Kindred Spirit - Noah Harris Page 0,60

weren’t even bothering to pretend they were there for a lawful arrest anymore. All it would take was one stray bullet, and it would all be over.

So, Levi followed Jacob, a sense of foreboding creeping over him as they broke out into the next street. Just as soon as they crossed out into the open, he knew there was trouble. He didn’t need Lou hissing in his ear to know that they had fallen neatly into the trap. Main street was divided into three by two lines of armed men, and right there in the middle of them stood Jacob and Levi.

God, the groups split up. They split up, and I didn’t notice. I didn’t see it, Levi.

Levi spun around, looking first at one group and then the other. “Not your fault, Lou.”

I should have seen!

“They were ready for us.”

Jacob grunted. “Kept us running for our lives, afraid of what was around the corner.”

“And Lou close to me,” Levi finished grimly.

It was efficient, smart, and if it hadn’t been to lay a trap for them, Levi might have been impressed at the thought put behind it. As it was, they were staring down almost a dozen barrels as more men came into view. Another group came from behind them, and between all the people on the street, Levi was left to keep an eye on a dozen and a half possible deaths.

“Levi Boaz,” a voice called out.

Gritting his teeth, Levi turned to face the owner of the voice. It was a man in a suit, just like the others. Though now that he was up close to them, he didn’t know why anyone would take them for federal agents. Other than Jacob, Levi thought government agents held no emotion. Either through rigorous training or experience, they learned to lock their inner selves away. These men’s eyes practically blazed, some with excitement, some with frustration, but all of them had this coldness coming off them, like grim crusaders come to do God’s work.

“What?” Levi snapped.

“We’re here to deliver proper judgment upon you for your crimes.”

“What crimes? Existing?”

“Exodus, book 22, chapter 18,” the man began.

Jacob sneered. “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. Wanna quote us another verse to prove you actually know the whole fucking book you’re touting, or just wanna repeat that ad nauseum.”

The man cocked his head and, without missing a beat, picked his gun up and fired. Jacob grunted, dropping to one knee as the bullet pierced his thigh. Yelling his name, Levi leaped forward, knowing there was no conceivable way to shield the man from further fire, but he could at least be at his side.

“Heretics and blasphemers won’t be suffered either,” the man said simply.

“Same fucking leg too. Just had to be that leg,” Jacob grunted, pressing his hand over the wound.

I’ll kill every last one of them.

There it was, for the first time in years. The pure, unfiltered fury that no human could ever muster and remain sane. The last time Levi had heard that sound from Lou, eight men had lost their lives. Levi had known then that their deaths could have been avoided, but they had led themselves straight into it and pushed Levi and Lou both. Now they were repeating history.

“Bastards,” Levi hissed, wrapping his arm around Jacob’s shoulder. “You really think we won’t see history repeat itself? You really think you’re not going to end up dead on the side of the road?”

He hated the words, and he hated that he meant them. Worse, he hated that part of him wanted Lou to do it.

The leader shrugged. “Mistakes were made in the past, but they won’t be repeated. You caught us off-guard years ago, we thought we were ready.”

Levi closed his eyes, taking in the fact that it had been 2218. All those years, and he’d thought it had been the feds.

“And you think you can kill me fast enough to stop your own death?” Levi asked softly.

It was quiet enough outside that he was heard, though. “If we should die, then we go into His arms, confident in the rightness of our cause, and the justice we have brought.”

“This isn’t justice. This isn’t right. This is stone-cold murder and execution,” Jacob hissed.

“It is a cleansing,” the man said, standing straighter.

Levi knew what was coming. Death would rain down from both sides. There was no chance of Lou being able to kill them all before they managed to gun Jacob and him down. Maybe there would be enough time for