No one does.
Because they see it.
They know I’m past the point of stopping.
“They cleared out before we got here,” he stammers, the words tripping over each other. “We thought this was the main location…”
“You thought wrong.”
My fingers curl tighter in his shirt, the urge to hit something, someone, so strong it burns under my skin.
“Dex.”
Cas again, closer this time, his presence steady, grounding in a way I don’t want but can’t fully ignore.
I don’t turn.
“Where is he?” I repeat, quieter now, the kind of quiet that makes people listen.
The kid swallows hard, panic flashing across his face before something clicks.
“There’s another place,” he blurts. “An old factory, just outside town. They’ve used it before. For runs. Storage. We weren’t sure, but…”
My heart slams against my ribs.
“Where.”
He gives the address fast, like he’s afraid I’ll change my mind and decide he’s not worth the effort.
I release him so suddenly he stumbles, catching himself against the bar with a shaky breath.
I don’t look at him again.
“Move,” I say, already turning toward the door.
Boots hit the floor behind me immediately. Cas. Ethan. The others falling into step without a word.
No one questions it now.
No one hesitates.
Because they all understand the same thing I do.
This is it.
???
Alexis
Consciousness comes back slowly, like I’m being dragged up through something thick and heavy that doesn’t want to let me go, my mind surfacing before my body follows, awareness settling in piece by piece until the first thing I try to do is move.
And I can’t.
Not my hands, not my legs, not even my fingers.
It isn’t just restraint. It’s absence. Like my body has been cut off from me entirely, leaving me trapped inside it, aware of everything and in control of nothing, and panic surges up instantly, sharp and suffocating, dragging me straight back into memories I’ve spent years trying to bury.
No.
