Chương 33

Butcher returned to the hideout. M. M. went to him.

"What happened?" Butcher walked into the room without looking at anyone.

"The CIA will not help us," he said.

"We do this ourselves. We are alone." M. M. stared at him. M. M. studied Butcher's face. After all they had found, a complete refusal made no sense.

'Did Raynor reject all of it, or only Homelander?' he wondered.

'He is hiding something from us.' M. M. kept the accusation to himself. He had seen Butcher lie before, so he continued watching for a reaction that never came. Adam watched from the side. Adam knew exactly which part of the deal Butcher had refused, but he kept quiet. He felt no need to expose it yet. Mesmer later called the caretaker who looked after Cleo.

"Do not contact me again," Mesmer said. His voice shook, but he forced the words out. If he went to Vought, he wanted Cleo far from what followed. The caretaker started to ask why. Mesmer cut her off.

"I am not coming to meet her after this. Just do not call me." After the call, Mesmer closed his eyes.

'Once Vought takes me back, Cleo will understand,' he told himself. He repeated that thought until he could stand and leave. He ended the call and went to the roof. Homelander was waiting there. Mesmer stopped in front of him.

"A-Train is my childhood friend," Mesmer began.

"I used his help to reach you, and I--" Homelander cut him off.

"Get to the point. I do not care about your past." Mesmer nodded quickly.

"I met suspicious people. The girl A-Train told you about was with them." He held out his phone. There were photos on it. Homelander looked through them. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. One photo showed Butcher. Another showed Adam. Homelander slowed over Adam's photo. Something about those eyes felt familiar, even without the zinc mask. He stared for another second, then moved to the next image. He stopped when Hughie's face appeared. His eyes narrowed.

"This boy," Homelander said.

"He was at the Diamond Club at Believe Expo." He was already starting to rise when Mesmer spoke again.

"And this person," Mesmer said, sliding Adam's photo back onto the screen, "has abilities like yours." Homelander froze. Homelander stopped moving.

"What did you say?" Mesmer swallowed hard before answering him.

"His eyes," Mesmer said.

"They lit up like yours do. Like laser light." Homelander looked at Adam's photo again. The photo had been taken while Adam watched Mesmer from the corner. Adam had planned this moment when he showed Mesmer the red glow. Homelander was making exactly the connection Adam wanted. Homelander stared at Adam again. The face fit beneath the zinc mask in his mind, and Hughie's photo was forgotten. Mesmer was about to say Adam should be reported. Homelander flew away before hearing the rest.

At a hotel restaurant, Adam sat with Annie. He looked at her and smiled.

"I want to spend my future with you," Adam said.

"I have decided." His smile faded when he said it. This time, he was not joking. Annie's face brightened.

"I was thinking the same thing," she said. Adam meant every word. He glanced toward the entrance.

'Butcher should be here any second. Then I tell her everything.' A moment later, exactly as Adam expected, Butcher walked up to their table.

"Adam, my friend," Butcher said. Annie looked at him in surprise. Adam did not show surprise. He looked at Annie.

"You can think of him as my boss or my colleague. We work on the same FBI team." Butcher stared at Adam. Annie looked between them.

"Nice to meet you," she said, then stood.

"I will be right back." She left for the bathroom. Butcher leaned closer.

"Why the fuck did you tell her that?"

"Because I do not want to lie to her," Adam said.

"You cannot go down that path," Butcher said.

"We are on a mission. You were the one who said you would beat Homelander at any cost."

"Yes," Adam said.

"And now I am sure I can beat him." Butcher's eyes narrowed. Adam continued, "And if I tell Starlight the truth, that is not a problem either. Is it?"

"If this pulls you off the mission, I will deal with you myself." Adam smiled.

"I am not worried about that."

"Why?"

"Because the Boys are already exposed," Adam said.

"Mesmer gave Homelander our photos." Butcher's face changed, but Adam kept going.

"He will reach our real identities soon. Running from the truth will not save anyone. I also know why you refused Raynor's deal." Butcher went quiet. He had told no one what happened with Raynor, yet Adam knew. Adam looked at him.

"Butcher, decide now. Is your revenge big enough that you will let your friends die for it?" Butcher stared at him. The word friends made Butcher pause.

"Friends?" Butcher asked.

"You are my friend?" Adam answered without thinking.

"Yes. I am your friend." Butcher said nothing after that. He walked away. A few seconds later, Annie came back.

"Your friend," she said, then corrected herself.

"I mean, your colleague. Where did he go?" Adam looked at her.

"Starlight, I need to tell you something."