Chapter 76: Danny

The house is a whirlwind of chaos. Crew members are still combing through every room, every drawer, leaving no stone unturned. The tension is thick in the air, a strange mix of relief and anger buzzing through the place as we all process what just happened. My head’s spinning, my fists clenched as I overhear a couple of the guys talking not far from where I stand.

“I swear, if I could’ve, I would’ve gone in there from the start,” one of them mutters under his breath, pacing. “I just wanted to grab her and get her out of that hellhole.”

I bite down hard on my jaw, a wave of frustration rolling through me. I know they care about Sofia, I get it. She’s easy to care about, easy to want to protect. Hell, we all feel that way about her. But it’s their words, their obvious admiration for her, that stirs something darker in my chest. A possessiveness I can’t quite shake.

I understand their intentions, but I can’t help the surge of anger I feel. I don’t want anyone else thinking they could be her hero. That’s our job—my job. We’re the ones who keep her safe. No one else.

Still, I breathe through it, trying to remind myself that we all have the same goal. Get her out of here, get her safe. And she is safe now. We did it. We saved her.

Nate moves past me, his face hard, his eyes fixed on Sofia. He’s cradling her in his arms as one of our crew members—our paramedic, Cole—comes over. Nate hands her over with a level of care that surprises even me. It’s almost like he’s holding something fragile. Which, in a way, she is.

“Take a look at her,” Nate orders, his voice low but tight. “Make sure she’s okay.”

Cole nods, gently lowering Sofia onto the nearby couch, checking her vitals and looking over her bruises. Watching her like this, bruised and broken, makes my blood boil all over again. I can feel the rage simmering beneath my skin, and it’s all I can do to keep it together.

Riley catches my eye and jerks his chin toward the living room where her parents are still pinned down on the floor by two of our men. Her parents. The ones responsible for all of this. The ones who hurt her, betrayed her, sold her.

The fury in my veins spikes again, and I storm over with the rest of the guys, my chest heaving with the weight of what we’re about to do.

We stand over them, these two pieces of shit who had the nerve to call themselves her parents. They’re still face down, arms pinned behind their backs, their expressions a mix of rage and fear.

For the first time since we stormed in here, I let my anger loose.

“You listen closely,” I say, my voice low but sharp, biting. “Because this is the last time you’re ever going to see or hear about Sofia. We’re making sure of that.”

Nate steps forward, his jaw clenched, his eyes burning with a cold fury. “You’ll be rotting in one of the worst prisons we know of,” he adds, his tone dripping with venom. “And trust me, we’ve got friends in there waiting for you. Friends who already know exactly what you did to her.”

I watch as her father shifts slightly, his face contorting with discomfort. Good. He should be scared.

“People in prison love a good story about abusive parents who sell their kids,” Leo spits, his lip curling. “I’m sure they’ll be *real* interested in making your stay… memorable.”

Her mother’s eyes dart up, panic flashing across her face. I almost laugh at how quickly her bravado fades. Too late for fear now, I think bitterly.

“This was your last chance,” Riley growls, standing over them with his arms crossed. His voice is deep, steady, but the threat laced within it is unmistakable. “You’ll never touch her again. You’ll never see her again.”

The fear in her father’s eyes is palpable now, and I feel a surge of satisfaction. They deserve every ounce of fear they’re feeling right now. Every single bit of it.

We signal to a few of our crew members, jerking our heads toward Sofia’s parents. They get the message immediately, stepping forward to grab them by the arms and roughly yank them up from the floor.

One of the guys holding Sofia’s father smirks as he grips the man tightly, almost dragging him toward the door. “Rough ’em up a little on the way there,” Riley mutters under his breath, his voice laced with fury, but with just enough control.

There’s a dark satisfaction in knowing that her parents aren’t getting off easy, even though I’d love to do more than just have them roughed up. But we know better than that. A life sentence in prison? That’s a fate worse than death. They’ll be haunted by what they did to Sofia every single day, especially with the friends we have waiting for them inside those walls.

We turn back toward the living room, making our way to Sofia. She’s still sitting on the couch, looking small and battered but somehow strong in the middle of all this chaos. When she spots us coming, she smiles—a small, tired smile that almost doesn’t reach her eyes but is still there.

I shake my head in disbelief. This girl… after everything, she can still smile. Still fight.

“Chickenshit, uh?” Leo teases, his voice lighter now, as he walks over to her.

Sofia lets out a weak laugh, her smile widening slightly. “I thought it’d be a funny safe word,” she murmurs, her voice raspy but soft, almost playful.

The guys all chuckle at that, even Cole, who’s still crouched beside her, checking her pulse again and monitoring her breathing. But then, as quickly as the light moment came, it disappears. Her body sways, her head lolling to the side, and in an instant, she passes out, her body slumping against the couch.

Panic grips me. “Sofia?” I shout, rushing to her side, my heart slamming into my ribs.

Leo is already next to her, his hands cupping her face, his panic clear. “Sofia, baby? Wake up!”

But Cole is already calming us down, his tone steady as he carefully adjusts her on the couch. “It’s okay, guys,” he says, raising a hand to stop our panic. “This is normal. She’s exhausted, and her body’s shutting down to rest. She’s been through hell.”

“She’s going to be okay, right?” Leo asks, his voice tight with concern.

Cole nods, giving us the reassurances we desperately need. “Yeah, she’s going to be fine. She’s got a fractured rib—thankfully, it’s not broken—and a lot of bruises, but nothing life-threatening. She’s just… worn out. Physically and emotionally.”

“She just needs rest,” Nate says quietly, brushing a thumb over Sofia’s hand. “A week, at least. Right?”

Cole nods again, his voice firm but gentle. “At least a week. Maybe more. You’ll need to keep her resting, let her body heal. I’ll prescribe her something for the pain, but she’s going to be okay.”

I exhale the breath I didn’t even realize I was holding, relief flooding through me like a wave. I glance over at Riley, whose fists have slowly unclenched, though his face is still drawn tight with worry. Leo, too, looks like he’s slowly coming down from the adrenaline rush, his hand still resting on Sofia’s shoulder protectively.

“She’ll be okay,” I murmur to myself, but also for the guys. Because we need to hear it again. We need to believe it. We saved her.

And now we’ll take care of her until she’s better.