The torture.
The kill.
And what's still to come.
Tomorrow night.
The motel.
Six kids being moved through the pipeline.
Eight to ten traffickers who have no idea we're coming.
The final battle in this war they started.
We're going to end it.
Going to bring those kids home.
Going to make every single one of those bastards pay for what they've done.
And then, maybe, Ingrid and I can finally start our life together.
The life we were promised.
The life we deserve.
Starting tomorrow.
I close my eyes.
Let exhaustion pull me under.
Grateful for the woman in my arms, and even more so for the justice we served tonight.
And for the knowledge that, soon, this nightmare will finally be over.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Ingrid
I wake to the sound of Gunnar's heartbeat.
Steady, strong, and real.
My head is on his chest, my body curled against his side, and for a moment I just lie there.
Breathing.
Existing.
Feeling the rise and fall of his chest beneath my cheek.
He's exhausted.
I can tell by the depth of his sleep, the heaviness of his breathing, the way he hasn't moved once since I woke up.
Whatever happened last night—whatever he did while I slept—it took something out of him.
