I gathered the bloodstained fragments of the Holy Cup, piece by piece, and tucked them against my chest.

Then, with my uninjured left hand, I reached inside my jacket and pulled out the private phone Kevin had given me earlier.

Tamara assumed I was calling the police. She threw her head back and sneered without a shred of restraint.

"Go ahead, call the cops! Even if you do, you're the one running a cult and scamming people. Let's see who they arrest."

"This is my turf. You could call God himself today and it wouldn't make a difference."

I ignored the clowns entirely.

I pressed the single contact saved in the phone and hit speaker.

The line rang once before it was picked up.

"Mr. Farley, my Karmic Thread has been severed clean. But I've run into a small problem..."

The line went silent for one second.

Then, through the phone's speaker, Kevin Farley's voice cut through the room, dripping with murderous intent.

"Philippa. Close your eyes. In three minutes, I'll make them wish they were dead."