She was shaking uncontrollably, great, silent sobs wracking her tiny frame as tears streamed down her dirt-streaked cheeks.
I peered out the hall before venturing further into the house, the floorboards creaking underneath my feet.
“Motherfucker,” Luca grunted as I approached the next door.
I burst into the room to see Luca pummeling the hell out of a man’s face with the butt of his gun.
“Stop, he’s dead, Luca!” I pulled him back by his arm. His eyes were wild, and his breath came in sharp gasps.
I turned to the bed, spotting a young girl lying on her back with long black hair draped over her face like a curtain. Letting go of Luca, I approached the bed and swept her hair aside. Her eyes remained shut, and her complexion was ashen. I pressed my fingers to her neck, but I was unable to find a pulse.
“She’s dead,” I announced, anger festering in my chest. I turned to Luca. “You good?”
“Yeah,” he said gruffly. “Let’s just finish this fucking mission.” He spat on the man’s corpse and stormed out of the room.
We cleared room after room, but Gigi was nowhere to be found. Each step felt like someone was squeezing the air out from my lungs.
There was just one more door left. I opened it, and the sight before me sent a chill through my bones, freezing me in place. An unconscious girl lay on the bed, her body limp and exposed. Old and new bruises covered her entire body. She was thin, too thin—I could see the outline of her ribs. Her long, oily hair hung in tangled strands and was the same shade as Gigi’s.
Her olive-toned skin? Gigi’s.
Her delicate build? Gigi’s.
Everything about her screamed Gigi.
Oh, fuck.
“Gigi,” I called out, my voice raw with desperation as I rushed to her side. My heart thundered against my ribs, each beat reminding me that I was too late. Kneeling beside her, I gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, feeling. But as I looked closer, a wave of nausea washed over me.
It wasn’t her.
“Damn it!” I stood up and slammed my fist into the wall, the plaster cracking.
Where the hell are you, my Angel?
Heavy footsteps reverberated down the hall. I instinctively raised my gun and aimed it at the door. But as soon as I caught a glimpse of Matteo, I lowered it to my side.
“No sign of her,” he said, confirming my fear.
I nodded and turned away, feeling the hollow pit in my stomach deepen. “Have you searched all the common areas?” I asked.
“Yeah.” Lo’s reply was somber. “We counted fifteen girls, but only twelve of them are alive.”
And none of them was my angel. Relief bloomed in my chest that she wasn't among the girls in this godforsaken place, but it was replaced by a white-hot surge of anger. Another day, another minute, and another hour without her was testing my sanity.
“We noticed a private trailer behind here,” Matteo said.
I nodded. “Luca and Lo, get the girls out of here. Matteo and I will handle the trailer. And call Enzo.”
Lo and Luca raised their eyebrows.
“Yeah, I know,” I grumbled. “I want him to pick up the girls. Make sure he brings a vehicle to fit all of them.”
They bobbed their heads in acknowledgement.
While Luca and Lo worked on escorting the girls out, Matteo and I headed toward the other trailer. Approaching it, I saw a man behind a desk through the dirty cracked window.
I kicked open the front door and pointed my gun at the man’s head. “Don’t even think about it, fucker. I’ll pull the trigger before you can blink.”
