Chapter 126
Elara's POV
The scarred man's smile widened. His one good eye fixed on me with cold amusement.
"Looks like we caught ourselves a second little mouse."
My mind kicked into overdrive. Narrow hallway. No room to maneuver.
I let my fingers drift to my ear. Tapped the comm device twice. Fast. The emergency signal Cole and I had agreed on.
Now I just had to buy time.
The scarred man took a step forward. I took a step back. My boot hit the wall behind me.
Trapped.
"Funny thing," he said. His voice was rough. Like gravel scraping metal. "We knew someone was watching the place. Set up motion sensors two days ago."
Damn it.
I forced my breathing to stay even. Calculated the distance between us. The hallway was maybe six feet wide. Three men blocked the stairs behind him. Two more had appeared from the rooms on either side.
My hand drifted toward the knife at my thigh.
"I wouldn't." The scarred man's eye tracked the movement. "You're fast. I'll give you that. But not fast enough to take all five of us."
He was right. In an open space, maybe. But here? Boxed in like this?
I let my shoulders slump. Dropped my gaze. Made myself look smaller. Scared.
The scarred man relaxed slightly. Exactly what I wanted.
Behind that locked door, I could still hear soft crying. Whoever was in there was alive. That meant I still had a mission.
I just needed an opening.
---
The explosion came without warning.
The entire building shook. Dust rained from the ceiling. The men all turned toward the stairs.
"What the hell—"
I moved.
Lunged forward. Grabbed the nearest man's gun hand. My knife flashed. Sliced through the tendons in his wrist. He screamed. Dropped the weapon.
I caught it mid-fall. Rolled sideways. Came up in a crouch at the far end of the hallway.
Three seconds. That's all it took.
The scarred man's face twisted with rage. "Get her! Don't let her near that door!"
I was already running.
The first man charged. I ducked under his swing. Drove my knee into his jaw. Felt bone crack. He went down hard.
The second one was faster. Grabbed my shoulder. Spun me around.
I used his momentum. Smashed the gun butt into his temple. Once. Twice. He collapsed.
The third man hesitated. Fatal mistake.
I was on him in a heartbeat. Kicked his legs out. He hit the floor face-first.
The locked door was three feet away.
I raised the gun. Slammed the butt against the lock. Once. Twice.
With a final, brutal strike, the metal groaned and gave way
I kicked the door open.
---
The room was small. Dark. Stank of sweat and fear.
A little girl huddled in the corner. Maybe ten years old. Black hair matted with dirt. Bruises on her face and arms.
My heart dropped.
Not Lynette.
Wrong hair color. Wrong build. Wrong everything.
For a second, I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. The disappointment hit like a physical blow.
But the girl was staring at me. Eyes wide. Terrified.
I forced myself to focus. Shoved the disappointment down deep where it couldn't touch me.
One mission at a time.
"It's okay," I said. Kept my voice soft. "I'm getting you out of here."
Footsteps pounded up the stairs behind me.
I scooped the girl into my arms. "Close your eyes. Don't open them until I say."
She buried her face in my shoulder.
Cole appeared at the top of the stairs. Blood splattered across his jacket. Gun in each hand.
"Downstairs is clear," he said. Calm. Professional. Like we'd done this a thousand times. "Five down. Three up here?"
"Four down. Two to go."
He nodded. Moved to cover my back.
The scarred man appeared in the hallway. Started to shift. Bones cracking. Fur sprouting.
Cole fired. Three shots. Center mass.
The man went down.
The last two tried to run. Cole was faster. Two more shots. Silence.
The whole fight lasted maybe thirty seconds.
---
I set the girl down gently. Knelt in front of her.
"What's your name?"
She hiccupped. Wiped her nose on her sleeve. "M-Maya."
Maya.
Sam's face flashed through my mind. His desperate voice. My sister. She's ten. Black hair. Scar on her left knee.
I glanced down. There it was. A pale scar on her left knee.
Not Lynette. But at least I'd found someone's sister tonight.
"Maya," I said softly. "Your brother's been looking for you."
I pulled out my phone. Found the photo of Lynette I'd saved. The one from the surveillance footage Cole had shown me. "Have you seen this girl? Was she here?"
Maya leaned closer. Squinted at the screen.
Then she nodded. Fast. Eager.
My pulse spiked.
"She was here," Maya whispered. "Three days ago. They put her in the room next to mine."
"What happened to her?"
"She escaped. Beat up two of the bad men. They were really mad." Maya's voice dropped even lower. "I heard them say she ran into the forest."
I looked at Cole. He was already dragging the scarred man upright. The guy was still breathing. Barely.
Cole slammed him against the wall. "Where is Lynette Grey?"
The man coughed. Blood trickled from his mouth. "That bitch... ran east... into the forest..."
"Why does Wild Hunt want her?"
"Don't know... don't care... they paid us to block the exits... that's all..."
Cole's grip tightened. "Which direction in the forest?"
"Northeast... toward the old logging roads..."
I stood up. My hands were shaking. I clenched them into fists.
Lynette was alive. Three days ago, she'd been right here. Fighting. Escaping.
And now Wild Hunt was hunting her in the forest.
---
We walked out of the sawmill. The night air hit my face. Cold. Clean.
Sam was there. I told him to go home, but the stubborn kid had waited in the shadows anyway
He saw us. Saw Maya.
For a second, he just froze.
Then he ran. Crashed into his sister. Wrapped his arms around her so tight I thought he might break her.
"Maya. Maya. Oh god, Maya—"
The girl looked up at her brother. Started crying. He was crying too. Both of them shaking.
I turned away. Gave them space. My chest felt tight.
Cole stood next to me. Silent. Watching.
"We should go," he said quietly.
I nodded.