My heart thrums with anticipation. Finally.Finally, after five years, I’ll see my Mabel again.
The doors ding as they slide open, and this floor is…much different than the one we just left. It opens to one big area, set up like a living room, with a TV in the corner, a couch, and a couple of recliners. As soon as we step out, I see them.
They turn to look at us with wide eyes, eight women huddled together between the couch and the floor. Their hair is ratty, their eyes sunken, and expressions fearful. Immediately, my gaze scans over each terrified, startled face, and my heart sinks.
No Mabel.
But maybe…maybe she’s in her room.
These girls might know, but they look half-frightened enough to bolt at any sudden movement. “Stay here,” I mutter, and my guys nod as I slowly walk over to the group of girls. They look at me warily, their eyes going to the hospital gown under my cardigan. “Hi,” I paste on a non-threatening smile, “I’m Jo.”
One of the girls frowns, tilting her head. “I’m Nina. Though they only call me 347B now. Are you a new patient?” She has comforting arms around two other girls’ shoulders, and she looks at me with a hint of fire. I recognize a fellow protector when I see one. The rest of the girls might listen to her.
“No,” I shake my head. “Listen. We don’t have a lotta time. Do you guys wanna get out of here?”
“Maybe. Who are the men with you?” she demands, tilting her chin towards my guys.
I give her a gentle smile. “That’s my pack, and my big brother and his packmate. They’re breakin’ me out.”
The girl next to Nina whispers something in her ear, and her eyes dart to Kole. Nina frowns again. “Gemma says she recognizes the big tattooed one. That he brought her and a truck full of omegas to a shelter instead of where they were supposed to go.” She gives Gemma a look. “Kinda sucks that you still ended up here.” The other omega only shrugs.
I nod. “That’s Kole. That stunt actually got him sold to Thornfield.” I call back to Kole. “Do you regretit, Sugar Bear?”
“Not even a little bit.” His Russian accent—or maybe it’s the deepness of his voice—startles some of the girls.
When they look at the guys nervously again, I glance around, on the lookout for guards that could pop up any second. “Like I said, we don’t have a lotta time. I promise none of these men will hurt you. If they do, I’ll cut their dicks off myself.”
Nina scoffs. “Yeah, like that’s possible.”
I plant one hand on my hip and raise the knife Sam gave me with the other. “Honey, I got myself sent here because I single-handedly murdered thirteen alphas. If these men lay a hand on you, they are not who I thought they were, and I won’t hesitate.”
The girls look at me with varying degrees of shock before Nina nods once. “Alright. Let’s get the fuck out of here. But we gotta hurry, Johnson and Keller will be back from their smoke break any minute.”
“Where the hell do they smoke in here?” West mutters behind me. “We’re literally underground.”
“Is there a girl named Mabel being kept here?” I ask, making Nina’s eyes narrow.
“Why?”
“My sister. She’s why I’m here.”
Nina sighs, looking hesitant. “Down the hall, third door on your right—” I take off. “You might not like what you find!” Her morbid words echo in the hallway behind me, but I’m already gone.
Pushing her words to the back of my mind, I run down the hall with single minded focus, skidding to a stop in front of the door. There’s a nameplate, with “666C”. I almost laugh at the triple 6. Mabel’s the most angelic being on this Earth.
“Are you ready,Lisichka?” Kole rumbles behind me, and my mouth goes dry as my eyes fix on the door handle.
Mabel is just on the other side of this door.
Only a scrap of metal separates us, after all this time.
I knock lightly, and listen. No answer.
Nina sighs down the hall. “Seriously, they’re going to be back any minute—”
Declan interrupts her. “Rory and I are going to take the girls upstairs. You have five minutes before I come back down and get you—got it?”
The guys murmur their agreements, but I can’t take my eyes off the door handle.
