RAINE'
The warehouse smelled like rust, fear, and old motor oil. We had moved fast after Dahlia and those Serpents rode off, hauling the first group of women out through a back loading dock and into two unmarked vans Ronn had waiting. Most of them were too scared to speak, eyes hollow and bodies trembling as we guided them. A couple whispered thank yous that broke something inside my chest. I kept thinking about what could have happened to them if Cole hadn’t pulled that trigger on Ambrose.
My hands wouldn’t stop shaking as I helped the last girl into the van. She couldn’t have been older than sixteen.
“You’re safe now,” I told her, squeezing her shoulder. She just nodded, clutching a thin blanket around herself.
Cole was barking orders in a low voice, coordinating with Ronn and the c
