“This was Kenji,” I growl. “Which means we know where they are. I’m going. Now.”
“We know where their main compound is,” Raf corrects. “We don’t know if they took Stephanie and Jackson there. And even if we did, busting in half-cocked won’t do them any favors.”
I whip around to face him. “Do you have a better suggestion?” I demand. “I need to get them back.” My voice cracks on the last word, and I can feel how close I am to breaking. If I lose them now—either of them—I couldn’t live with myself.
This ismy fault. Again. I have to fix it.
“Gio—” Raf warns.
“I’m not asking.” My voice is ice. “I will walk into their nest and burn it to the ground if that’s what it takes. But I am not leaving them there. Not even overnight.”
Miko’s already nodding. “I’ve got your back.”
Sandro turns to face me, brushing dirt off his hands. “Me too. But…” He cuts a look at Raf, then back at me. “Raf’s right. You bust in guns blazing, Stephanie could end up dead before you even see her.”
I hate that they’re right. The Yakuza aren’t above using hostages as shields.
“I might have a plan,” Sandro says grimly. “One that gets Stephanie and Jackson out without anyone dying.”
All eyes turn to him.
Sandro’s not usually the strategist of the twins.
He’s normally the one ready to shoot first and ask questions later, so I think we’re all in shock.
But as the silence stretches, the clock keeps ticking down on Stephanie and Jackson.
“Then talk,” I snap.
34
STEPHANIE
The first thing I feel is cold. Not the kind that nips at your skin but the kind that sinks in, heavy and damp, and makes you want to curl in on yourself.
My body feels sluggish, like my limbs have been weighed down, and my head is thick with the ghost of a chemical haze.
“Mom! Mom, wake up!”
Jackson’s voice cuts through the fog like a blade. I force my eyes open, my vision swimming before his tear-streaked face comes into focus.
His small hands are gripping my shoulders, shaking me with a desperate strength only fear can give.
The moment my brain catches up, I sit up fast, pulling him into my arms.
He’s trembling so hard I can feel it in my bones, and it tugs at my heartstrings.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay, I’m here.” My voice comes out softer than I expect, but steady, because I have to be strong for him right now. “You’re okay, Jay. I’ve got you.”
But the truth is, I’m not okay. My heart is pounding, my skin prickling with the realization that I have no idea where we are—or what’s going to happen to us.
The room is dim, almost pitch black, the only light a thin sliver from under a door somewhere to my right.
The air smells faintly of mildew and old wood, and the floor beneath us is hard, cold concrete.
If I had to guess, we’re in some kind of basement.
My shoulder aches from lying on it, and my wrists… I flex my hands.
