He presses another button, and the gate to the outside rattles open. We leave the compound, the Jeep driving carefully down an uneven dirt path that takes us directly to the heart of the forest.
His phone buzzes then, and he quickly types a message.
Logan chuckles softly. “You had me worried there for a second. Should’ve known you’d planned it all.”
I glare at him. “I didn’t planthis.”
His face blanches, and he turns toward Elias, as though expecting an explanation.
The Angel doesn’t give us one, however. He merely continues to drive, and for a while, the only sounds I hear are those of the cicadas, and the distant growl of an animal.
At last, though, Elias repeats, “You’ve made this very easy for me.”
I take the bait. “What isthis?”
“Fucking over Gabriel.” He chortles. “We had a whole plan laid out, but you sneaked a bomb into that Bible. Brilliant, man. Too bad you didn’t charge it enough. He’s not dead.”
“He’s not supposed to be,” I snap. “I wanted him to suffer first.”
Elias laughs louder. “Course you did. I should’ve known. I hesitated to kill him right then and there, but I figured he’d bleed out anyway. Where’d you hide it? The bomb, I mean.”
“In the spine,” I mutter. “Not exactly a bomb, though. It was a tiny uranium bullet that was time sensitive, and…”
I interrupt myself, closing my eyes wearily. I don’t know why I’m explaining this to him.
“Why did you want to kill Gabriel?” questions Logan suspiciously.
Elias clenches his jaw as the Jeep barrels onward.
“I’m not some stupid pawn. He was screwing us over, and I wasn’t about to sit and take it.”
“Screwing you over?” prompts Logan.
“Yeah. He made us believe that the girl—Seraphina—had the nanochip. She took the fall. But the whole time, it was him. She never had it until he planted it in her belongings, after we kidnapped her. We went along with it initially. We believed him.But he pulled the wool on all of us. He wanted to stab us in the back. This whole time, he’s been talking to the Feds, using them as leverage to get more power. He’s nothing but a rat. He hasn’t a speck of honor. He was just waiting for the right time to get rid of us. Luckily, Noel and I got wise to that fact.”
“Noel,” I say thoughtfully. “How about Aaron?”
He shrugs. “No idea where that guy’s loyalties lie.”
We drive on for a while in silence, as I try to wrap my head around what I’ve just learned. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter.She took the fall.He didn’t save her.
“Where are we going?” asks Logan cautiously.
“I have a little hideaway,” says Elias. “We’ll be safe there as we plot our next move.”
“Our next move?” echoes Logan.
“Sure. Gabriel is probably dead by now—hopefully—but that doesn’t mean I’m the leader. Angel has always been passed from father to son, and the thousands of people in our employ won’t easily accept a new leader who’s not related by blood. Gabriel doesn’t have a son, whichdoesmake things easier…”
“Hold on,” cuts in Logan. “Never heard of you guys before Gabriel came along.”
“Yeah, well, before Gabriel, we were content silently ruling Columbia,” explains Elias. “The Murillos have been dealing arms and drugs for many generations. But Gabriel is thirsty not only for power, but for fame. He decided to branch out in North America. To befriend the politicians, the tech leaders, the elites of society. To create a respectable front.”
Logan raises an eyebrow. “Like Devil.”
“Yeah, you inspired us,” chortles Elias. “But I guess we’ve far surpassed you by now.”
Logan glances at me, probably expecting to find me seething, but I’m still stuck on the first thing he said.
