"I don't have all the answers."I pressed my forehead to hers."But I know that for the first time in years, I'm thinking about a future beyond the next assignment, Wren.Because of you."
She closed her eyes, her lashes dark against her cheeks.Two tears fell from her eyes, tracking down her cheeks."I'm scared," she confessed, the words so quiet I almost missed them."Of letting myself believe in this, in us, and then watching you disappear into another life with another name and another woman."
The raw honesty of her words hit harder than any accusation.I kissed her, gentle at first, then with growing intensity as she responded.Her fingers dug into my shoulders, holding on like I might vanish if she let go.
When we broke apart, both breathing hard, I could only offer the truth."Listen to me, Wren.Listen good.I’m not leaving you.I will work something out with Vittorio.This is something I’ll always do, but I will figure out a way to do my part and not be away from you.And just so you know, there willneverbe another woman for me.Ever."
She nodded against my forehead."Just come back alive.We'll figure out the rest."
"Wren!"Ghost's voice bellowed from somewhere in the main room, sharp with disapproval and suspicion."Where the hell are you?"
She tensed in my arms but didn't immediately pull away.Instead, she pressed another quick, hard kiss to my lips before standing."Guess that's my cue."
I let her go reluctantly, my body immediately feeling colder without her."He's going to kill me before the Copperheads ever get the chance."
"Nah," she grinned, flipping the lock on the door."He's secretly hoping the Copperheads do it so I don’t get too mad at him."
I frowned.“Plausible deniability?”
She grinned.“What better way to keep his hands clean.He’ll even shed a tear at your funeral, most likely.”
"Comforting thought," I muttered, but found myself smiling anyway.
Before opening the door, she turned back to me, her expression serious again."I meant what I said.Come back in one piece."
"Yes, ma'am."
She slipped out, closing the door quietly behind her.I heard her voice drift back, answering her father with something like “It’s none of your damned business where I was”.Ghost's grumbled response sounded more like he played a part he couldn’t quite let go.Not like he was really angry.
I stayed in the empty office a few minutes longer, the ghost of Wren's touch still warming my skin.For now, in this quiet moment between planning and action, I allowed myself to imagine a future where Wren waited for me, where coming back to her became what mattered most.
As I prepared myself for what happened next, Wren's words echoed in my mind, a beacon of hope amidst the chaos and uncertainty of the night.I would return to her as promised.Right after we sent the entirety of the Copperheads straight to hell.
Chapter Sixteen
Rocky
Icrouchedbehindarustedshipping container outside the old copper mill, my breath fogging in the chilled evening air.Twilight painted the sky in darkening purple and blue, providing just enough cover for our approach.My team hugged the shadows.Six of Vittorio's best operators and four patched members from Bound in Blood had insisted on joining my group.Across the compound, Ghost and Jack positioned their team at the opposite entrance, waiting for my signal.My heart hammered against my ribs, not from fear but from knowing what waited inside.These girls probably believed nobody cared enough to come for them.Or that no one could ever find them.
"Two minutes," I whispered into my comm, receiving confirmations from both teams.The warehouse loomed before us, concrete and corrugated metal weathered by decades of rain and neglect.By comparison, dozens of security lights cast harsh shadows across the yard, creating pools of darkness perfect for our approach.How anyone could believe this place housed something worthy of security lights amazed me.
Marcus nodded at me from his position, checking his rifle one last time.He'd insisted on coming despite Vittorio wanting him to coordinate from a distance."I want these motherfuckers to see my face before they die," he'd said during our final briefing.“They get up close and personal with defenseless girls.I’m gettin’ up close and personal with them.”The four Bound in Blood members looked tense but ready, their expressions grim.
The radio crackled from the earwig I wore."Ready on our end," Ghost's voice came through, tight with barely controlled fury.
I gave the command.“Go.”
We flowed from our hiding spots like shadows, splitting into pre-assigned groups.Two of Vittorio's men headed for the back entrance while Marcus led another pair toward a side door.My team approached the main entrance, our footsteps silent against the gravel.
I pressed my back against the wall beside the door.“Ready on three, two, one, go.”We breached simultaneously, the sound of splintering wood and shattering glass echoing across the compound as all three entry points gave way under our assault.
The warehouse interior hit my senses like a physical blow.The stench of unwashed bodies, human waste, and fear overpowering in its intensity.Metal clanged as doors on the opposite side burst open, Ghost and Jack's team flooding in with precision that spoke of countless operations.
"Clear left," I called, sweeping my weapon across the open space as we pushed forward.
My stomach turned as I registered what we faced.Several shipping containers had been converted into makeshift cells, their metal walls replaced with bars on one side to create large cages.Inside, young women huddled together on bare metal floors, some dressed in filthy clothes, others wearing nothing but thin shifts that barely covered them.Their faces showed varying degrees of terror, confusion, and the vacant stare of heavy sedation.
"Jesus Christ," Bug muttered beside me, his voice nearly breaking at the sight of a girl I thought looked quite a bit younger than thirteen cowering in a corner, her arms wrapped around her knees.
