Christian sends me the address, and I’m on my way to another location in search of Lux.
I will not sleep.
I will not stop.
Racing down the highway toward the woods with only my headlights and Sebastian’s distant beams behind to guide the way through the dense and cloudy night sky. I grip the steering wheel, hoping I’m getting close to finding her as the pain inside me pulses in every fiber of my being.
This has to be it.
The GPS leads me where Christian had said we’d be headed—into a secluded part of the small town west of the city. When I’m within about a mile of the location I pop in my SEs.
“We need to turn our lights off. I don’t want to tip anyone off about our presence,” I tell Sebastian, assuming he’s already mic’d up.
“Yeah.” He holds close to my tail. “Right behind you.”
Swiping up on my phone screen with one hand still on the steering wheel, I hit the TI location app, allowing me to get a visual of the area. After a quick check, I proceed to the guided route toward the building.
Sliding out of my car, I pull on the hood of my sweater, then slip on the smart glasses and a double tap to the side to switch to night vision. Jogging at a measured pace, I head up the steep incline toward the log structure. A few trees snap in the distance, but it doesn’t shake me until the crunch of my boots on crisp leaves alerts what looks to be a man with a shotgun at the back entrance.
Of course, Andrew wouldn’t be alone.Pussy.
Ducking under the wood beam lying next to where he’s keeping watch, I run my back flush with the outside wall. The wet panels lay a damp layer of newly fallen rainwater on my sweater, awakening every nerve in my body.
With the guard’s back in my sights, I leap over the step and wrap my arms tightly around his neck. Stunned, he swings his gun into the air but before he can pull the trigger and send bullets flying into the sky, I constrict my grip on his neck and crush his windpipe. The man struggles for a few moments before his body goes limp. Only then do I loosen my hold and let him fall through my arms, his lifeless body meeting the earth with a thud.
“Got him,” I tell Sebastian through my earbud.
“Good. Do you think he’d only bring one man with him?” he asks.
“I’m not sure.” I wipe the heavy drops of water from my eyes. “From your vantage point, can you see if there’s a cellar or a basement entrance?” I scan the perimeter. The downpour makes it more difficult to see. A grayhue blankets the forest, similar to my property. Spending nights training among the trees makes it easier for me to navigate through the overgrown bush, but still presents a challenge.
Sebastian is silent for a beat. “I can make out what might be cellar doors on the south side of the building.”
“Okay.” I turn and jump off the porch into a mud pit below. The increasing rainfall drowns the water, splashing by the sound out hitting the roof above.
“About five, maybe six yards in front of you,” Sebastian instructs.
“Got it.” Walking over, I spot light shining through a pile of leaves pushed against the cement foundation. With a low squat, I take a gloved hand and slowly clear them away to peer into the window. Then I spot Lux. “Holy fuck.”
“What?” Sebastian belts out. “What is it?”
“Lux,” I murmur. Hit with rageandrelief, I gasp as I see Andrew has handcuffed her to a bed in an unfinished room. With her skirt pushed up, exposing her thighs, I have a clear view of fresh bruises. “Motherfucker.” I snap to a stand.
“She’s there?”
Fueled by darkness, I ball my fists and crack my neck. “I’m going to fucking kill him.”
“Wait for me. I’ve got your back,” Sebastian demands. But all I hear is a ringing in my ears.
Sliding my gun from my waist, my slippery fingers grasp at the handle while I turn around and stalk straight for the back door.
“River, no,” he scolds but I ignore him.
Andrew’s fucked up game is over. I didn’t know how I would find Lux, and my imagination went to many horrific places, but the moment Isaw her—my Luxlying on that bed helpless, like she was before—something in me snapped.
I swing the door open.
“River! Get yourself together!” Sebastian screams into my ear.
