223 The Child of No Moon
Lucian
The moment they hit the floor, I felt the burn of freedom. I flexed my wrists, acting weak, masking the fire building inside
They gave me the laptop. I logged into Robert’s account and initiated a false transfer, just enough code and bounce routing to fool them. Rowan had taught me well.
Justin hovered behind me.
“You done?” he asked.
I nodded.
I stood slowly, careful not to show strength. My wolf was clawing to break free. My mark burned like wildfire, Mara’s tether pulling me home.
“You gonna let us go now?” I asked, voice cracking, shoulders slouched.
He just laughed and stepped forward, one last performance. A punch to my face. I let it land, stumbled back, dropped to my knees.
“Northwood sent whimps to do a man’s job,” he said, full of himself. He had no idea what kind of storm was brewing in front of him.
“I’m feeling generous,” he added. “You get to choose one out of the three. That way, not all of you die. And we have a body to show Mr. Chase.”
I didn’t respond. Just kept my head down, watched his movements from beneath my lashes.
He linked with the others. After a moment, he spoke again.
“I’ll head to the bank. Tom, Gentle, stay with him. Release whoever he picks. Then let them go.”
He walked out like he owned the world.
Fifteen minutes later, Tom and Gentle were dead.
They didn’t see it coming. They couldn’t have. You don’t post amateurs to guard an Alpha and expect to live.
One had his neck snapped. The other never got to scream.
The room was still. Silent.
I exhaled.
I moved fast, freeing Denis, Jane, and Lance from their chains. They looked like hell, tired, bruised, but alive.
“You good?” I asked, and Denis nodded.
“You’re a lunatic,” Jane said, her voice cracking, and I managed a smile.
“We’re going home,” I said. “Now.”
Denis looked at the blood on my shirt. “What about the others?”
“We should leave before Justin comes back.” Denis said wanting to leave and the others agreed with him.
They wanted to leave, who wouldn’t after being tortured, but I needed something more than freedom. I needed Justin’s
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phone.
It wasn’t just a pimp’s burner. It was a trail. Maybe a call log, a message thread, a picture, anything that would lead us to Chase Nighthorn.
Denis shifted uneasily. “What if they overpower us again?”
I looked him dead in the eye. “We were trained for war, Denisy. Letting four street dogs outmatch us would be a national disgrace.”
He didn’t argue.
The silver had done a number on us, but we were recovering fast. Our wolves were healing. Our senses were sharper. And now, we weren’t caught off guard.
“They’re coming back here pissed. The transfer was fake,” I said, wiping blood from my mouth.
Denis blinked. “You what?”
“I don’t have half a million to throw away. We’re on a budget,” I said dryly.
He chuckled. “Damn, I haven’t heard you say that in years.”
I smiled, but it didn’t reach my eyes. “Anna, release the woman. She’s coming with us.”
Bianca was barely conscious, slumped in the corner with dried blood caking her temple. She had risked everything just trying to get home to her kid. She didn’t deserve to die in this dump.
“She earned her freedom. Let’s get her out of here,” I added.
Jane moved quickly and gently untied her. Lance brought water. They wrapped her in one of the sheets lying on the floor.
She whimpered, but she was still breathing.
“You and Lance watch her. Guard the exit. If anything goes wrong, you leave. No arguments,” I ordered.
Jane looked like she wanted to argue, she always did, but she nodded.
Denis and I stood ready near the entrance.
“I want Justin’s phone,” I said again. “One of them will have it. When they show up, we split them, take them down fast, no
mercy. If I see the phone, I grab it.”
“And if you don’t?” Denis asked.
“Then we end every single one of them and burn this place to the ground.”
We heard footsteps.
Engines outside.
Doors slamming.
Voices, too many to count, they were back.
“Showtime,” Denis muttered.
I dropped into a crouch, adrenaline humming in my veins. My mind sharpened, my senses aligned. The rage was behind
my eyes now, contained and focused.
They wanted bodies for Chase.
I was about to give them some.
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