The Annihilation Code

Chapter Sixteen ➹ Atlas Contreras ➹

I clenched my fingers around the knives and pointed them towards the trespassers.

Adrien stared me down. "You don't want to mess with me, Atlas. I've obliterated men that are three times your size and twice as strong. I could kill you in an instant if I wanted to, so I suggest you stand down."

My resolve faltered, I disconnected my cerebral link with Chase, and I lowered the knives. I knew I couldn't survive a fight with Adrien Kumar.

Chase shot me a look that said. Are you crazy?

Gabriel folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "Tuck those knives away, Curseword. You don't want to get on my bad side."

"I'm pretty sure he already got on your bad side when he pickpocketed the map from you," Chase said.

Gabriel waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, the map. I don't care about the map. You can keep it. That thing is way more trouble than it's worth."

"Yeah right!" I snapped. "You sent someone after us!"

"I have no clue what you're talking about, and I really don't care. I'm here to discuss something else," Gabriel said.

What other reason could he have for being here? I'll admit it, he'd piqued my interest. I wanted to know why he was here. I clenched my teeth and shot him a dirty look, as I sheathed my knives.

Gabriel shot me a satisfied smirk. "Attaboy. Let's talk things out, like gentlemen. By the way, I like your suit."

Now I'm tempted to burn the suit out of spite. "If you're not here for the map, then why are you here?"

Adrien pounded his fists on the nightstand. "I want to know what happened to my favorite fighter!"

"How should I know?" Chase asked.

"Ever since your little pathetic little skirmish at the Cybrawl, Vindicator has been MIA, and I'd like to know what the hell happened to him!" Adrien spat.

"Oh, Vindicator is your favorite? You should pick someone better. We kicked his ass twice in less than twenty-four hours." Chase said.

"Hey, he's new at this!" Adrien defended. "With  time, he'll grow up to be an absolute terror in the arena like me." Adrien shot me an icy stare, and said, "Gabriel has his favorite fighters and I have mine."

"Well, I've got some bad news about your golden boy, we kinda sorta threw him into the sea," Chase said sheepishly.

Gabriel quirked an eyebrow. "You two tossed him into the ocean?"

Chase nodded. "We chucked his ass into the sea, just like Rose threw the necklace at the end of Titanic. I'm pretty sure he's gone for good now. What a shame."

Gabriel shot me a piercing stare. "You're being awfully quiet."

"I haven't made a sound in five years." I signed.

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Do you want to tell me what really happened?"

I shrugged. "It's exactly like Chase said. He's probably lying dead on the ocean floor."

Gabriel shot me a disbelieving look. Then why does our tracker say he's in this house."

I froze. He's in this mansion right now? He can't be!  The last thing we need is another obstacle in our heist.

"You track your fighters?" Chase asked.

"Of course I do. It's important to keep tabs on my investments," Gabriel said. "Ever since footage of your Cybrawl went viral, he disappeared without a word. I doubt that's a coincidence."