Lucian clears his throat. “Redwood Valley is just up ahead. We’ll go on foot from here. From what we can tell, there are three points of entry. My team will take the emergency entrance. Team B will take the front. Isobel, you’ll lead team C through the staff entrance.”
My eyes widen.I’m leading?I glance over at Jace. He’s still staring in the direction of the Annex, his expression blank. I’m not even sure he’s listening.
“Move out.” Lucian’s words snap me back into myself.
“You ready to lead us, cap?” Luca nudges me.
I huff a laugh. “I wasn’t expecting it.”
“It’s your turn to lead.” Lucian joins us. “You have good instincts. I’ve reviewed your mission comms, and you have what it takes.” He puts a hand on my shoulder. “You’re my daughter, Gracie. It’s in your blood to lead.”
I return his smile. Letting the confidence he has in me soak in. I can do this. He pats me on the back and everyone moves.
The annex materializes through the dense trees. Kellan and Felix fan out in front of me, Luca and Noah flank me, and Jace follows up the rear. We move as one unit, approaching the staff entrance. Noah presses a keycard to the door, which beeps and unlocks loud enough that I’m sure Lucian heard it on the other side of the building.
We file inside.
“We’re in,” I murmur into the comms.
“Head on a swivel, Gracie.” His voice comes back through.
The air inside is stale. Fluorescent lights flicker overhead, not enoughto banish the eerie shadows, enough to make the hair on my arms stand. The hallway stretches, narrow and clinical. The walls a washed-out green that’s peeled and blistered with age.
Dust coats the floor in uneven patches, disturbed in places—footprints, drag marks— spots of blood that’s hard to tell if it’s new or old. Doors line the corridor, some ajar, some shut.
I catch a whiff of something metallic mixed with antiseptic and fear. Our boots are silent as we move. Clearing each room silently. Most rooms on this side seem to be empty or just storage.
A high-pitched scream barrels down the hallway.
We freeze. I can hear the fear in that scream.
I take off.
“Isobel!” Jace whisper-shouts.
But I ignore him.I run.The door on the right is open, light spilling into the darkened hallway. I move silently as the shattered tube of the light above crunches under my feet. I edge closer, heart hammering, just trying to see who’s inside.
A teenage girl stands in the center of the room. She looks around sixteen. Thin. Rigid. Her hands are shaking. There’s someone else with her—another kid, maybe a year or two older—on his knees, crying.
And looming over them is Delaine and Butch. I grit my teeth.How are they here with Daniel?
Delaine’s voice is smooth, like he’s teaching a child a lesson. Like this is all perfectly normal. I fight the shudder.
“Do it,” he says. Calm. Expectant. A small, sick smile. “You hesitate now, you’ll hesitate out there. And hesitation gets people killed.” He circles her like a predator. His back is now facing me.
The girl’s breath stutters. Her eyes are wide and empty in a way that means she’s already been pushed too far. Seen too much.
My stomach fills with rage.
“Do it, now!” Butch yells, and she flinches. “Don’t make me break another finger.”
I look down at her trembling hands. One finger is bentthe wrong way.
I charge into the room, hitting Delaine with the butt of my gun. Butch reaches behind him. I shoot his shoulder, and he stumbles back with a grunt, his grip loosening as the gun clatters across the floor.
The sound snaps the girl out of her trance; she drops, a broken sound tearing out of her throat as she curls in on herself.
Delaine lunges for me with a snarl, and I barely get my arms up in time. The impact rattles straight away through my bones, knocking me back. The gun catches my fall, and every part of my body erupts in pain. His hand comes out of nowhere, connecting with my face hard enough to snap my head sideways. White bursts behind my eyes. Pain blooms hot and immediate, ringing through my skull.
