Bram was right: the place was quiet, minus the heat signatures that would have indicated the presence of guards, although I did catch sight of a few small animals — eerie smudges of red in a sea of shadow — in the overgrowth surrounding the property.
Remy shifted on the ground next to me. “Think there are guards on the inside? Or just Vladescu?”
Anton Vladescu was by all accounts Ethan Todd’s right-hand man and primary muscle.
“Only one way to find out,” Bram said, rising to his feet.
I stood and stuffed the goggles into my jacket.
“Not going to be easy to clear such a big place.” I lowered my bone mask over my face.
Each of us became someone else — something else — when we wore them. Behind the carved bone, we weren’t human: we were animals, our instincts turned primitive and primal.
Track. Hunt. Claim.
Except this time we were hunting not to claim but to kill, and we were hunting to save Maeve, the most important goal of all.
Remy’s face disappeared behind his own mask. “The good news is that if it’s just Todd and Vladescu, we can take it slow.”
“We’ll be quiet,” Bram said. “At first.”
We shrugged on our packs — another contribution from Rafe — and I adjusted my knife in the sheath around my waist. We’d brought the guns too, but the knives were part of our hunts, and we’d brought them without even talking about it.
“You’ve got the thermite?” Bram asked Remy.
“I’ve got it.”
“Then let’s go get Maeve,” Bram said, starting through the cleaning surrounding the castle. “And then let’s burn this motherfucker to the ground.”
10
MAEVE
This timeI was ready when I heard the iron gate creak open at the end of the hall.
I stayed in my position against the wall, waiting as the sound of footsteps grew closer.
Counting.
Three people this time: Todd, Meathead, and Mr. Skinny.
Time for the main event.
I tucked the piece of stone in my hand into the pocket of my tracksuit. It hadn’t taken long to find a loose stone on the floor of my cell, although I had spent some time sharpening its edge on the other stones. It wasn’t much as weapons went, but it was better than nothing.
My heart beat like a full-fledged marching band as the three men came into view on the other side of the bars.
Todd stood back while Anton unlocked the door, and the iron gate opened with a groan that echoed off the stone.
Todd entered first, clearly ready to play. He was wearing black tactical pants and a black shirt that looked like it belonged in the gym. He was also wearing boots instead of his usual sneakers.
I wanted to needle him about the look, ask him if his fans knew he liked to play dress-up, but my jaw still hurt from the punch he’d delivered to my face, and I needed to keep my wits about me if I wanted to get out of this hellhole alive.
“I hope you got some rest,” he said. “You’re going to need it.”
“I hopeyougot some rest,” I said. “You’re going to need it more.”
His jaw tightened and he shook his head. “I see why the Butchers have a thing for you. Sometimes it’s fun to break pretty things. Especially pretty, stubborn things.”
