Nash nods slowly, his chains clinking again. "If they took you, then we must’ve been close to finding them.”
I close my eyes for a second, the fear threatening to overwhelm me. The house is quiet except for the occasional creak of old wood and the distant sound of what might be wind or distant waves. My wrists ache where the metal bites into them. My head still feels foggy from whatever they used. But I force myself to keep talking. “Have you found any way to escape?”
Nash shifts again, his voice quieter when he speaks. "Nothing. Sin and I were trying to come up with something, but we haven’t been able to crack it yet."
Sin grunts in agreement, his chains rattling as he tests them. "These fuckers will slip up. They always do. The fact they haven’t killed us yet means they want something from us. So, that always gives us time."
I nod, even though the movement pulls at the chains on my wrists. The fear’s still there, cold and sharp, but talking to them helps push it back a little. These are Jace's brothers. Family. And they’re here with me in this nightmare. "I’m scared I’ll never see my sister again. Or Jace."
Nash manages a small smile in the low light. "You’ll see them again. Jace is a good guy. He’s lucky to have you."
I smile softly as the conversation continues in low voices, the three of us chained to the wall in this abandoned house on the outskirts of town. I tell them more about the plan at the concert. About how shocked they all were to see their father alive after so many years. About the determination to rescue Nash and Sin and take down Vanguard Helix so Billy can finally stop running and lead a normal life. They listen, asking questions when they can, their voices tired but hopeful. I keep talking because it distracts from the fear clawing at my chest. The fear that no one will find us in time. That Vanguard Helix will come back and do worse than chain us. That I’ll never see Jace again, never feel his arms around me or hear him call me Wells in that teasing way.
But underneath the fear there’s a thread of hope. Jace is out there. Searching.
25
Jace
We are set up at the end of the pavilion, away from the main lights and the thickening crowd where the music still plays in the background. Sloane's team has taken over the small folding table Mack pulled from somewhere, their laptops and radios spread across it like they’re running a full operation instead of a rescue in the middle of a concert. My brothers are scattered around the perimeter, keeping watch while we wait for intel. Billy stands near me, his arms crossed, his eyes scanning the dunes like he expects trouble at any second. Crewe’s on his phone, coordinating with someone on the other end. Colt leans against a post, trying to look casual but his jaw is tight. Banks and Mack are quiet, but I can feel the tension rolling off them in waves.
My phone vibrates in my hand. Sloane's name lights up the screen. I answer before the first ring finishes.
"Jace. We located the van. It matches the description from the security footage. They took her to an abandoned house on the outskirts, about ten minutes from here. My team’s moving in now. Minimal resistance so far. We’ve got eyes on three heatsignatures inside. Two chained to the wall and one being moved into position. We’re going in quiet."
The relief hits me hard, but it’s mixed with something sharper. Minimal resistance. That doesn’t sound right. These are the same people who’ve been hunting my family for years, who forced my father into hiding and grabbed two of my brothers without a trace. Now they take Sadie in the middle of a crowded concert and hole up in a place with almost no security? It feels off. Too easy. Like they wanted us to find them.
"Copy that," I say, my voice steady even as my mind races. "We’re on our way. Do not engage until we get there. I want to be the one to bring her out."
Sloane pauses for a beat. "Understood. But move fast. The longer we wait, the more time they’ve got to prepare."
I end the call and look at my brothers. "They found the van. Abandoned house on the outskirts. Sloane's team is moving in. Minimal resistance. Nash, Sin, and Sadie are inside. We’re going now."
Crewe nods once, already moving. "Let's go. We take the back roads. No lights. We don’t want to tip them off if they’re watching."
We pile into two black SUVs that Sloane's guys brought. I ride with Crewe and Billy, the engine humming low as we pull away from the pavilion. The concert lights fade behind us, replaced by the dark stretch of coastal road. The ocean’s a dark line on our left, waves rolling in a steady rhythm that I can almost feel through the tires. My hands grip the seat in front of me, knuckles white. Sadie’s out there. Last night at the safe house she rode me as if she owned me, her body moving with that playfulconfidence, her voice breathless as she told me how good it felt. I kissed her before we left for the concert. Now she’s in danger because of me. Because of this family mess that keeps pulling people in.
Billy sits beside me in the back, his presence solid and familiar in a way that still shocks me. We found him. After all these years. And now we’re racing to rescue the woman who’s become more important to me than I ever planned. He glances over, his voice low. "We’ll get her back. And your brothers. This ends tonight if we play it right."
I nod, but my mind’s already on the why. Why take Sadie at the concert? Why make it so easy to find them? It feels as if it’s a trap. Like they took her specifically to draw us in. But why? What do they gain by pulling the whole family together in one place?
The SUVs slow as we approach the abandoned house. It sits back from the road, dark and sagging, windows broken or boarded. Sloane's team’s already surrounded it, their dark figures moving in shadows. Crewe kills the lights on our vehicle and we roll to a stop. My heart thrashes wildly in my chest, but I force myself to stay focused. We move as one, slipping through the tall grass toward the back of the house.
Sloane meets us at the side door, his voice a whisper. "They didn’t put up much of a fight. Two guys inside. We took them down quick. The three hostages are chained in the main room. No other threats detected. It was almost too clean."
Too clean. The words echo in my head as we breach the door. The interior is dim, lit by a single lantern on a table. And there, chained to the far wall, are Nash and Sin. Both look bruised but alive, their heads lifting as we enter. And next to them, chained the same way, is Sadie. Her pink dress is rumpled, her hairfalling loose around her face, but her eyes are open and alert. Relief crashes through me so hard I almost stagger.
We move fast. Crewe and Colt work on freeing Nash and Sin while I go straight to Sadie. My hands shake as I unlock the chains around her wrists. The metal’s cold and heavy, biting into her skin where it’s rubbed raw. She looks up at me as the last chain falls away, and the fear in her eyes mixes with something warmer when she sees me.
"Jace," she whispers, her voice hoarse. "You found us."
I pull her into my arms the second she’s free, holding her tight against my chest. She feels solid and real, her body trembling slightly from the adrenaline or the cold or both. "I’ve got you," I murmur against her hair. "We’re getting out of here. All of us."
Nash and Sin are freed quickly, both of them standing on shaky legs but grinning despite everything. The reunion is brief but intense. Hugs and claps on the back, low words of relief. Billy steps forward last, his eyes sweeping over his two missing sons like he can’t quite believe they’re here. The shock on their faces when they see him is raw and real. They thought he was gone. We all did. And now he’s standing in an abandoned house on the outskirts of town, helping rescue them from the same people who forced him away years ago.
Sloane's team sweeps the rest of the house while we move everyone outside. It’s too easy. No traps. No backup. Just two guys who went down without much of a fight and three hostages left almost unguarded. As we load into the SUVs, I pull Sloane aside.
"This was too clean," I say quietly. "They took Sadie in the middle of a crowded concert and then left her and my brothershere with almost no security. It feels like they wanted us to find them. Like they took her specifically to draw us in. But why?"
