different person outside of the Clubhouse. Or maybe it was Mary that was helping to pull him out of his shell. “Anyone object to Thai food?”

“Sounds good to me,” I said, and then I stood up and stretched myself, since Mary made it look so good.

And I had to admit, it did feel good. I didn’t realize how much my body had been compressed in that chair all day.

While Laura ordered the food, I stepped out of the office, pulled my phone out, and called Detective Calvino. Working with the FBI had been so full-on lately, I hadn’t been keeping as up to date as much as I meant to, so I figured now was a good time to fill him in. He was still on suggested leave from the Bellamy PD, which meant he was probably itching for any cop-related news.

“Jonah, good to hear from you,” the detective answered on the second ring in a gruff voice.

“Detective Calvino… Henry.” It still felt strange using his first name. “How’s your vacation going?”

“Ha,” Calvino scoffed. “Counting the days until it’s over, son. Have you and your team made any progress on the Sigil Killer front?”

“We have, that’s why I’m calling, actually. We’ve taken down two of their camps in night time raids so far. We’re planning to head out to the backwaters tomorrow night and set up for the third and, hopefully, last. I thought you might want to dust off your detective boots and join us.”

The detective paused before he spoke, and I wondered if I was wrong, and he didn’t want to risk more pushback from the Bellamy PD by joining us on our raid.

“Son…” The detective paused again, but I could hear the smile in his voice. “I would like nothing more than to join your team on the raid.”

“Excellent,” I said as relief flooded over me. For a second, I thought I had gotten on the wrong side of Detective Calvino, which was somewhere I didn’t want to be. “We’re heading out tomorrow afternoon to a place called The Fisherman’s Lodge, about forty minutes outside of Middleville. Do you know it?”

“Fisherman’s Lodge,” Calvino repeated, and I heard him scribble it down. “I don’t know it, but I can imagine the place. I’ll be sure to dress the part.”

“Great, I’ll text you the address,” I said.

“Better not, just in case the PD has eyes on my phone records for any reason,” Calvino grunted. “I’ll find the place, what time?”

“We’re planning to get there around two PM,” I said.

“Okay, thanks for keeping me in the loop, Jonah, I’ll see you and your team tomorrow,” the detective said, and then he ended the call.

I slipped back into the conference room, where the team was having a lively debate about their favorite Asian cuisines, and Mary was in the middle of explaining why Japanese cuisine was superior to all the rest when the buzzer sounded to indicate the Thai food was here.

Laura jumped up to answer the door while Elaine and I went to the kitchen to get dishes, and everyone else migrated to the dining room table.

The blonde agent returned with three bags full of food and plopped them down on the table, and we opened all the containers. Next, I popped a serving spoon in each, and then everyone loaded up their plates with the fragrant dishes.

“God, this all smells so good,” I said as I took a healthy serving of rice, covered it with a spicy peanut dish and a thick red chicken curry, and then added a few deep-fried spring rolls to my plate. My mouth watered at the mound of food, and as soon as everyone else had finished filling their plates, I tucked into my meal with a satisfied groan.

The mood was more relaxed at the dining table, especially with Laura’s no work talk rule during meals. The discussion about favorite cuisines continued, and Elaine insisted we were all missing out by not trying Israeli food. I decided to ruffle some feathers and declared loudly that American cuisine was obviously the only valid option. The women at the table groaned, but Sammy shot me a wink for my wind-up skills.

Now that my work mind was switched off, I became suddenly aware of how tired I was. It had been an intense few days. I glanced around the table and noticed the rest of the team stifling yawns and rubbing their eyes, so I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling it.

Once we finished eating, everyone helped clean up the mess from the dining room table, and Sammy bade his goodbyes to everyone. The team walked Sammy to the door, and then he left, so it was just me and the three sexy women left in the penthouse.

Any other night, this would have been a perfect situation, but I looked around at their tired faces and knew the mood wasn’t right for anything intimate, which was fine by me since I wasn’t sure I had the energy to please all three women.

“We should probably head to bed and get an early start,” Laura said as she stifled a yawn.

“Mentally, I’ve been in bed for half an hour, at least,” Mary mumbled, and then she stretched and didn’t try to hide her yawn. “Okay, I think that seals the deal. I’m off.”

Mary gave Laura and Elaine a hug and then slid in front of me and opened her arms. I grinned down at the curly-haired cutie, and she lifted her face up to mine with an eager look in her eyes. Sometimes, Mary still seemed a little bit shy about the polyamorous situation with the other two women, but she always seemed up for a kiss in front of them.

I leaned down and kissed her, but I let her determine the intensity of the kiss. She kissed back, not too hard, but enough so I knew she definitely wanted it. Then she broke the kiss and looked up at me with a dazzling smile, and my heart leapt a little knowing I finally had her after all this time.

I was okay with it moving a little slower than it had with the other two women if that’s what she needed to feel comfortable.

“Goodnight, all.” Mary slipped out of my arms and waved good night to us all before she shuffled down the hallway into her book-filled guest room.

Laura tried to stifle another yawn, but she gave up, let it happen, and then shot us a tired smile.

“I guess it’s time for me to turn in, as well,” the beautiful blonde sighed. She leaned over and gave Elaine a quick hug and then batted her eyelashes up at me.

“Not without saying goodnight, you’re not.” I grinned, took the sexy woman in my arms, and gave her a real goodnight kiss. I let my hands slide down her fit back and cup her tight ass, and I pulled her into me as I finished the kiss. She moaned against my lips, and then, when the kiss was over, she leaned her head against my chest for a moment and sighed happily.

“I look forward to more of that when I’m less tired,” the blonde woman murmured, but then she pulled away and headed down the hall to her own room as she waved at us. “Sleep well, you two.”

“Night,” Elaine and I chorused before we walked quietly to our own shared guest bedroom, and I shut the door behind us.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m--” I started as I turned around, but then Elaine pounced on me.

The sexy Israeli woman wrapped her hands around my neck and kissed me hard, and suddenly, I was more awake than I had been in hours.

“I know you’re tired, baby,” Elaine sighed between kisses. “You were just so sexy out there, and I couldn’t stop thinking about you with Laura and with Mary. You still owe me details, but we can wait.”

“I suddenly have some energy, so I think I can give you some details.” I chuckled as I returned her excited kisses.

Chapter Nineteen

I guided my beautiful girlfriend to the bed and gently pushed her down so she was lying on her back, and then I laid down on my side next to her and leaned in to whisper into her ear.

“Do you want me to show you what I did to Laura in the back of my car?” I growled.

“Yes, Jonah,” my exotic girlfriend moaned and looked up at me with excited eyes. “Show me what you did to your other girlfriend.”

I pulled Elaine’s leggings and panties down at the same time so she was lying half-exposed on the bed. I admired the sight of my sexy lover spreading her legs for me, and then I pushed her shirt up and over her chest so I could appreciate the swell of her breasts as they pushed against her sexy black bra. My cock grew hard instantly and strained against my joggers, but I kept it contained and focused on the beautiful woman in front of me.

“God, I’ll never get tired of this view,” I said as I ran my hands up and down my girlfriend’s sexy body. “Now I’m going to make you cum like I made Laura come in the car.”

“Yes, please, baby,” Elaine mewled as she raised her hips to meet my hands. “Tell me what you did.”

I leaned down so I was whispering right in her ear as I slowly stroked the insides of her exposed thighs, and I ran my fingers up and down lightly while I stoked the entrance of her tight pink pussy.

“I teased her like this,” I whispered in a low voice. “Until she couldn’t take it anymore. Until she was squirming beneath me and making the cutest little noises while she dripped all over my fingers.”

Elaine reacted just like Laura had. The sexy Israeli woman moaned and grabbed my hair while she bit her lip.

“Oh, my god,” she gasped, and her pupils dilated until they practically swallowed her chocolate-brown irises. “You’re turning me on so much, Jonah.”

“Am I?” I grinned. I slowly traced my fingers across her mound and slid one finger down to her pussy, and I didn’t need to insert it to feel how wet she was. “Oh, I guess I am.”

I slowly teased at the entrance of her wet, hot pussy with one finger, and then, without warning, I drove my finger deep into her cavern.

“Ohhhhh!” Elaine cried out and clutched my hair harder. “Fuck, Jonah.”

“You like when I finger your tight pussy?” I growled into the beautiful woman’s ear. “Just like I did to Laura?”

“Yes, Jonah,” she gasped.

I pushed a second finger into her soaking pussy and watched her eyes roll back in her head. Then I bent my two fingers up and stroked her G-spot methodically while she gasped and writhed underneath me.

“That’s not all,” I whispered and then gently nibbled on her ear. “Laura wanted one more.”

I added the third finger and started stroking harder and faster while my girlfriend’s hips gyrated wildly against my fingers, and I kept up the tempo as her juices dripped down my fingers.

“Jonah, ohhh,” she moaned as she bucked beneath me.

“Cum all over my hand,” I growled into her ear. “Just like Laura did earlier. I want to feel you cum all over me.”

My erection strained against the cotton of my pants, and I felt my lover’s body tighten as her orgasm grew closer, but I kept stroking my three fingers deep inside her wet, pulsating pussy.

“Jonah, I’m going to cum, I’m cumming, ohhhh, godddd!” Elaine gasped as her arms and legs started twitching like she couldn’t control her body anymore.

I kept up the tempo with a wicked smile until her convulsions slowed, and her pussy stopped gushing. Then I slowed my fingers to a stop as my lover smiled up at me.

“That… was amazing,” she panted. “You always make me climax so hard.”

“I love watching you cum.” I smiled and kissed her while I pulled my soaking fingers out of her.

Elaine reached down and grabbed my bulging erection through my joggers, but I took her wrist gently, brought it to my mouth, and kissed it.

“It’s okay,” I said. “I just wanted to make you feel good, I don’t want anything in return right now.”

“Really?” My girlfriend looked surprised and then pleased. “That was just for me?”

“Of course.” I kissed her again. “What, you’ve never had someone pleasure you for their fun before?”

“No,” she said and kissed me back. “Most men are so selfish in bed. You are the opposite, it’s a huge turn on.”

“Thanks, baby, but watching you cum is a huge turn on for me so I’ll do that anytime you want,” I rumbled as I planted kisses down the column of her neck, and I licked at the thin sheen of sweat her orgasm had left there.

“Anytime?” My beautiful girlfriend had a twinkle in her eyes.

“You’re dangerous.” I grinned down at her before I rolled onto my back and let out a deep sigh. “We should probably get to bed, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

“Yes, you are right,” Elaine sighed and rolled off the bed. “I will just change, and then we can go to sleep.”

I made my way to the top of the bed and under the covers while Elaine slipped into the bathroom, and I heard the water run, then turn off before she reappeared in the doorway a few minutes later with her face pink from being washed. She had stripped down to just her loose crop top and panties, and she padded over to the bed and slipped in next to me. Then she gave me one more goodnight kiss, flipped off the light switch next to the bed, and curled into my side.

“Goodnight, baby,” my girlfriend murmured sleepily.

“Goodnight, beautiful,” I whispered back before I drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, I woke in the same way I had the morning before, with the sounds and smells of coffee being made in the nearby kitchen. It was louder than yesterday, and I wondered if Mary was already up.

I turned to my sleeping girlfriend next to me and shook her gently.

“Morning, baby,” I said and planted a kiss on her cheek. “It’s time to get up.”

“Mmmmm.” Elaine snuggled up against me and groaned. “Do we have to?”

“Yes, we have to go take out some bad guys today, I’m afraid.”

“Ugh, fine,” the dark-haired beauty pouted, but she had a smile on her face. “I guess I can get out of bed to kill some bad guys.”

“That’s my girl,” I said, and I reached down and patted her tight ass playfully.

Elaine giggled, stretched, and rolled out of bed. I followed her, but I let her have the bathroom first, while I slipped on a robe and went out to the kitchen to greet the other two women.

Mary was standing at the counter with Laura, and both were still in bathrobes while the blonde agent showed the curly-haired woman how to work the fancy coffee machine. They turned and smiled when they heard me enter the room, and I returned the smile and thought how great it would be to wake up to this every morning.

That was even more motivation to catch the Sigil Killer, because once he was out of the picture, my three sexy lovers and I could move on with our lives and start our cohabitation plans.

“Morning, handsome,” Laura said, and she handed me a fresh cup of coffee.

“Morning, sexy,” Mary added and then giggled.

“Good morning to you both.” I smirked.

Laura nudged the other woman gently, and Mary shuffled over to me and gave me a kiss.

“Laura gave me a little pep talk about this.” Mary blushed and gestured between the three of us. “It helped, I’m trying to be less shy about it.”

“Hey, no pressure from me, take as much time as you need with it,” I assured the curly-haired woman, who grinned up at me before she turned and got her own mug of coffee from the counter.

I crossed the kitchen and gave Laura a good morning kiss while she finished making the last mug of coffee up for Elaine, who joined us in the kitchen a few moments later. Together, we made a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and turkey bacon, and then we enjoyed our last few minutes of the day before it would be taken over by work.

When we finished, Laura pushed back from the breakfast bar with a sigh.

“We should start getting ready, we need to head to the outdoor shop soon, then get out to Fisherman’s Lodge and get checked in.” Now that breakfast was over, the beautiful blonde was turning into the business-mode version of herself. “Mary, you’ll stay here and wait for Sammy to let him in, and you two will set up your tech base here, instead of in the Clubhouse.”

“I remember,” Mary said with a nod. “I’ll get it set up for him after I get ready.”

With the plan in place, we all went to our respective bedrooms, showered, changed, and met again at the breakfast bar.

We were ready to start the two-day mission to take down the Sigil Killer and his cult once and for all.

We said a long goodbye to Mary, who kept going back for one last hug and made us promise to be safe and not get killed, and then we headed down to the Lincoln with our prepacked bags.

Next, I programmed in the nearest sporting goods store and pulled out of the secure parking lot toward the shopping center.

Inside the sporting goods store, Laura took charge. The blonde agent had enough experience with covert operations to know how to blend in, so she made sure we didn’t pick out anything too fancy, as that would scream ‘fake.’ We loaded up the shopping cart with tackle boxes, bucket hats, nets, poles, and khaki-colored clothes, and then we paid with the FBI-issued credit card. Once we got out to the car, the blonde agent insisted we dirty up the new equipment some, so we didn’t look like we’d just bought it.

We got some strange looks from people in the parking lot as we rubbed our brand-new clothes against the tarmac and mud we made with bottled water, but we just smiled and waved at them.

When we were finished with our mission to make our gear look authentic, we had a little time to kill before we needed to head out of the city, so I took the women on a quick shopping spree in the rest of the strip mall. My girlfriends were giggly and excited in the expensive makeup shop, even though Laura tried to hide it more, and the attractive woman behind the counter was impressed when I paid for all of their items together.

Before we left the strip mall, I ducked into the electronics store and got a much-needed upgrade on my phone to the newest version, and I had to admit, it was great to have so much disposable income for the first time in my life. Once I had my new phone in its pristine packaging, we piled back in the car and started the long drive to the Fisherman’s Lodge. It was a bright, clear day, and it felt natural to be spending such a beautiful day with my two girlfriends. Elaine put our favorite playlist on, and both women were bobbing their heads to the music. I wished we weren’t on our way to see more death and destruction, but it had to be done.

When this was all over, I wanted to treat the women in my life to a nice weekend trip away, somewhere crazed cult members weren’t waiting for us at the end of our drive.

Other than the destination, the drive was nice. Laura insisted we keep work talk to a minimum and enjoy the little bit of peace we would have before the next intense two nights of work, and Elaine set up my new phone for me while I drove.

We even played car games. Laura was excellent at the license plate game, and Elaine kept winning at I Spy, even though she said ‘I little spy with my little eye’ every time. It was adorable, so I didn’t correct her.

Eventually, we drove past all the open farmlands and started getting deeper and deeper into the woods, and after a while, we started seeing small signs for a motel up ahead. I knew the only one in the area was the Fisherman’s Lodge, so we were getting pretty close. The signs got bigger until eventually we saw a giant sign with a faded bass poking up between the tree line, with the words “Fisherman’s Lodge” across it, but the second word was dark and unlit.

I turned into the dusty half-circle driveway of the run-down motel, and Laura groaned.

“Mary was right,” Elaine said and clicked her tongue. “This place is terrible.”

“One night roughing it isn’t too bad,” I chuckled as I parked the car next to the seedy main office. “I’m sure both of you lovely ladies have had to endure worse throughout your training.”

“You’re right, Jonah,” Laura said with a wave of her hand, but she was still studying the motel intensely. “I’ve definitely stayed in worse places, and Elaine’s been in even worse, I’m sure. And we can handle one night. I just don’t want any surprises, like every other room is rented out to traveling cult members or some other nightmare scenario, because, you have to admit, this place looks exactly like a place where nightmare scenarios happen.”

I looked around and took in the one-story building, the chipped and faded paint, the broken sign, and the curtains that looked like they were about to disintegrate.

“Yeahhhh… not exactly where I hoped to take either of you for our first romantic getaway.” I grimaced.

Both women turned to me with smiles, and they seemed to momentarily forget where we were.

“Romantic getaway?” Elaine asked with raised eyebrows and a sly smile. “I like the sound of that.”

“Me, too,” Laura purred before she waved her hand around and chuckled. “But yes, please make sure it’s better than this place.”

“Done,” I said with a grin, and then I noticed a car pulling up in the driveway behind us. I turned in my seat to see it and immediately recognized it as Detective Calvino’s car.

It looked like the department still let him keep his work car, even though they wouldn’t let him go to work.

I watched as the salt-and-pepper-haired detective got out of his car, spotted mine, and walked over to us. He was more dressed down than I was used to seeing him, with jeans, outdoor boots, and a gray pullover sweater. I opened the door and got out of the car to greet him, and the women followed suit.

“Jonah,” Calvino said as he approached and stuck out his hand. “Good to see you, son,”

“Henry. Good to see you, it’s been a while.” I shook the detective’s hand and then motioned to the beautiful women. “You remember Agent Laura Mayhew, and my girlfriend, Elaine.”

“Of course.” Calvino nodded in their direction. “I’ll never forget how essential they were in helping us collar the copycat. Ladies, how are you doing?”

“Doing well, Detective, thanks.” Laura nodded back at Calvino, and I could tell she was fully in FBI mode now.

“Hi, Detective, I’m good, thanks,” Elaine said with a smile and a small wave.

“Please, everyone, call me Henry,” the detective said, and he spread his hands. “I’m technically not even a detective at the moment.”

“You’ll always be a detective to me, Henry,” Elaine joked, and I thought I saw the detective blush a little bit. Then Elaine gestured to the main office. “We should check in.”

“I’ll go,” Laura said automatically, and the beautiful blonde turned to me. “I used the FBI card and my name to book the room, and I want to get a read on the owners or staff here. Make sure they’re not in bed with the cult members.”

“I’ll come with you,” Calvino offered. “I booked my own room, and I’ll try to get mine moved so it’s next to yours.”

The weathered detective and sexy FBI agent headed into the main office, so Elaine and I sat in the car to wait away from the cold. We held hands and chatted while we waited for the others to return, which didn’t take long. Laura waved at us when she came out and held up a room key, and Calvino did the same. Then the blonde agent pointed to the row of rooms to the far left of the semi-circle, held up four fingers, and started walking that way, so I pulled the Lincoln out of the parking spot next to the head office, drove it across the small parking lot, and parked in front of the room with the number four on it.

In my rear-view mirror, I saw Calvino navigating his car around to this side of the motel, also. Then Elaine and I got out of the car and started unloading all of our bags while Laura made her way over.

“How were they in there?” I asked, and I jerked my head toward the main office as I placed a bag of tech gear next to the door.

“They were fine.” Laura shrugged as she reached the key out to unlock the door. “Not related to the cult in any way, I would say. Older couple, they weren’t interested in much else except which fishing spots we were going to. We have to pose for a photo for them, for their wall.”

“Sure, right after we take down a serial killer and his cult,” I snorted.

Then I stood next to the blonde agent as she unlocked the door and pushed it open, but we didn’t enter yet, we just peered in and around at the dingy room. It smelled like smoke, and there were two double beds with ugly bedding, a small desk pushed against the corner, a closed door to the right, a wardrobe, and an ancient television hanging on the wall.

“This will have to do.” Laura let out a sigh. as she picked up a bag by the door and pushed into the room. “Assuming there are no bugs.”

The leggy woman dropped the bag on the nearest bed and then did a full sweep of the room. She opened the closed door to reveal a small bathroom that could barely contain the sink, toilet, and standing shower. Then she moved to the wardrobe and opened it, but the only thing in there were a couple of sad-looking hangers.

Now that we were satisfied the room was clear, I grabbed a couple of the bags and brought them into the room, while Elaine did the same. Calvino was in room number five next door, and he unloaded his car as well. After a few minutes, all the bags were inside, and we all met in the space between our doors, where we briefly filled in Calvino with our plans for setting up the bear traps and testing out the drones, since Laura wasn’t convinced the cult members didn’t have eyes or ears in our room.

We spoke in low voices, and Laura had her head on a swivel the whole time.

“Okay, sounds good.” Calvino nodded once we’d given him the rundown.

“Great,” I said and looked around at the team. “We’ll just change and be ready to leave in the next twenty minutes?”

“Roger,” Calvino said with a salute before he turned, went into room number five, shut the door behind him, and I heard the lock slide into place.

The two women and I shuffled into our own room, and I shut and locked the door. Then we found our shopping bags from the sporting goods store and dumped them out over the empty bed, found our items, and started to change. There was no reason for any of us to be embarrassed, since we had all been intimate with each other, so we changed together in the main room.

But when I took off my shirt, Elaine covered her eyes dramatically.

“Stop, I cannot look, we have a mission to do, I don’t want to get distracted.” The exotic beauty kept one hand over her eyes and used the other one to grasp around blindly on the bed for her new fisherman clothes.

I chuckled and gently tossed the Israeli woman’s new wooly sweater at her blindfolded face, which caused her to drop the hand covering her eyes. She shot me a grin and whipped her own top off, and I couldn’t help but whistle.

“I don’t think you’re the one who needs to worry about being distracted,” I said as I greedily absorbed the curves of her fit body.

“Probably not,” Laura said with a grin and removed her own top, and now both women were standing in front of me in just their bras.

“This is not fair,” I groaned as I pulled my new, but dirtied, sweater over my head.

“It’s not, and Henry is waiting for us, so we should put a pin in this fun for now,” the blonde agent said sympathetically as she pulled on her sweater, and she was back in FBI mode once again.

We finished changing quickly, and I thought we did pretty good on our shopping trip. I had on khaki-colored cargo pants, outdoor boots, and a thick, wooly sweater under a waterproof jacket, and Laura and Elaine wore similar outfits, but with their own personal touches. Elaine’s fitted waterproof pants were black, while Laura’s were green. They also both wore thick sweaters, but Elaine had ripped a couple holes in her black one, and Laura left her red one untorn. Both women sported outdoor boots and waterproof jackets that looked the part, and I had to say, they looked gorgeous even in the ridiculous disguises.

Before we left the room, Laura pulled out her phone and called Sammy, and she told him we were about to head out to the ritual site and to stay on comms until the objective was completed. Then she rooted around in one of the duffle bags and handed us each an earpiece and handset to go with it, which we all tucked into one of our oversized pockets for now.

When we were ready, we grabbed the tackle boxes and fishing rods and went outside to meet Calvino.

The detective was already waiting for us outside and turned to greet us when we opened the door, and Elaine burst into laughter as soon as she saw him.

“I’m sorry,” the brunette gasped through her laughter as she gestured to Calvino’s outfit. “You just look so… not like you.”

I couldn’t help but smile, because Elaine was right. Henry was wearing a pair of giant green waders that went up to his chest, a blue flannel shirt under a vest with exposed Velcro everywhere, and a bucket hat with a fish embroidered across the front, and he was holding a fishing rod in his hand.

“I wear this when I go fishing all the time,” Calvino said with a defensive scowl.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you fish so much, Detec-- uh, Henry,” I said as I tried to keep a straight face, but it was difficult to do when Elaine wouldn’t stop giggling.

“One of my favorite pastimes,” Calvino said as he furrowed his brow, and he was clearly annoyed with Elaine’s reaction. “And I’m damn good at it, too.”

“I would hope so,” Elaine said with a pointed look at his waders and had another fit of giggles. Then the brunette got her laughter under control and waved her hands. “I’m sorry, Henry, we just don’t have these types of things in Israel, it is new to me.”

“It’s fine,” Calvino grunted, and then he turned to Laura. “Actually, this works out pretty well, we certainly look the part now.”

“Yep,” the blonde agent said with a chuckle, and she turned to me as we walked to the main office as a group. “We had to come up with a cover story in the main office, so we told them Henry and I are together, and Henry here was showing us city folk what a fishing trip in the country looks like. And you two are just another couple we’re friends with, as far as they know.”

“Just another couple,” Elaine said with a hand over her heart. “I’m offended.”

Laura shot her a quick look, and then one at Calvino, and I understood that to mean Laura didn’t want the detective to know about our polyamorous relationship. I looked over to Elaine to see if she understood, but she was already nodding at Laura, and I decided to change the subject.

“I’ve never been fishing,” I admitted.

Calvino side-eyed me, like he wasn’t sure what to do with this new information, but then he shrugged as we reached the door to the office.

“Most city folk haven’t. I’ll run in and grab the owners, they’ll want to take the photo against that wall.” He nodded at the wall closest to the road and reached to open the door, but he didn’t get a chance to before it was pushed open by a plump, elderly woman who emerged from the other side of the glass door with a camera in her handle.

“Would ya look at this,” the woman said with a thick Midwestern drawl and a twinkle in her eye. “You sure weren’t lying when you said they were city folk, were ya, Henry?”

“No, ma’am, I wasn’t,” Henry chuckled, and then he introduced the woman to Elaine and me. “This here is Mrs. Tammy Baird, she owns this beautiful motel with her husband Lowell. And these are our friends Sammy and Mary.”

I didn’t know if Laura had told him to use fake names, or if the detective did it intuitively, but Elaine and I took it all in stride.

“Good afternoon, ma’am,” I said with a polite nod, and Elaine followed suit.

“Now, I don’t want y’all worryin’ about nothin’, it sounds like Henry here is gonna take care of y’all just fine,” Mrs. Baird said as she gestured for us to move and stand against the blank wall.

We did as she instructed and chatted happily with her about the best fishing spots and our favorite fish while she posed us and snapped a couple photos. Once she was satisfied, she lowered the camera and clapped her hands.

“Well, thank y’all so much for taking the time out of your day to take these photos for us, we’re just tickled pink when guests let us do this. We’ll let y’all know when I get them printed out and stuck up on the wall in there.” The plump woman smiled cheerfully as she headed back into the main office with a goodbye wave.

“See,” Calvino said when Mrs. Baird was out of earshot, and he jutted out his chin. “You three are the ones who look funny to us.”

“I know, we’re helpless city folk,” Elaine said and rolled her eyes, but she smiled so I knew she didn’t mean it.

“That’s right,” Calvino said gruffly, but a smile played on his lips, too.

We crossed the parking lot again and loaded up the cars with the drones, bear traps, and necessary tech gear. Then Calvino got in the front seat of the Lincoln, and Laura sat in the back with Elaine as I drove us toward Hidden Ranch and the ritual site. I could feel the nervous energy building up in the car as we drove, because even though the other three people in the car had over thirty years of combined law enforcement experience, this cult was just too unpredictable to feel anything except nervous.

We were hoping to not run into them tonight, but sometimes things didn’t always go according to plan.

When we were halfway there, Laura pulled out her phone and called Sammy again to make sure we were all set up for everything we needed. I could hear the bearded agent’s deep voice on the other end of the phone, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying.

Laura seemed satisfied, though, and hung up the phone after a few minutes.

The satnav told us we were only a few minutes away from Hidden Ranch, and Laura pulled up a photo on her phone and passed the device to Calvino, who held it out for me to see.

The screen showed a satellite picture of the road we were driving on, and there was a small circle just after the entrance to Hidden Ranch, but on the other side of the road. I squinted at it as I tried to keep the car straight on the road, but then I gave up.

“What is that?” I asked, and the car swerved slightly when I shifted my attention.

“It’s where we can park the car,” Laura explained as she reached forward and took her phone back from Henry. “Sammy sent it through, we missed it before because it’s so small. But there’s a small lane that goes just deep enough in the woods for us to park there without being noticed.”

“Okay, help me keep an eye out for it,” I said.

The light was fading outside and, even with my improved night vision, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to see it in this thick tree line.

I slowed the car down as we passed the entrance for Hidden Ranch, and we all peered out the window and down the long, twisting driveway, but it was too dark and the buildings too far back to see anything. I considered it a good sign that we didn’t see any cult members on security detail hanging around the end of the driveway, because at least we weren’t walking into the middle of a big showdown, like the other night.

Hopefully, I wasn’t counting my chickens before they hatched, since we weren’t even at the ritual site yet.

The small lane was difficult to spot, but Calvino’s sharp eyes caught it right before I was about to pass it. I turned the car down the lane a little too quickly, and everyone had to steady themselves against the car doors.

“Sorry,” I said with a grimace as I navigated the car down the narrow lane.

Once we were down the lane and far enough away from the main road, I killed the engine, and we all climbed out of the car as the sunlight started to fade.

We didn’t expect to meet any cult members, but I didn’t want to risk anything, so I insisted Elaine and Laura wear their Kevlar vests and carry a handgun at least. Luckily, the women were touched by my concern and not annoyed with my suggestion. Calvino was new to the cult game, so we filled him in on some of the things we’d seen lately as we pulled out the drones, bear traps, and night vision goggles, and the detective shook his head sadly as he listened to it all.

“Some sick people out there,” Calvino grunted. “Sounds like Jonah’s got a point about you ladies wearing the protective gear.”

“I have been through extensive formal training,” Laura said coolly and then nodded at Elaine. “So has she.”

“Of course, I know that, I didn’t mean…” The detective cleared his throat and looked uncomfortable. “I apologize, I know you ladies, um, women, are more than capable of handling yourselves.”

“It’s fine,” the blonde agent said with a wave of her hand. “Sorry for being defensive, I’ve just had plenty of experience being the outsider at the old boys’ club, you understand.”

“I do, I apologize again,” Calvino said as he picked up a pair of night vision goggles. “It’ll probably be me who ends up needing help, these old knees aren’t what they used to be.”

“We’re hoping not to run into any trouble that requires excessive knee use,” Laura said with a kind smile at the detective, and I could tell she was making sure they were good with each other before we set off on the mission. Then the beautiful agent reached into a bag and handed Calvino an earpiece and handset, just like she’d given us before. “We should get on comms with Sammy and Mary, they’re standing by in Chicago.”

I pulled out my earpiece and stuffed it in my ear before I turned the handset on and to the agreed upon channel. I got some feedback in my ear for a second, but then the line popped, buzzed, and went silent.

“Hello?” I said tentatively as I looked around at the group.

There was another crackle and buzz before a voice came on the line.

“Jonah? Is that you?” Mary said from Chicago. “Can you hear me?”

“I can hear you,” I said with a grin. “Stand by, we’re about to head to the ritual site.”

“Roger,” Mary said with a giggle, and I could tell she was enjoying her new comms role with the FBI.

Calvino and the women shot me a thumbs-up, so I knew they could all hear Mary in their ears as well. Then it took a few minutes for the team to get the rest of their gear on and ditch the oversized fishing outfits. Since I didn’t need to use a Kevlar vest or night vision goggles, I got the bags ready to take out to the ritual site, and I split the gear evenly between two bags, so each had three bear traps and two drones.

When everyone was ready, I took one bag, and Calvino took the other, and then we headed back toward the main road. It was empty when we reached it, so we quickly dashed across the road and ducked into the tree line on the other side of it, walked a few yards in and away from the road, and then stopped to regroup.

There was still no sign of any cult members, which I was grateful for, but the night was getting darker now.

“Mary or Sammy, can you hear me?” Laura asked with a finger to her ear.

“Both here,” Sammy said over the device. “Where are you guys?”

“We’re not far from the ritual site,” the blonde agent said as she knelt down and opened the bag Calvino had placed at his feet. “Just about to send a drone out, hopefully you can get eyes on us and the area.”

Laura pulled a drone out of the bag, and I knelt down next to her to watch how she set it up, so I could do the same. The blonde agent was quick and efficient with the drone and showed me which controls to use to navigate the drone and how to turn on the silent function. After a few minutes, I felt comfortable with the technology, so I pulled a drone out of my own bag and began setting it up, and Elaine watched over my shoulder so she could learn, too. Then Laura sent her drone up into the air with mine shortly behind it.

“Wow, they really are silent,” Elaine said, and she was clearly impressed.

“The Feds always get the fancy equipment,” Calvino grumbled, but I could tell by the way his eyes followed the drones that he was impressed despite himself.

“We’ve got eyes,” Sammy said over the earpiece.

“This is so cool!” I heard Mary squeal a moment later. “Oops, sorry, guys, was that loud?”

“It’s fine,” Laura said as she flicked a switch on her drone control. “Tell us what you see.”

“According to the maps, the drone is almost to the ritual site.” Sammy’s gruff voice sounded tinny over the earpiece. “Just another second… hang on… almost… and there.”

“And?” the blonde woman prompted her tech agent on the other end of the earpiece.

“I’m not picking up heat off any bodies, so you guys are alone,” Sammy said. “The clearing is right where we mapped it out, keep the drones on, and I can tell you the best places to put the bear traps.”

“Roger, we’re heading to the clearing now, then,” Laura said, and she gestured to Calvino and Elaine to pick up the bags, since they didn’t have the drone controls in their hands.

I walked next to Laura and behind Calvino and Elaine, who led the way with their night vision goggles and bags of gear. We walked slowly through the woods because even with the night vision goggles, the ground was uneven and covered in tripping hazards. Elaine almost tripped at one point, but she caught herself and pretended nothing happened.

After a while of careful walking, we finally came to the clearing where the rituals were performed, and we stopped before we entered it.

It was a decent-sized clearing, bigger than it appeared from the satellite images, but not big enough to make our mission more difficult. There was already a large pentagram carved into the forest’s ground, and some parts of the ground were darker than others.

I couldn’t help but wonder if the dark spots were where blood had soaked into the ground.

Around the perimeter of the clearing were small animal bones hanging from low tree branches, and they rattled in the wind like sick wind chimes. We didn’t want to cross the ritual site in case they had some sort of booby traps or motion detectors, so we stuck to the tree line around the perimeter.

“Creepy,” Elaine said in a low voice, and I nodded in agreement.

Laura and I circled the drones overhead, while Sammy indicated the best places to lay down the bear traps. We decided Calvino and I would lay the traps while the women controlled the drones, so I passed off the controls to Elaine, and then Calvino and I grabbed a bag each and headed in opposite directions around the circular clearing.

“Okay, Jonah and Elaine, I’m going to let Mary guide you, if you switch over to channel eight, it will be just you three,” Sammy said in my ear. “Then I’ll stay on this channel with you, Detective.”

“Roger that,” Calvino’s gruff voice came over the device.

“Switching now,” I said, and then I pulled out my handset and switched it up three channels.

“Jonah?” Mary’s sweet voice came over the line.

“Hi, Mary, I can hear you,” I said, and it felt a little weird talking into the air, not even down a phone.

“Can everyone hear me? And see my feed?” Elaine asked over the earpiece.

“Good on both fronts,” Mary said.

“Now, where am I going?” I asked as I struggled under the weight of the bear traps in the bag.

I was impressed with what a great job Mary did navigating Elaine and me. She gave me clear directions of where to put the bear traps as the drone hovered above me silently, and Elaine seemed to get the hang of controlling the drone pretty easily, as well. I walked around the perimeter of the clearing and placed the traps where Mary indicated, and she also pointed out where the best vantage points were, so I took the time to dig small bunkers into the ground while I had the uninterrupted opportunity. We would use these two bunkers tomorrow to observe the meeting before we raided it.

I met Calvino halfway around the circle, and he waved when he saw me. Then I dropped the duffle bag, which was a lot lighter now, and wiped the sweat from my brow.

“How are your knees holding up after that?” I asked the detective with a grin.

“About as well as I could have hoped,” Calvino grunted, but I knew he was glad to be part of this mission, even at the sake of some knee pain.

The seasoned detective wanted these creeps out of the picture just as much as I did.

Calvino and I switched our earpieces back to the same channel, and then we walked back around the perimeter of the clearing until we reached Elaine and Laura, who had already navigated the drones back to them and were packing them away. I never realized how many components went into making a drone work, and I was glad I’d taken over the responsibility of the bear traps instead of the drones.

“Is there anything else we should do while we’re out here tonight?” I asked the team not just in front of me, but also the two in my ear.

“I don’t think so,” Laura said with a shake of her head. “That’s all we can do tonight, and we don’t want to risk hanging around here any longer than necessary, in case some of the cult members come to check out the site tonight.”

“You’re probably right, we should head back,” I sighed.

But tomorrow we would put our plan into motion, and I couldn’t wait to witness the cult falling into chaos because of me and my team.

Then, once the cult was taken care of, I would deal with the Sigil Killer once and for all.

The team followed the route we took, and it was easier to walk without trying to control the drones at the same time. It wasn’t long until we were at the main road, and we dashed across it and back toward the Lincoln, which was also easier without the weight of the bear traps slowing me down.

Once we had the car in our sights, we said goodbye to Mary and Sammy for now and promised to call them when we got back to the hotel. Then we took off all of our gear, shoved it back in the duffle bags, and piled into the Lincoln again, and I was glad we’d accomplished our mission without any trouble from the cult.

“Well done, team,” I said as I drove us back toward the Fisherman’s Lodge. I looked down the long, dark driveway of Hidden Ranch again as we passed, but there were still no signs of movement.

“Agreed,” Calvino said gruffly. “Thanks for letting me be a part of it.”

“Anytime, Henry,” Elaine said from the back seat. “Is anyone else, like, starving?”

“God, yes,” I groaned as I met my girlfriend’s eyes in the rear-view mirror. “There was a restaurant a couple miles down the road from the Fisherman’s Lodge. We can grab some food there, then turn in early?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Laura said from the seat next to Elaine, and Calvino nodded his agreement, so I drove us past the Fisherman’s Lodge when we reached it and into the parking lot of the small, dimly-lit restaurant.

It wasn’t busy inside the restaurant, so the middle-aged waitress served us immediately. Everyone ordered their food, and then we sat back and kept our conversation casual, while Laura kept shooting glances over the tall booths to make sure there were no cultists sneaking around. Our food came, and we all scarfed it down in record time, so I guess the pre-raid set-up had taken a lot out of us. Once we paid, we shuffled back out to the Lincoln and got in quickly, since the blonde agent was still being overly cautious.

Then I drove us the short distance down the road to the Fisherman’s Lodge, and into the parking lot of the seedy motel that was lit up with bright streetlamps, but the rooms were all dark, and Laura breathed a sigh of relief as I parked in front of our rooms.

“You’ve been looking over your shoulder all night,” Calvino said to the blonde agent with a frown. “Are you expecting them to attack tonight? I thought they thought Jonah was dead.”

“No, it’s not that,” Laura said with a sigh, and then she gestured around to the woods that surrounded the hotel. “It’s that. It just freaks me out, being this far in the middle of nowhere, even with my gun.”

“You really are city folk, aren’t you?” Calvino chuckled as he shook his head.

“I guess I am.” The blonde woman sighed again as she cast one last look around the empty parking lot and then turned to the center of the car. “Well, good work today, team. We should get an early start, make sure there were no changes overnight.”

“You got it, boss,” Calvino said as he reached for the door handle. “Continental breakfast starts at seven AM, by the way. Ends at nine.”

“Thanks, Detective,” I said and reached for my own door handle.

Calvino helped us carry the duffle bags full of gear to the door, and then he bade us good night and disappeared behind his door.

I unlocked our door, and the three of us grabbed the bags and pushed into the room. As soon as we were through the door, the blonde agent went about plugging the drones in to charge, and we spread our tech out over the desk and gave all of our gear a once-over to make sure it would be good to go tomorrow. Once we were done, I stood back from the desk with a long, happy sigh.

I was grateful to be finished with the workday, because that meant I would soon be cuddled up with my two insanely sexy girlfriends.

It was getting late, so the three of us took turns showering. Then we pushed the beds together and turned the lights off, and I got into the middle of the bed as one woman slid in on each side of me.

“What a perfect way to end the day,” I said with a huge smile on my face as I looked between the two beautiful women. I leaned down and kissed Elaine hard, and she whimpered when I pulled away. Then I turned and gave Laura a deep, slow kiss and enjoyed her body responding by pressing into me. I felt my own carnal response as the blood rushed to my groin, but I knew the detective was behind the paper-thin wall behind me, so I thought it was best not to escalate this anymore.

I broke the kiss and leaned back on the bed, and then I pulled the women close to me. They both laid a hand on my chest and started gently raking their fingers across it.

“This is perfect,” Elaine purred.

“Mmm, I could get used to it,” Laura said with a sly grin.

“Soon, we’ll be doing this every day,” I said as I settled in and pulled the women closer. “And we can have more fun when we have more privacy than these motel walls.”

“I look forward to that,” Elaine said as she cuddled up and laid her head in the crook of my arm.

“Me, too,” the blonde woman murmured on my other side, and I could tell she was already drifting off to sleep.

“Good night, lovelies,” I whispered, and then we all fell asleep, still entangled in each other.

The next morning, the sound of a ringing phone woke me up, and it took me a second to remember where I was. But then my confusion cleared, and I turned toward the sound, but Laura had already answered it. She spoke quietly for a minute, and then she hung up the phone and turned back to the bed.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

“That was Sammy, with news.”

Chapter Twenty

“Bad news?” I asked as my eyebrows knitted together.

Before the blonde woman could answer, Elaine woke with a start in the bed next to me. The exotic brunette looked around in confusion for a second, but then her face relaxed when she looked at me.

“Morning, handsome. What’s going on?” she asked, and her voice was still thick with sleep.

“It’s okay, it can wait,” Laura said with a wave of her hands, and she walked to the wall and flicked the lights on. “Come on, let’s get up and get breakfast.”

With a sigh, I rolled out of the warm bed and the embrace of the two beautiful women to get ready for a day of taking down a sadistic cult. I still couldn’t believe my life sometimes. The three of us worked well together, we didn’t bicker about whose turn it was to use something or how long someone was taking, even in this dingy, cramped motel room, and if we could make this work, we could make anything work.

Soon, we were all ready, so we pulled our coats on and headed into the cold morning and toward the main office to get some cheap continental breakfast. Before we could make it off the pavement, Calvino stepped out of his room and stopped us.

“If you’re looking for the breakfast, don’t bother,” the detective grunted after we exchanged good mornings. “It’s worse than I could have imagined. I thought we could get breakfast at that restaurant from last night, my treat?”

“That sounds great, Henry, thank you,” Laura said and shot the graying detective a dazzling smile.

“I’ll drive,” Calvino said, and he pulled the motel door shut behind him and got his keys out of his pocket.

Soon, we were all piled into his dark sedan and driving toward the restaurant.

I sat in the passenger seat while the detective drove, and the two women sat in the back seat. About halfway through the drive, I asked Laura what news Sammy had called with this morning, but she said it could wait until after breakfast, so I figured it wasn’t too important.

The dingy restaurant didn’t look any better in the dim morning light, but there were more people milling around inside. Calvino parked near the entrance, and we shuffled inside with our heads down against the cold wind. A different middle-aged waitress ushered us to an empty booth and handed us all plastic menus while she cheerfully asked if we wanted coffee, and then she bounded to the kitchen to get it when we said yes. We flipped through the sticky menus, and I chose a classic pancake breakfast with whipped cream and a side of sausage. The women got the same thing as me, but Calvino ordered oatmeal and fruit and mumbled something about heart health when you get older.

Unlike dinner last night, we took our time with breakfast since we had some time to kill before the ritual later this evening. Laura was still nervous and kept checking over our shoulders, but Calvino assured her he was also keeping watch, and she should enjoy her breakfast. The seasoned detective’s words seemed to calm her down some, and she managed to eat her breakfast without looking over the booth again.

Calvino insisted on settling the tab, even though we argued that we had full use of the FBI-issued credit card, but the detective waved us away. I figured he was an old-school kinda guy, and he felt like he should be paying since he was the most senior, so I dropped it and let him pay. Then we filed out of the restaurant, folded into the car, and drove back to our motel base.

“Do you want to tell us the news now?” I asked Laura as I half-twisted in the front seat to face her.

“Oh, yeah,” the blonde woman said and leaned forward. “The Sigil Killer got in touch with Sammy over the forum.”

“What?” I turned fully in my seat while Elaine gasped, and I could see Calvino’s grip on the steering wheel tighten. “That sounds important.”

“It’s not,” Laura said with a wave of her hand. “It’s all working out perfectly. The Sigil Killer sent a message to the account you sent the post from, so he thought it was Richard.”

“What did he say?” Elaine asked with her eyebrows knitted together.

“He said good job for killing you,” the agent said as she nodded her head in my direction. “And he would see him tonight at six. And that’s it.”

“Oh,” I said, and it felt a little anticlimactic. I’d been expecting more, but this was good news. This meant nothing had changed, and the ritual was going ahead as planned. “A compliment for killing me, should I be flattered?”

“I’m not sure how you should feel about that, but yes, I think that is a compliment to you, too,” Elaine said as she stroked her chin thoughtfully, and then she suddenly squealed and clapped her hands. “I can’t wait to see his face when he sees you!”

I chuckled at my girlfriend’s enthusiasm for our upcoming deadly mission, and she launched into an impression of the Sigil Killer when we confronted him tonight. Even Calvino couldn’t help but laugh at the brunette’s impression, and we were still laughing when we pulled into the Fisherman’s Lodge parking lot. Then Calvino guided the car to the space in front of his room and cut the engine.

“What’s the plan?” Calvino asked, and he turned in his seat to face us.

“We’ve got some time to prepare,” I said as I checked my watch. “I think I’m going to get some training in and top off my kinetic energy stores. Maybe go for a jog and find a spot in the woods.”

“Mind if I join you?” Calvino asked gruffly. “I’m no spring chicken, so I’d like to prepare myself for tonight some, too.”

“Of course,” I said, and then I turned to the women in the back seat. “What about you two, you up for a little workout?”

“Actually, I think I’ll head out with the drone and just make sure the ritual site is how we left it last night,” the blonde agent said. “The last thing we need is an animal getting caught in the trap and alerting the cult to our presence. Elaine, want to come with me?”

“Sure.” Elaine shrugged and then nudged the blonde woman playfully. “Girls’ trip.”

“Great,” Laura said with a smile. “Jonah, do you mind if I take the Lincoln?”

“Of course not, but I think we should all wear our earpieces while we’re apart,” I said. “Come on, I’ll help you get the drones. Henry, meet you outside in twenty?”

“Sounds good.” The detective nodded.

We all got out of Calvino’s sedan and went to our rooms, and I helped load the drones into the car for the women. Next, we all stuck our earpieces in place and set them to the same channel before they drove off toward Hidden Ranch with a wave. Then I ducked back into the room, quickly changed into a warm workout outfit, and tied the laces to my sneakers before I hurried out of the room to meet Calvino.

The detective was already waiting for me outside, he was always punctual.

“Nothing too heavy on the knees,” Calvino grunted as he took off at a light jog toward the tree line.

I let him set the pace, and it was a nice break from Elaine’s drill sergeant-like training. The cold air filled my lungs, and I had to admit the fresh air was a nice change from the thick city air, but I wouldn’t be giving up my skyscrapers for crazy cult farms anytime soon. We jogged for a bit until we found a small clearing in the trees, so I slowed us to a walk and then stopped.

“I need to get some contact training in,” I said as I sucked in cool air through my mouth. I thought this running stuff would get easier, but I still struggled after a light jog. “I don’t want to keep you if you want to keep jogging.”

“I hate goddamn jogging,” Calvino huffed, and I could tell the detective was trying not to gasp for air. “I used to do some boxing, though.”

“I can picture that pretty easily,” I said with a chuckle. “Well, if you’re up for it, you could throw some hits, and I can block if you want, but I need some kinetic energy, so some of them need to land.”

“Sure thing,” Calvino said, and he started hopping on the balls of his feet. “I’ll let you lead.”

We both raised our fists, and for the next half-hour, we sparred lightly. When the detective was warmed up, he started getting into it, and I let him hit as hard as he wanted. I couldn’t feel pain from the blows, but I could feel the force behind them, and I could tell the detective was a firecracker in the ring in his youth. His punches were accurate and powerful, and I felt sorry for any of the cult members who were on the receiving end of one of those tonight.

I also felt my kinetic energy reserves filling up, which made me more confident for the confrontation later. Calvino tired out and gave up on the sparring when the sweat was dripping off his face, so he took a seat on a big stump and watched as I practiced my aim by firing some energy balls at the surrounding trees. My first few shots went wide, but I was definitely improving. I knew I needed to be more consistent with my training, though.

Hopefully, I’d have more time when this cult and their serial killer leader were out of the way.

Once I thought my powers were warmed up for tonight, we started jogging slowly back to the motel. Laura had been keeping us up to date while we sparred, so we knew their mission went smoothly, and they would be a while because they were going to drive to the nearest fast-food restaurant, which was about twenty minutes away. Since we had time and had already expended a lot of energy, the detective and I slowed to a walk and strolled back to the motel at a comfortable pace. Calvino pointed out some of the nearby birds and trees and taught me their names and basic habits, and I was impressed with the detective’s wildlife knowledge. When I met him, I thought he was just another city slicker cop, but he’d proven me wrong.

Soon, we were rounding the corner of the Fisherman’s Lodge, and as we did, I saw the Lincoln pull into the parking lot, with the blonde woman behind the wheel, and the brunette chatting in the passenger’s seat. We walked to the doors of our motel rooms and waited by them as the women parked, got out, and walked over to us, and I noticed Elaine was carrying bags of fast-food.

“How was training?” Elaine asked as she sidled up to me and gave me a kiss.

“Good, I’m going to grab a shower real quick before we eat,” I said before I returned the kiss, and then I shot the women a smile. “Thanks for the food, ladies.”

“I’m going to do the same, thank you, ladies, I’ll be out soon,” Calvino said, and he ducked into his room.

I showered quickly and threw on some warm clothes before I went out to meet the rest of the team. They were sitting at a picnic table in the courtyard, which was a small section in the middle of the parking lot that was fenced off and contained dead potted plants, two picnic tables, and a trashcan. I jogged over and took a seat next to Elaine, who handed me a double-stacked burger and a huge portion of fries, and I joined them in eating the deliciously greasy takeout food while we chatted about the nature around us.

When we were finished eating, we threw away our garbage, and the chat turned to talk about the final raid in hushed voices. We went over the final details, and Laura called Sammy in Chicago to make sure he would be on comms at the assigned times. Then I looked at my watch and realized it was time to get ready to go, so we went to our respective rooms to get our gear that we’d prepared and laid out the night before. I felt the nervous energy start to build up in my chest like it had before the other raids, but I had confidence in my powers and my team.

Soon, we were ready to go, and we met Calvino outside the rooms, locked the doors, and folded into the Lincoln. Then I pointed it in the direction of Hidden Ranch and drove. I sensed the nervous energy as it radiated off everyone else in the car as well, so I told Elaine to put some music on to lighten the mood and get us excited.

My girlfriend put on an alternative metal playlist, and Calvino made a face.

“What is this? That doesn’t sound like music to me,” the detective grunted.

He made a grumpy face, and the women in the back seat laughed. The tension seemed to break, and we all relaxed as the car brought us closer to the cult’s ritual site.

Soon, we were approaching the lane where we would park the car, so I turned down the music. Some of the nervous energy returned, but I felt an underlying sense of excitement, as well. I was ready to take down this bastard, and all of his weird cult followers, once and for all.

I drummed my fingers against the steering wheel as I navigated it down the narrow lane, and little yellow sparks flew from my fingertips.

“Someone’s excited,” Elaine joked from the back seat.

“Sure am,” I said with a smile, and I parked the car and cut the engine.

We got out, got our gear together, put our earpieces in, and made sure Sammy and Mary were on comms, and then we huddled together one last time before we set off.

“Okay, team,” Laura said in her FBI voice. “We need to make every effort to take the rest of these guys alive. I got an earful from the director about our dead body count lately, and he’s specifically requested we limit the use of lethal force unless absolutely necessary. There’s also been the possibility from the start that the Sigil Killer is employing some sort of mind control over some of these guys, so we don’t want to take out anyone innocent.”

“Roger,” I said. “We’ve taken enough lives lately, I’d love to keep that to a minimum going forward if possible. We’ll try for the long-range attack first, then. If I can get close enough to take The Sigil Killer down with an energy ball, I will, then the rest we can round up in the aftermath.”

“And what if you can’t get close enough?” Elaine asked.

“Remember, we’re avoiding casualties,” Laura said with a warning tone in her voice.

“Then I get closer.” I shrugged. “If I have to confront him, I can distract him so you three can get closer to the clearing, and we can attack on my signal.”

“Sounds like a solid plan,” Calvino said in his usual gruff manner.

“Alright,” Laura said as she shot a confident smile around the huddled team. “Let’s get this show on the road. Good luck, team.”

We echoed the blonde agent and then turned and headed across the street. It was an hour before the ritual was scheduled to begin, and the light was fading fast, which was why we’d timed our arrival right before we lost the last of the natural light. We stopped not far into the tree line and sent the drones ahead to make sure there had been no changes since earlier today, and Sammy confirmed it was all clear, so we continued ahead. Then we reached the clearing and decided to save the batteries on the drones for now, so the women navigated them down and turned them off. We parted ways after that, and Elaine and I continued around the perimeter of the clearing, while Laura and Calvino stayed and set up their bunker.

“How are you feeling?” I asked my girlfriend as we walked.

“I’m excited,” the Israeli beauty said with a determined grin, and she looked super badass carrying a drone under her arm and a gun on her hip. “Seriously, this guy has been messing with you for so long, I can’t wait to see you kick his ass and take him down, baby.”

“Yeah, I gotta admit, I’m looking forward to it, too.” I smirked. Then I gestured to the first bunker I dug last night. “Let’s set up here.”

We hunkered down into the long, narrow hole, and I was pleasantly surprised to find we fit, since I had dug it so quickly last night, but we did, so we settled in and prepared to wait there until the ritual started.

“Jonah, can you hear me?” Mary whispered over the earpiece, and I grinned.

“Yes, I can hear you, but you don’t have to whisper, Mary,” I said in a low voice while Elaine giggled silently beside me.

“Oh, yeah,” Mary said in a normal voice and then giggled. “I forgot. Anyway, just wanted to say good luck!”

“Thanks, Mary,” I whispered dramatically with a smile on my face. I could just picture the cute brunette at the office in Chicago bouncing with excitement over the mission.

“It’s getting close to time,” Laura said over the comms. “Let’s send the drones back up to make sure we’re not waiting for any surprises here.”

“Roger,” I said.

I turned and helped Elaine get the drone ready, and she sent it up silently into the air and navigated it toward Hidden Ranch. The ex-military woman handed me the controls briefly while she put her night vision goggles on and then turned back to the controls. To my relief, we didn’t see anything unusual right away, and the drone floated among the tree line for a while before we finally saw movement.

“There,” Elaine said and pointed to the small screen on the drone control. “Sammy, do you have eyes on?”

“Eyes on,” Sammy said instantly. “I’m seeing two people approaching. Fly higher, give me a wider scope.”

Elaine fiddled with the controls on the pad, and I watched as the image on the screen zoomed out.

I could see more bodies approaching.

“It’s go time,” I whispered. “Agent Mayhew?”

“Copy, we’ve got eyes on, stand by until the signal,” the blonde agent said in a low voice over the earpiece.

Elaine and I hunkered down as cult members started to emerge from the tree line and enter the clearing, and my heart rose into my throat. It was almost time to take these sick bastards down once and for all. The burlapped cult members continued to appear in the clearing, and I was pleased to see there weren’t that many, thanks to our raids.

Suddenly, Chad entered the clearing, with a man beside him, and I knew instantly that was him, the Sigil Killer. The night around us seemed to darken at the same time, and I felt the tension thicken in the air.

My lip curled instinctively as I studied the freak in the flesh, and I wasn’t surprised to see he was a totally average-looking dude. The psycho killer was short, especially next to Chad, and he looked like he was in his thirties, but his hairline was already receding away from his ugly, pockmarked face. He also had strange tattoos behind his ears that trailed down his neck, and I noted he wasn’t wearing the same burlap outfits he required of his followers. Instead, he was wearing a black suit that I could tell even from here was expensive, which confirmed his narcissism. He probably told his followers they should give up all their material goods for the cause, but he was more special than them, so he could indulge.

Classic cult manipulation.

The other cult members in the clearing noticed the Sigil Killer and immediately fell to their knees as he crossed the clearing. I couldn’t help but scoff, and my girlfriend did the same thing.

“Is he for real?” Elaine whispered. “He makes them kneel at his feet?”

“Nothing surprises me about this creep anymore,” I whispered back, but I kept my eyes on the meeting as it unfolded. “I think I should get closer now, see if I can get a clear shot. I don’t trust this guy not to start killing people right away.”

I slowly slid out of the bunker and crept up to the second bunker I had dug and marked last night, which was closer to the edge of the clearing but still close enough for Elaine to see me. Then I hunkered down in the hole and kept my gaze steady on the Sigil Killer. The meeting was about to start, and I let the kinetic energy in my palms start to charge so I’d be able to send an energy ball quickly in case things went south.

The Sigil Killer and Chad walked to the tip of the pentagram, and all of the other cult members fell into a circle beside them. I counted just ten members, mostly male, but I did see two females in the group. One of them had dark, curly hair and twitched with nervous energy, but she regarded the Sigil Killer with unchecked adoration, and I shuddered at the thought of this young woman sacrificing herself for that creep.

When all members were in the circle, the Sigil Killer began to speak.

“I see our numbers have dwindled,” the Sigil Killer said loudly, and his deep, slightly-accented voice echoed through the tree line. “For those loyal followers still here, we thank you.”

There was a murmur from the cultists as they bowed their heads. Then the Sigil Killer stepped into the circle and walked across it, and he stopped in front of the curly-haired brunette, who simpered at the freak. The Sigil Killer reached his hands out and cupped the woman’s face while she looked up at him with wide, excited eyes.

“A special welcome to our Scarlet Woman, who has bravely offered herself up for the highest honor.” The Sigil Killer leaned down and kissed the woman’s lips, and then she fell to his feet and clutched at his ankles while she tried to kiss his feet. “That will do, child.”

Well, at least the part about her being impregnated by a goat seemed to be untrue.

The burlapped brunette stood, and the Sigil Killer returned to his spot in the circle and turned to Chad, who stood to his right.

“You have been my most loyal follower from the beginning,” the Sigil Killer addressed Chad.

“Thank you, my lord,” the other man said as he bowed his head. “It’s an honor to serve you.”

“An honor?” the Sigil Killer asked with an edge to his booming voice. “Honor! Then why have you disappointed me so greatly tonight?”

“This doesn’t sound good,” Laura said in a low voice in my ear.

“No, it doesn’t,” I whispered back. “Everyone on standby, I don’t like how this looks.”

“Roger,” the team said.

“I-- what?” Chad’s eyes went wide with fear, and he shot a look around the circle of cultists, but they all avoided eye contact with the second-in-command.

“Where are the rest of my followers?” the Sigil Killer demanded.

“They… I… that isn’t my fault!” Chad stumbled over his words, and the fear in his voice grew more apparent. “We had a plan, we had the numbers, I tried to--”

The Sigil Killer cut him off with a raised hand. Chad fell silent immediately, and the rest of the cult members started to fidget as the tension grew thick.

“Something’s happening,” Laura said softly in my ear.

“Be ready to attack,” I whispered back, and I finished charging up the energy ball so it was ready to go.

“You have disappointed me,” the Sigil Killer intoned.

“Please, my lord,” Chad begged as he suddenly threw himself at his leader’s feet. “Forgive me, my lord, I will make it up to you.”

“Stand up!” the Sigil Killer barked, and Chad scrambled to his feet in front of the Sigil Killer, who raised his arm. “You have proven your worthiness, and it falls short.”

“I’m doing it,” I said as I pulled my arm back, aimed carefully, and released the energy ball directly at the Sigil Killer’s head. I wasn’t sure Chad entirely deserved saving, but I didn’t want this creep to kill anyone else.

The blast of energy flashed brightly for a moment, but as it approached the clearing, it appeared to fizzle and die out. Shit, that couldn’t be good.

Oddly, the cult members didn’t seem to notice the flash of light.

“What happened?” Elaine asked in my ear.

“I’m not sure,” I whispered. “I’m going to try again.”

I sent another energy ball toward the clearing, and the same thing happened. I grunted in frustration as I tried to figure out what was happening. Then I sent a bigger, brighter attack, but there was still no reaction from the cult. I knew the Sigil Killer was powerful, and he’d been in possession and control of his powers for a lot longer than I had. I could throw up energy shields, and I was able to sustain them for short bursts of time, which meant the Sigil Killer could likely do the same with darkness, and he would be able to hold it for longer. It was likely he had cast a blanket of darkness around the ritual site. My enhanced night vision from my powers allowed me to see through it, and the high-tech FBI-issued night vision and thermal imaging equipment was able to penetrate it, but the cult members inside couldn’t see my flashes of energy. Unfortunately, that also meant I wasn’t able to execute the long-range attack I’d hoped to.

I’d have to get closer. I needed to get in the clearing.

“I need to breach the perimeter,” I said in a low voice to the team as I crept closer to the clearing. “Everyone, push forward, they can’t see us.”

While I was working out what was happening with my powers, I noticed the cult members collectively gasp and shift backwards, so I turned my attention back to the meeting and saw what was happening.

A wisp of something black had shot from the Sigil Killer’s hand, and it was slowly wrapping around Chad’s neck. I saw Chad clutch at his neck and try to fight away the black rope that tightened around his throat, but no matter how much he grabbed at it, he couldn’t seem to get a hold of it. I watched as his eyes started to bulge, and I could hear the gurgling sounds he made, even from our hiding spot. The Sigil Killer kept his hand raised as Chad fell to his knees and continued to claw at his neck, but after a moment, the crazy shadow fucker looked bored and flicked his wrist. Then Chad’s head snapped to the side, and he stopped struggling as he fell face-down and didn’t get back up.

“Fuck,” I muttered. I’d really hoped to save lives tonight, but maybe Chad didn’t deserve to be saved, after all.

“I think he just killed him,” Elaine whispered.

“It’s go time,” I growled. “I’m not letting this freak kill anyone else. Be ready to attack.”

“We’re ready. Be careful, baby,” Elaine said over the earpiece.

I slowly and quietly creeped to the edge of the clearing near where the Sigil Killer stood. I was closer now and could see Chad’s empty eyes staring forward, and the other cult members were shifting nervously while the Sigil Killer explained to them how much he valued loyalty.

I needed to keep him talking so the team had time to get close. Now that I knew he was willing to kill his most loyal follower, I had to keep him distracted from the other cult members, for their protection. The rest of the team could round them up while I faced off with the ultimate creep, so as much as I’d love to end this guy, I would try my best to disarm or disable him so he could be brought to justice for all of his victims.

I rolled my eyes at his continued monologuing, and then I stood to my full height and strolled into the clearing. The other cult members noticed me before the Sigil Killer, and they gasped and pointed at me, which caused the Sigil Killer to turn around.

When the freak saw me, his face twisted into a look of shock and anger.

“Oh, man,” I said and clapped my hands together, and I felt the kinetic energy tingling underneath my skin. “I’ve been waiting to see that look on your face for days now, and it was everything I imagined. Thank you so much. Elaine, did you see that?”

The Sigil Killer whipped around and looked for Elaine, and I enjoyed the panic in his eyes. “Sure did,” Elaine giggled in my ear. “Now, go get him, baby.”

“This can’t be… you were kill-- where’s Richard?” the psycho killer hissed as he turned to his circle of followers and searched for Richard, but then he turned back to me as a look of understanding crossed his face. “No.”

“Afraid so,” I said with a shrug. “It was me all along.”

The Sigil Killer’s face contorted into pure rage, and the freak raised a hand and pointed it in my direction. Before he had the chance to use his power, I shot a ball of kinetic energy at his raised hand. The yellow ball of energy landed right where I aimed, and the Sigil Killer drew his hand back and shook it in pain.

I was glad to know my powers worked within the clearing.

“Well, that wasn’t very nice,” I said to the killer in a teasing tone. “It would be best for everyone if you just surrendered now, please don’t make me kill everyone here.”

“Attack!” The Sigil Killer roared his command, and his followers leapt into action immediately.

The group broke their circle and charged toward me, but the rest of my team stepped out of the tree line at the exact same moment, and I couldn’t help but smile.

I knew my team was just as excited to take down these freaks as I was, and we wouldn’t rest until we accomplished our mission.

I tried to keep eyes on the Sigil Killer, but another cult member stepped in front of me and raised his fist, so I charged up a burst of kinetic energy and landed an uppercut in the cultist’s stomach. The burlapped man fell to the ground gasping for breath, and I stepped over him and continued looking for the Sigil Killer. Then another cultist approached me to attack, but I threw a ball of energy at his chest, and he flew backwards.

I turned to see the rest of my team taking on one or two cult members each, and they were doing a hell of a job at it. Calvino didn’t move very fast, but when one of his punches landed, the unfortunate cult member on the receiving end would fall to the ground immediately. Laura and Elaine were showing off their hand-to-hand combat skills, and I could tell from their pissed-off growls and angry faces that the cult members were getting frustrated being beaten up by the small women.

The idiots didn’t even realize the women were taking it easy on them, since they wanted to keep the cult members alive. They could’ve had it a lot worse.

“Jonah, there!” I turned to see Elaine pointing to her right, and I saw the Sigil Killer trying to slip away.

I ran toward the side of the clearing the psycho was on, but the first cult member who attacked me was in front of me again.

“Ready for round two?” I asked as I felt the kinetic energy charging up in my fist.

The cultist surprised me by immediately diving for my feet, and I was knocked backwards and fell to the ground.

“Shit, Elaine, Sigil Killer!” I shouted over to my sexy ex-military girlfriend and saw her pull her gun from her hip holster.

The cultist in front of me scrambled up and tried to hit me again, but I was sick of this freak getting in my way, so I pulled back a kinetically-charged fist, threw the hit, and felt the satisfying crack of his jaw as my punch jerked his head to the side. The cultist fell to the ground with a wail of pain as I scrambled to my feet, but then I heard the crack of a gunshot, and my head whipped to where the Sigil Killer was moments before.

The crazed leader of the cult had grabbed another cult member and thrust them in front of him as a human shield, and to my horror, I realized it was the woman who had offered herself as a sacrifice. I watched as deep red spots bloomed from her chest and soon soaked her burlap tunic, but the Sigil Killer cast her aside like she was garbage.

Damnit, another casualty. But I didn’t have time to mourn the loss of the intended sacrifice, because the Sigil Killer had raised his hands, and I knew he was charging up for another attack.

The clearing started to darken and continued until it was unnaturally dark. Shit, even with my enhanced night vision, I couldn’t see anything. I charged up a big energy shield and shot it forward, and the light rippled through the darkness. But the Sigil Killer’s powers were stronger, and my shield fizzled out faster than normal.

I did notice the darkness around me ease slightly, but it was still too thick to navigate.

“Are the drones up? Do we have eyes on?” I hissed in a low voice as I struggled to see through the thick darkness.

“Yes,” I heard Mary’s tinny voice over the earpiece. “He’s still in the clearing, where he was before it went dark.”

I squinted in that direction, and I saw something move, so I started toward the area. I shot an energy shield in that direction, and I saw the woman who had just been shot and killed in front of me rise up from the ground, with her jaw slack and her eyes empty. I watched as her body jerked unnaturally, and when her head turned in my direction, I couldn’t help but gasp in horror. But my energy shield was fading, so I threw up another one, and I noticed the darkness ease again ever so slightly with each blast of energy I shot.

I kept my eyes on her as she started to slowly move backward toward the tree line.

“What the…” Mary said over the device. “Jonah, I think that’s him.”

“The woman? What?” I asked and looked around wildly for the Sigil Killer, but he was nowhere to be seen. “What do you mean, it’s him?”

“I think he possessed her or something, somehow,” Mary said, and I could tell she was confused

“Possessed her? Mary, what are you talking about?”

“I was picking up two distinct thermal images, the Sigil and the dead woman. But his went to hers, and the thermal images just sort of… melded into one.” Mary’s voice shook with fear. “Jonah, he’s really powerful, be careful.”

I was getting pretty sick of this freak and how he killed and scared women so casually. I lifted my hands and threw a huge energy ball at the reanimated corpse, which landed in the center of her chest, and I watched her crumple and fall to the ground for a second time. I also noticed the darkness lifted some with the flash of my energy ball. Then I saw something dark slip away from behind the dead woman, so I threw an energy shield in that direction.

The clearing lit up from the flash of light, and I finally got eyes on the Sigil Killer again, and he looked pissed. We made eye contact, and the psycho hissed at me before he turned and ran into the tree line, but I quickly chased after him.

There was no way I was letting this freak get away from me this time, and my powers seemed to be able to counteract his power of darkness, so I threw another energy shield ahead of me while I ran after the serial killer. The flash of light from the shield illuminated the killer’s receding back, but I saw him turn and cast a worried look behind him. He was fast, like his followers, but I had the power of anger to fuel me, so I quickly gained ground on him.

I threw more energy shields and noticed how the killer changed direction to avoid their blast, and an idea came to me. I decided I would try to funnel him into a trap… a bear trap, to be exact. I knew there was one a few yards ahead of where the Sigil Killer was running toward, but slightly to the right, so aimed a shield to the left of the killer.

Sure enough, he shifted right, and I knew my plan could work.

My lungs burned as I ran, and I could hear gunshots coming from the clearing behind me. But I didn’t let that distract me, and I threw another energy shield to keep the killer on track to be caught in a bear trap.

Almost there…

Suddenly, a carnal scream ripped through the night air, and I knew my plan had worked. I heard the crunch of the bear trap as it snared the Sigil Killer’s leg and trapped him in place, and I took pleasure in watching the ugly freak fall to the ground and scream in pain. I closed the distance between us and kept my hands raised so I was ready to throw another ball of energy the second I needed to, but I wanted to try to keep this freak alive so he could suffer the consequences of his horrific actions.

A quick death was too merciful for him.

“You should have surrendered when I asked you nicely,” I said as I tried to keep my voice steady, which was difficult after all that running through the forest. Then I looked down at the bloodied leg trapped between the thick metal teeth of the bear trap and grimaced. “That can’t feel good. Put your hands on your head, and I can release the bear trap when you’re handcuffed.”

“Unworthy fool,” the Sigil Killer hissed before his hand suddenly shot forward, and I felt something graze my leg.

Suddenly, I was thrust against a nearby tree, and my back hit it with such force, I felt the branches above me shake. I tried to step toward the Sigil Killer again, but I saw thin black tendrils twisting around me as they pinned me to the tree.

Fuck, this wasn’t good.

I bucked against the shadowy restraints, but as soon as I was able to loosen them, they tightened right back up.

“At least now I get the pleasure of killing you myself,” the Sigil Killer sneered.

“Uh-huh, because that’s been working out so well for you so far,” I said as I rolled my eyes, and I was acting a lot more confident than I felt pinned against the tree, but I didn’t want to display any weakness in front of this creep.

I kept straining against the shadow shackles to no avail. Then I flexed my wrist and was relieved to find out I still had movement in my hand, which meant I could still access my powers.

“Jonah, be careful! Get away from there!” Mary’s voice cried in my ear, but I ignored it for the time being.

“It’s working for me now,” the Sigil Killer said with a serene smile on his face as he watched me struggle.

Alright, that was it. I wasn’t letting this creep have the upper hand on me for one more second.

I flexed my hand and managed to shoot an energy ball at the Sigil Killer, which landed a little wide since I couldn’t aim that well shackled to a tree. The shadows pinning me down shrank away from the light, and their grip against me loosened but didn’t give entirely, since I was still pinned to the tree.

“No!” the crazed cult leader shouted as he raised his hands higher, and the shadows became more powerful again.

I felt one wrap around my neck and start to tighten, but the idiot still left my hand untethered, so I shot another blast of energy at him. This time, it landed square in the center of his chest, and the ugly freak was blasted backward. I heard him scream in agony, and the tendrils loosened around my body, but they didn’t fall away.

Fuck, this guy was powerful, as much as I hated to admit it.

The killer dragged himself to a sitting position again, and I felt the shadows gain strength again as they tightened. I quickly realized this freak wasn’t going to surrender, and my only option was to kill him, so I started blasting energy balls at him as fast as I could.

I heard someone swear in my earpiece, but I ignored it and just kept throwing out my balls of kinetic energy.

Most of the balls struck the injured killer, and I could hear his frustrated grunts as the bright lights landed on him, but he fought back as hard as he could. The shadows around me kept loosening and tightening, and the one around my neck was becoming the strongest, so I kept blasting as I struggled to see through the alternating bright flashes and darkness.

The Sigil Killer let out another primal scream, and I knew he was getting close to succumbing to my powers, so I kept blasting my kinetic energy balls at him. Then I threw the biggest one yet, and I heard it land with a thud. Suddenly, the tendrils around me released, and I fell to my knees. I clutched at my neck and gasped for air, and relief flooded over my body as I regained the ability to breathe normally. Then I looked where the Sigil Killer had been sitting and was relieved to see his body slumped over and not moving, so I rushed over to him with my hands raised in case he was faking it.

I reached the serial killer and kicked his body for a reaction, and when I got none, I leaned down and rolled him onto his back to see his dead, lifeless eyes staring into nothingness.

Chapter Twenty-One

I kneeled down and checked the killer’s pulse, just as an extra precaution, but I knew before I touched his neck that he was dead. Sure enough, there was no pulse, but I noticed something unusual, so I bent down closer to inspect.

The Sigil Killer was wearing a pair of gold earrings, and they looked familiar in a way I didn’t understand, since I’d never seen them before. I reached down and pulled one out of his lobe and brought it to my face to inspect, and I suddenly realized why they looked familiar. They were inscribed with the same strange script my cuffs had been before they became permanently tattooed onto my body. I remembered seeing the weird tattoos behind the Sigil Killer’s ears when he entered the clearing, so I bent down by his body again to look for the tattoos, but they were gone.

I pulled the other earring out of the dead man’s lobe and turned the earrings over in my hands as I tried to understand what had happened. It seemed like the earrings were the ancient artifact that gave the Sigil Killer his powers, and they became tattooed into his body the same way my cuffs had. But, now that he was dead, they’d reverted back to their original form.

Which meant I now possessed all the same powers the Sigil Killer had, even if I couldn’t use them yet, and they would never be used for evil again.

I stood back from the body and let out a cheer.

“Jonah?” Mary asked over the earpiece. “What’s happened? Are you okay? I think one of your energy balls hit the drone, we lost eyes.”

“I’m good,” I said as I slid the earrings in my pocket, and I couldn’t suppress the smile that spread across my face. “I got him, he’s down. The Sigil Killer is dead.”

I heard an array of cheers over the earpiece, and they were so loud, I had to take it out of my ear and let them quiet down so my eardrums wouldn’t get damaged. When the screams subsided, I reinserted my earpiece with a chuckle.

“Heading back to the ritual site now, everyone there okay?” I asked as I stepped away from the dead body.

“All good,” Laura’s voice said. “Good job, Jonah. And team.”

I jogged the distance to the clearing and saw my team standing together, with dead bodies littered across the ground. They all grinned at me as I approached them, and as soon as I was close, Elaine threw her arms around me with a cry of relief.

“I’m okay, baby,” I assured my girlfriend as I squeezed her tight. Then I broke the embrace, but I kept Elaine tucked under one arm as I used the other to gesture around at the dead cultists. “Looks like it was a success over here, as well.”

“We got ‘em all,” Elaine said as smiled proudly.

“Like Pokémon,” Mary giggled in my ear.

“A little bit bloodier than the popular cartoon,” Laura said with a grimace. “I’m not sure how I’m going to explain this to the Director. We didn’t have clearance to kill.”

“I can call it in,” Calvino offered. “I’ve got some old buddies on the Middleville PD, I can keep your names out of it, officially, at least.”

“That would be great,” Laura said with a relieved sigh as she ran a hand across her face. “I don’t want to deal with the aftermath of an unauthorized shooting after all that, so I appreciate it.”

“No problem,” Calvino grunted, and then he pulled out his phone and stepped away from the group as he dialed, which left me with my two sexy lovers.

“Great job today, ladies,” I said with a grin. “We make a great team.”

“We sure do,” Laura said, and the leggy blonde shot me a wink.

The detective returned to us a few moments later to let us know the Middleville PD was on their way and we should clear out before they got there.

“What about you?” I asked. “We came together.”

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll get one of the uniforms to drop me off at the Lodge,” Calvino said gruffly. “Better make sure you three are also cleared out of there before then.”

“You’re right,” the blonde agent said, all business again. “Let’s get moving, we don’t want to get caught in the middle and have to answer some uncomfortable questions.”

“Okay,” I said. Then I gestured to the woods behind me, where I’d just emerged from. “The Sigil Killer’s body is back there, stuck in the northernmost bear trap, you can’t miss it.”

“Thanks, Jonah.” The detective reached out and gave my hand a firm shake. “You should be proud of the work you did here today.”

We bade Calvino a temporary goodbye, and then the women and I headed back through the woods toward the Lincoln. Soon enough, we got back to the car, piled in, and headed back toward the Fisherman’s Lodge. On the drive, we went over the raid, sharing our favorite details from our fights, and it was incredibly fun to be able to share such details with these two sexy women.

When we got back to the Fisherman’s Lodge, it was late in the evening, and the motel was dark except for the main office. I parked the car, and then my two girlfriends and I quickly showered off the grime from the fight before we packed up the room and threw the bags in the Lincoln.

Lastly, I dropped the key off at the main office, where Mrs. Baird showed me the photo she had taken of the team just yesterday. I chuckled at the sight of us in our mixed fishing gear, and I pulled out my phone and took a photo of the photo. Then I thanked Mrs. Baird and ran out to where the two women were already waiting for me in the car. I showed them the photo, and we all had a good laugh before I started the car and headed back to Chicago.

The drive back into the city was much more relaxed than the drive out to the backwoods. It was like a weight had been lifted off our shoulders. I knew the women of Bellamy were finally safe from the Sigil Killer’s delusions, and we wouldn’t have to raid any more cult farms anytime soon.

There was still the looming issue of the Black Market Group, the whole reason the Hero Project was created in the first place, but tonight I just wanted to enjoy the victory of taking down the Sigil Killer. I briefly filled in the two women on the earrings, and we all agreed it was something to look into, after we celebrated our victory of course.

Laura phoned Sammy and told him to meet us at the penthouse with Mary. Then Elaine put on the music, and my girlfriends and I enjoyed the drive home while we sang and laughed.

The journey went fast with our lifted spirits, and soon we were pulling into the secure parking lot outside of Laura’s luxurious penthouse building. We each grabbed a bag and headed up to the penthouse, and when we stepped out of the elevator, I could already see Mary waiting for us at the door and jumping up and down with excitement.

“You guys were amazing!” Mary cried out as she clapped her hands.

I reached the door first, and Mary flung herself at me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and squeezed tight. I lifted her and spun her around while I squeezed her back, and then I gently returned her to the ground and broke the embrace. The curly-haired woman rushed to give Elaine and Laura hugs next, and Sammy, who was waiting in the doorway, reached out to shake my hand.

“Some seriously impressive fieldwork out there,” the burly agent said with a big smile.

“Well, we have you to thank for some of that, great work on the drones,” I said as I returned the handshake and the smile.

“My pleasure, I’m glad we finally took those bastards down.”

“Same,” I sighed, and then the whole team filed into the penthouse.

We dropped our bags by the door, I knew I didn’t want to deal with them right now, and the women probably felt the same. Then Mary said she had a surprise for us and led us into the dining room where there was a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket on the table, surrounded by glasses.

I noticed a second nonalcoholic bottle next to the ice bucket, as well, for Sammy.

“Aw, that’s so sweet of you, Mary,” Elaine said and gave the small curly-haired woman a hug.

“You guys deserve it,” Mary said with a flushed smile. Then she rushed forward and poured everyone a glass of champagne, except Sammy, who got a glass of the nonalcoholic version.

“To Jonah,” Laura said as she lifted her glass high. “Without him, the Sigil Killer would have taken another victim tonight, and us badges would still be running around like chickens with our heads cut off.”

“To Jonah!” everyone echoed, but I waved off the toast.

“To everyone, I would have been useless without all of your help,” I said and lifted my glass higher, while I made eye contact with each and every team member. “Thank you, really.”

We raised our glasses and then drained them of the sweet champagne, and I felt the bubbly liquid rush straight to my head in a pleasant way.

“Another!” Mary giggled and poured us each another glass, and I enjoyed the buzz as I sipped on it.

Then Mary and Sammy asked for more details, so the women and I went over the major points of the fight. When I got to the part where I was fighting the Sigil Killer, and I knew it was either me or him, Mary gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

“Oh, my god, Jonah, I could have watched you die over that drone screen!” The green-eyed beauty reached out and smacked me across the shoulder. “Did you even think about that?”

“Sorry, Mary,” I chuckled since I didn’t feel her strike. “I’ll remember that the next time I’m facing off with a crazy cult leader in a duel to the death.”

“That’s all I’m asking,” Mary said as she spread her hands wide and grinned.

“You didn’t need to worry about that, though, Mary, Jonah’s a real superhero,” Elaine said, and she reached up to give me a kiss on the cheek.

“Ahh, thanks, baby, but it was a team effort,” I corrected with a nod to the team.

“Like I said, glad to be a part of it,” Sammy said as he set down his glass and checked his watch. “I’m going to have to head out, I’m afraid. I’m in early tomorrow, we’ve been hearing some chatter underground about the stolen necklace we’re tracking.”

“Really?” The blonde agent perked up at the mention of the necklace. With all the Sigil Killer work lately, the Black Market Group and the stolen artifact had been pushed to the back-burner, so I could imagine the history buff agent was excited to get back on track.

“I’ll keep you updated, of course,” Sammy said as he put on his jacket and waved to us. “Thank you for today.”

“Thank you, Sammy,” we echoed and waved the burly agent out the door.

When he was gone, I was finally alone with my three girlfriends, so we each grabbed another drink and cuddled up on the couch with a romcom movie, since we’d had enough action lately. It felt natural to spread my affection between the three beautiful, eager women, and Mary was shy at first, but my other two lovers were quick to assure her that they were happy with the arrangement and excited for her to join in. It went smoothly after that, and I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to believe how lucky my life was lately. Since life had been going so well lately, I figured I might as well push my luck a little bit more, so I paused the movie and turned to face Mary.

“Hey, Mary, we’ve been thinking,” I said with a glance to the other two beautiful women. “We want to get a condo together in Chicago now that Bellamy is safe. And we would love for you to join us, if you’d like to.”

“Are you for real?” Mary’s emerald eyes grew wide, and a smile spread across her face as she looked between us all. “That would be amazing, and I would love that so much, and please tell me you’re being serious, please, oh, my god.”

“Of course, we’re serious,” I chuckled. “So, that’s a yes?”

“Yes!” Mary cried, and she bounced with excitement.

I leaned across Elaine, and the curly-haired woman shot forward to meet my kiss. When we broke off the kiss, she was still giddy, and my heart leapt at the fact I finally got to call Mary mine.

Along with Elaine and Laura, it was unreal.

Elaine promised to arrange some viewings for us over the next couple of days, and we cuddled back up on the couch to finish the romcom. Halfway through the movie, my phone rang, and I took the call in the kitchen to speak to Calvino.

“Jonah,” the detective said gruffly. “You and the ladies make it back to Chicago?”

“Yes, sir, no problems. How did it go with the Middleville PD?” I asked.

“I managed to smooth things over, there were some questions about the number of dead bodies, and the bear traps, but like I said, I’ve got some old buddies on the force, and my captain decided to finally back me up.”

“That’s great.”

“My name is going on the report, but it should be yours,” Calvino grunted. “You got that collar, you deserve the recognition.”

“It’s fine, I get it,” I said with a shrug, even though the detective couldn’t see it. “I’m just glad the creep isn’t a threat anymore, I don’t care about the recognition.”

“You’re a good man, Jonah,” the weathered detective sighed. “Better than a lot of men I’ve worked with on the force. If you ever get tired of working with the Feds, I’m sure I can find something for you on the force.”

“I appreciate that, Henry,” I said, and I meant it.

“I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again soon enough,” Calvino said.

“As am I.” We ended the call, and I went back to the living room to join my lovers on the couch.

But as soon as I reached the couch, the blonde woman’s phone rang, and we all groaned.

“Hazards of our line of work, there’s always something,” Laura chuckled dryly as she checked her phone, but then her voice grew excited. “Oh, it’s Sammy.”

I squeezed myself back on the couch as the blonde agent answered her phone, and I heard Sammy’s deep voice on the other end of the line speak as soon as Laura greeted him.

“Sammy, I thought you were turning in for the-- wait. Really? Today? Okay, I’ll let the rest of the team know. Thanks, Sammy.”

The beautiful agent ended the call and turned to us with a big sigh.

“We just got word. The stolen necklace has been shipped, and it’s on its way to Manhattan.”

“So, what does that mean?” Elaine asked and tilted her head.

“It means we’re going to New York City,” I said with a smile.

End of Book 3

End Notes

Thank you for reading Okay, But Try Not to Murder Anyone 3! I’ll start working on book 4 as soon as this one hits 100 reviews, so please leave a review right here. Thank you!

Don’t forget about my Patreon! You’ll get advanced audio chapters (for your ears) or written chapters (for your eyes), and nude/sexy versions of my covers (for your… uhhh… well…) I also have an audiobook subscription so you can get 3-4 of my books every month at a discount along with all the other stuff. Check it out here! Or search for my name on Patreon.com.

Amazon doesn’t update readers when an author comes out with a new book unless you follow that author on the store. Make sure you click this link and then click on the follow button. Then Amazon will update you a few weeks after my next book comes out.

If you want to get notified of my books the day that they come out, make sure you follow my Facebook author page and join my Facebook fan group. If you don’t follow me on Amazon or join my Facebook page, you’ll never get alerted that the next book is out.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2022 by Eric Vall

…

Patreon

Don’t forget about my Patreon! You’ll get advanced audio chapters (for your ears) or written chapters (for your eyes), and nude/sexy versions of my covers (for your… uhhh… well…) I also have an audiobook subscription so you can get 3-4 of my books every month at a discount along with all the other stuff. Check it out here! Or search for my name on Patreon.com.

Amazon doesn’t update readers when an author comes out with a new book unless you follow that author on the store. Make sure you click this link and then click on the follow button. Then Amazon will update you a few weeks after my next book comes out.

If you want to get notified of my books the day that they come out, make sure you follow my Facebook author page and join my Facebook fan group. If you don’t follow me on Amazon or join my Facebook page, you’ll never get alerted that the next book is out.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2022 by Eric Vall