“Exactly.”
Tori nodded. “I’ll have to get used to this resting on God stuff.”
Nyla smiled and drew her close again. “You will. But for now, both our men are safe in His mighty hands.”
The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 (NKJV)
Chapter 29
Kyle leaned his crutch against the wall, then hobbled to sit at the sterile gray table across from the infamous Calan Walker.
He stared at him for several minutes, a tactic of interrogation that was intended to cause discomfort to the criminal. Instead, Calan merely stared back, a calm expression on his face, and a look in his eyes that said,can we just get this over with?
Impressive. The man had once been a Navy SEAL and no doubt had been trained in handling interrogation.
“So, we meet again, Nyla’s brother,” he said before Kyle had a chance to speak.
“I’ll be the one asking the questions,” Kyle returned.
“Fine.” Calan held up both hands. “It’s just that you look more like her than I remember…same eyes… hair.”
At the mention of his sister, images flooded his mind of their time at the creek, how she’d saved his life at the risk of her own, thoughts he’d been unable to squelch since he’d located his troops in the forest and returned to St. Augustine. He rubbed his eyes. In fact, the visions had kept him up all night, tossing and turning on a bed of guilt and confusion.
“Rough night?” Calan asked.
“Where’s your Deviant hideout?”
Chuckling, Calan raked back his hair. “What? No small talk first?”
Struggling to rise, Kyle slammed his fist on the table. “Think you’re funny, don’t you?”
Calan didn’t wince, didn’t flinch. Instead, he smiled. “You also have her temper.”
Kyle sank back to his chair, ignoring the throb in his foot. “This is no joke, Mr. Walker. If you don’t provide some useful information, then you will be useless to us. And you know what that means.”
Calan sliced his thumb across his neck and made a swooshing sound. “Yeah. I’m aware.” Yet no fear, no apprehension sounded in his tone.
He was good at this.
Kyle leaned back in his chair, studying him. If he could break Calan and discover the location of the Deviant hideout, Regent Landry promised a huge promotion, maybe even the leader of the North American Reformation Security forces.
Then he wouldn’t need his association with Jura to advance. He wouldn’t need the Tall White. It was good the creature had left before Kyle returned, because he had no desire to see him. Not after he’d lied to Kyle about his spy’s true purpose. Kyle had foolishly thought Jura liked him, had his best interest at heart, but he was just as much a liar as Kyle’s father, as Nyla. Both only cared about themselves. Both had betrayed him. And now, both had abandoned him.
“I have the power to end your life today if I want.”
One side of Calan’s lips rose as if Kyle had said something amusing. “Actually, that’s true. You do. But only because God has granted you that power. Besides,”—he shrugged—“you’d be doing me a favor.”
Kyle snickered. “Are all you Deviants this crazy?”
“I suppose.” Calan cocked his head. “You know Nyla loves you. She prays for you every night.”
Kyle snorted. “Oh, is that why she betrayed me?”
“Betrayed you how?” Calan’s brows lifted. “By becoming a Deviant? By wanting you to find the same joy and peace she has found? By wanting you desperately to join her in eternity and not spend it in the lake of fire.”
“Enough!” Kyle shouted. “The God you serve is a bully and a liar. Lucifer is the real god who offers us eternal life.”
