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Silicon Valley. My security team will protect her from the militia. I also intend to contact Cabrera so he can begin the process of fortifying her mind against any renewed spiritual attack by the entity.”  
    “Sounds like we have a plan. I’ll check in once I have a better idea what’s going on.”
    “Good luck,” Casca said and ended the call.
    Even though time was of the essence, Talon maintained the speed limit. Considering the small arsenal in the trunk of his car, he didn’t want to risk being pulled. The cache of pistols, ammo, grenades and a submachine gun wouldn’t endear him to the local authorities. Even in Arizona.
    The sun had already set as he entered Sierra Nogal’s city limits. The jeweled lights of the city shimmered like flames in the evening. The town seemed like a place forgotten by time. A McDonald’s and Walmart, both built in the seventies, were the newest businesses. The streets he drove through were deserted and bathed in the orange hues of sodium-vapor of streetlights. Why had Nicole chosen Sierra Nogal to start her new life?  
    She is still running , Talon thought. Instinctively trying to keep a low profile. And despite all her efforts, her past had still managed to catch up with her.  
    He checked the time. It was around nine o’clock. Nicole would most likely be home by now. Her roommate, according to Casca’s information, worked nights. Talon decided to pay Nicole a visit and go from there.  
    Following the directions on his GPS, it took him only fifteen minutes to find Nicole’s house. It was located near the main freeways but felt isolated. Palm and shade trees fronted a covered patio. He pulled up to the curb and parked the jeep. Most of his weapons stayed in the trunk except for the Glock in his shoulder holster and a Ka-bar strapped around his waist.  
    Talon walked up to the apartment and rang the buzzer. No one answered. He stood near the door and listened intently. No sounds drifted from inside the house. His gut told him that no one was home and he began to quickly pick the front lock. The lock was cheap and barely slowed him down. If people knew how vulnerable their dwellings were to a determined intruder, they’d probably invest in a better security system. Ignorance was bliss in this case.
    The door snapped open and Talon entered the silent, stuffy dwelling. One glance informed him he was too late. The living room was in complete disarray. An overturned coffee table and broken vase suggested a recent altercation. The cult had gotten to Nicole first. He spotted framed photographs of a tall, fair-skinned brunette. Attractive but with a vulnerable, haunted quality to her smile. There was a sadness and seriousness there that seemed at odds with her beauty. In some of the pictures she was hanging out with a shorter, olive-skinned female whom he assumed to be Nicole’s roommate.  
    Talon drew his Glock and advanced carefully toward the open bedroom door. Death pervaded the air. The first thing he noticed as he stepped into the next room was a cow skull facing him from the head of the bed, bone flecked with crimson, long horns sheathed in red. The skull rested on a blood-drenched, headless female body. Demonic sigils marked the wall.
    Facing the mutilated woman before him made Talon think of Michelle, and his heart sank. Another casualty in this dark war. Anger rose within him and it took a concentrated effort to regain control over his emotions.  
    Focus on the victim. On the mission.  
    Was the dead woman Nicole? He studied the body more closely. The shorter build and skin tone seemed to rule out Nicole. Besides, this cult wouldn’t go through all the trouble of tracking Nicole down to just to take her head. They had something far more spectacular in store for her.  
    Nicole was still alive. For how much longer was anyone’s guess.  
    Wary, Talon edged deeper into the room and spotted a dead man previously hidden by the bed. He was sprawled on the carpeted floor,