But it didn’t matter. Whoever was on the other side already had us.
Already knew everything.
68
Raine
The crack of Blade’s gunshot still rang in my ears as the camera sparked and died. The room stank of burnt plastic and cold air, the hum of the refrigerators suddenly deafening.
We’d been led here. Not by accident. By design.
My pulse raced, my body shaking with a fear I couldn’t swallow down. It wasn’t just the organ storage anymore—it was the blinking red light. Someone had been watching us. Cataloguing us. Likewewere the specimens under glass.
Adam’s voice snapped through the comms, sharp and controlled. “Extraction. Now.”
I followed him down the hall, my boots too loud against the tile. Blade ghosted ahead, silent as ever, and behind us Hawk’s low growl carried as he shoved the techs forward, their protests swallowed by his rifle. Russ was already moving, files tucked under one arm, his face grim. Logan brought up the rear, his hand firm on my shoulder every time I stumbled, like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to protect me or drag me out by force.
The walls seemed to close in with every step. Every corner felt like a trap. My ribs ached, my breath came shallow, and still my mind kept circling back to that blinking red light.
“They knew,” I whispered, more to myself than anyone else. “They knew we’d come.”
Adam’s hand caught mine, firm and grounding. “Eyes forward, Raine. We’re not done yet.”
I clung to his strength, but fear still twisted in my gut. Not just for me. For him. For all of them. Because if someone powerful enough to scrub a battlefield clean wanted us to see this clinic, then what waited for us down the line was worse.
Much worse.
We burst through the rear exit into the night air, the SUV’s engine already rumbling low. Hawk shoved the techs inside, Russ sliding in after them, Blade covering every angle. Logan half-pushed me into the backseat, but Adam followed right after, his arm tight around me as the doors slammed shut.
The SUV peeled away from the curb, tires squealing against asphalt, headlights carving into the desert dark.
Only then did I let myself shake, the fear spilling over.
Adam’s arm tightened around me. His voice was low, steady, a vow I knew he meant with every breath.
“They wanted us to find this. Fine. We found it. Now we make them regret it.”
I buried my face against his chest, the heat of him grounding me, even as dread coiled tighter inside.
Because for the first time, I believed it.
We weren’t chasing shadows anymore.
We were at war.
69
Adam
We rolled into the motel lot on two wheels, the SUV’s brakes screaming. Hawk killed the engine, and for a long moment, nobody moved. The cold stink of that clinic still clung to me, the hum of the refrigerators buzzing in my skull.
Blade slipped out first, scanning the shadows. Russ followed, hauling the files he’d pulled. Logan climbed out last, his jaw set tight, his eyes flicking to Raine like he wanted to lock her inside a vault.
I caught her hand before she stepped out. She looked at me, pale but steady, and I gave her the faintest nod. She was stronger than anyone gave her credit for—including me.
The motel door swung open before we hit the walkway. Boone stepped out, his hair mussed, a laptop clutched under one arm, his expression hard.
“Took you long enough,” he said, but his voice was rough with relief. “I’ve been pulling every thread I can find. And you’re not gonna like what I’ve got.”
