Chapter 71 Today Is Not That Day
Jolie pov
The pack disperses for real this time, heading to gear up and prepare. Ryder pulls me aside into the small office adjoining the hall.
"You sure about this?" His hands cup my face. "Once we start, there's no turning back."
"I'm sure." I lean into his touch. "That girl is nineteen years old and terrified. Every hour we wait is another hour she spends thinking she's going to die. I can't—I won't let her suffer because I was too scared to act."
"Your compassion is going to get you killed someday." But there's pride in his voice when he says it.
"Maybe." I pull him down for a kiss. "But today is not that day."
We gear up quickly. Black tactical clothing, light armor, weapons that won't slow us down. I strap a knife to my thigh and another to my boot. Not that I'm great with blades, but having them makes me feel less helpless.
Ryder loads his guns with practiced efficiency. "Remember the plan. Knox and Luna go first. They clear the perimeter. We follow five minutes behind. Hit the western building, grab Emma, then swing around to the main office for the Broker."
"And if we're spotted?" I check my gear one more time.
"We fight our way out." He slides a magazine into his pistol. "No hesitation. No mercy. These bastards threatened our pack. They don't deserve second chances."
Knox and Luna appear in the doorway, both dressed in dark clothing that seems to absorb light.
"Ready when you are, boss." Knox adjusts the knives strapped across his chest. "Been a while since I got to do wet work. Gonna feel good."
"Don't get cocky." Ryder hands him a radio. "Comms check every ten minutes. If you miss a check, we assume you're compromised and abort."
"Roger that." Luna clips the radio to her belt. "See you on the other side."
They slip out into the darkness,
Mara joins us next, armed to the teeth. "Doc's got medical ready to roll. Cass has defense positions locked down. We're as ready as we'll ever be."
I close my eyes, reaching out one more time to the mining complex. Emma's fear is a constant pulse of terror. The Broker's satisfaction has turned to anticipation. They're expecting something to happen soon.
"They know we're coming." The realization hits me cold. "Not specifically, but they're ready for action. Someone tipped them off."
"Phoenix?" Mara's hand goes to her weapon.
"No." I shake my head. "His guilt is genuine, but someone else's. Someone we haven't identified yet."
Ryder's jaw tightens. "Doesn't matter. We're committed now, let just adjust on the fly."
The radio crackles. Knox's voice comes through low and tense. "Perimeter secured. Four guards down. Moving to secondary positions."
"Copy that." Ryder checks his watch. "We move in three minutes."
Those three minutes stretch like hours. I use the time to center myself, remembering Elena's training. The way she taught me to channel moonfire through intention rather than emotion. To judge without anger, to heal without exhaustion.
I hope I remember everything. Because if I don't, people are going to die.
"Time." Ryder's voice cuts through my thoughts. "Let's move."
We slip out of the compound into the night. The forest swallows us immediately, darkness broken only by filtered moonlight through the trees.
I can feel the enemy wolves all around the perimeter. Their attention focused outward, expecting an attack from within rather than an exodus toward their command center.
We move through their lines using paths only locals would know. Doc's information about the territory proves invaluable—we avoid two patrol routes and a camera system I didn't even know existed.
Twenty minutes of careful movement brings us to the edge of the mining complex. The buildings loom against the night sky, dark and menacing.
Knox's voice crackles over the radio. "In position. Western building is clear down to the basement level. Two guards on Emma like you said. They're jumpy as hell."
"Stand by." Ryder signals us to spread out. "Jolie and I take the basement. Mara, you're our six. Anyone comes through that door who isn't us, drop them."
"With pleasure." Mara's smile is smug in the darkness.
We move toward the western building, keeping to the shadows. My heart pounds so hard I'm sure everyone can hear it.
The door is unlocked. Sloppy security, but they probably figure nobody would be stupid enough to attack while under siege.
We slip inside, and the smell hits me immediately. Fear sweat, blood, and something chemical. Cleaning supplies maybe, or drugs.
The basement stairs creak under our weight despite our careful steps. I wince with each sound, expecting alarms to blare.
But we reach the bottom without incident. A long hallway stretches before us, lit by flickering fluorescent lights. Three doors on each side.
I point to the third door on the left. "There."
Ryder nods, moving into position. He signals a countdown with his fingers. Three. Two. One.
He kicks the door open.
Two guards spin around, weapons coming up. But I'm already moving, moonfire blazing to life under my skin.
I touch the first guard's arm, and judgment flows through the contact. Every moment of cruelty he's ever inflicted crashes through him at once. The wolves he's beaten. The innocent people he's terrorized. The children he's scared.
He drops like a stone, screaming.
The second guard hesitates, shocked by his partner's collapse. That hesitation costs him. Ryder's fist connects with his jaw, and he goes down hard.
And there, huddled in the corner tied to a chair, is Emma.
She looks exactly like Phoenix—same dark hair, same delicate features. But where Phoenix carries defeat in his eyes, Emma's show nothing but raw terror.
"It's okay." I move toward her slowly, hands raised. "We're here to rescue you. Your brother sent us."
"Phoenix?" Her voice cracks. "Is he—is he okay?"
"He's fine." I start working on her restraints. "Worried sick about you, but fine."
Ryder checks the unconscious guards. "We need to move. Five minutes until this place realizes something's wrong."
Emma stumbles when we get her free, legs numb from hours of being tied. I catch her, and the contact floods me with her fear. Days of captivity. Threats of torture. The certainty she was going to die.
Without thinking, I channel healing energy into her. Not physical wounds, but emotional ones. Soothing the terror, easing the trauma.
She gasps. "What—what did you do? I feel..."
"Better?" I smile. "Good. Now we need to run. Can you do that?"
She nods, determination replacing fear in her eyes.
We make it back up the stairs and outside without incident. Mara's waiting with clear eyes and ready weapons.
"Package secured?" she asks.
"Secured." Ryder hands Emma off to her. "Get her back to the compound. Doc's expecting her."
"What about you?" Emma looks at me. "You're coming too, right?"
"Not yet." I squeeze her hand. "We've got one more stop to make. But don't worry. Your brother will be so happy to see you."
Mara leads Emma into the darkness, and then it's just Ryder and me standing in the shadow of enemy territory.
"Main office building." I point across the complex. "Second floor. Corner office. The Broker is waiting."
"You sure you want to do this?" Ryder checks his weapons. "We could leave now. Cut our losses."
"And let them try again?" I shake my head. "No. We end this tonight. All of it."
His grin is fierce and proud. "That's my Luna."
We move toward the main building, and I can feel the Broker's presence getting stronger. And underneath it all, a familiar signature that makes my blood run cold.
"Ryder." My voice shakes. "I know who the Broker is."
"Who?"
I look at the building, at the corner office where my brother sits waiting. "It's Gio."