“Cover!” I shouted. Hawk and Logan laid down fire while Blade drove his knife under the lock, wrenching it with brutal force. The metal screeched, then snapped.
The doors groaned open.
And what waited inside froze me harder than any bullet ever could.
78
Raine
The metal latch gave way with a screech, and the truck doors swung wide. Cold air spilled out, sharp enough to sting my skin, carrying with it the antiseptic bite of chemicals.
For a moment, all I saw were shadows. Rows of stacked containers, condensation fogging their lids. Steel shelving bolted to the walls. And then—movement.
My breath caught.
They weren’t alone.
Bodies filled the truck. Not in bags. Not in coffins. Alive.
At least a dozen people were crammed inside, IV lines taped to their arms, their skin pale, their eyes glassy under the flicker of overhead lights. They were strapped into metal gurneys like cargo, their chests rising and falling shallow, mechanical.
A girl—barely fifteen—blinked at me with hollow eyes. Her lips moved, cracked and dry. “Help…”
The word broke me.
My knees wobbled, bile surged, but I clung to the doorframe, forcing myself not to look away. Not to collapse.
“God,” I whispered, voice shaking. “They’re alive.”
Behind me, Hawk swore under his breath. Logan froze mid-step, his gun lowering as the reality hit him. Russ’s voice crackled in my ear, tight.“Confirm? Units are human?”
Adam’s hand landed firm on my shoulder, his voice low, rough. “Confirmed.”
The girl coughed weakly, a sound that didn’t belong in any world but a nightmare. My stomach heaved, but fury burned hotter than nausea.
They weren’t smuggling parts. Not yet.
They were keeping people alive—long enough to carve them up later.
I reached for the girl’s hand, icy and fragile in mine. “We’ve got you,” I whispered, though my throat was tight with tears. “We’ve got all of you.”
Her eyelids fluttered, her grip weak but real.
Behind me, Adam’s voice cut sharp to the team. “Secure the truck. Get them out—every last one. Move!”
The bridge erupted in motion again, shouts, boots, gunfire, but I barely heard it. All I saw was that girl’s eyes, begging me with a look that would haunt me forever.
This wasn’t just a mission.
This was a rescue.
And if I had anything to say about it, none of them would end up inventory.
79
Adam
The sight inside the truck hit me like a punch to the chest. Not containers. Not bags. People.
