I give a nod that could be interpreted as impressed or encouraging, depending on whether two hundred is high or low.

No one else tries to shake my hand.

Fred is unwinding his scarf. ‘Lux made some of our most requested videos.’

There’s an awkward round of applause, like after singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to a work colleague.

‘But he has to lie low for a while,’ Fred continues, ‘so he’s gonna stay with us.’

‘What happened?’ asks Cedric, the skinny guy in the suit. He gestures at his own face to show what he means.

‘Car wreck.’ I swallow some more blood.

Fred crosses his arms. ‘What happened to the FBI guy? Timothy Blake?’

It’s jarring to hear him use my name. How much did Lux tell him about me?

‘It’s all right.’ Fred has misread my hesitation. ‘They’re cool. I mean, you know what we do here.’

Some images flash through my head. Blood, chains, screaming.

‘I sure do.’ I should be mimicking Lux’s voice, in case one of these guys has talked to him on the phone. My Texas accent is broader than his was. Too late now.

‘So what happened to the cop?’

‘Blake’s not a cop. He’s a civilian consultant.’ I clear my throat. ‘Was, anyway. I put a bullet through his head. Left him in Huntsville State Park under six feet of dirt. No one will ever find him.’

It’s Lux buried out there, not me—murdered by one of the young women he raped. The story sounds fake coming out of my mouth.

But the people around me are visibly relaxing. If I’m a cop killer, I must be okay.

‘You hear that, Donnie?’ Cedric says. ‘Six feet.’

Everyone laughs except Donnie and Samson. I chuckle, pretending to get the joke. Donnie looks about five foot eleven—maybe Cedric is making fun of him for being short, even though he’s the tallest person in the room.

‘Blake was trying to shut us down, right?’ Donnie asks. He’s a bit older than the others—late-thirties—with shaggy hair and a silver chain around his neck. No cross on it.

‘He was trying to shut me down,’ I say. ‘Me and Fred. He didn’t know the rest of you existed. At least, I don’t think he did.’

Fred nods slowly. ‘Well, we can get you a driver’s licence in a new name. It’ll take five, six days.’

I’m not going to last five or six days. These people may not have met Lux, but they communicated with him on the dark web. I don’t know enough about him or them to pull this off.

‘That’s really kind of you,’ I say. ‘But I can’t stay long.’

Fred looks surprised. ‘Why not?’

‘The cops are searching for me.’ I wish this was true.

‘I don’t want to put the group in danger.’