Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70801 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70801 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
There’s a bruise blooming along the inside of her left wrist, purple-yellow at the edges, finger-shaped. Someone grabbed her hard. Held on. I can picture it too clearly—the meaty hand of some handler, the way her skin would’ve given under the pressure, the way she probably didn’t cry out because crying would’ve given them satisfaction. My jaw locks so tight I taste blood from where I bite the inside of my cheek.
I want to break something.
Instead, I keep my voice light. Because dark humor is what I do when the world makes me want to commit arson. “So,” I murmur, leaning back with my arm on the seat, “you always take down guards with office supplies, or is that a special occasion thing?”
Salem’s gaze flicks to me, unimpressed. “It was a clipboard.”
“A weaponized clipboard.”
“It was the closest thing I could reach.”
“Sounds like skill.”
Her mouth twitches. “Sounds like desperation.”
Arrow’s eyes meet mine. He doesn’t say anything, but the look says: Keep her talking. Keep her here.
Juno’s voice crackles through comms. “ETA five.”
“Copy,” Arrow says.
I glance out the window. We’re heading toward Maddox Security HQ—an ugly beautiful beast of glass and steel tucked into Saint Pierce’s industrial edge like it belongs there. It’s the kind of building that looks calm and clean on the outside and absolutely lethal on the inside.
Salem shifts. “Where are we going?” she asks, voice steady, but her shoulders are tight.
“Headquarters,” I say. “Safe place. Lots of people. Walls that don’t let monsters in.”
She gives me a side-eye. “You say that like you’ve tested it.”
I smile. “We have.”
Arrow’s tires whisper over wet pavement as we pull into the underground access. The gate opens automatically. Cameras swivel to track us. The whole place feels like a machine waking up, recognizing our presence.
Salem leans forward slightly, eyes scanning. “Wow,” she murmurs. “This is… real.”
“It’s real,” I agree.
She just blinks like she’s letting the word sink in. The SUV stops. Arrow kills the engine, and for a second, all we hear is the quiet hum of ventilation and Salem’s breathing—still a little fast, still controlled.
I turn toward her. “Okay. Here’s what happens next. We go inside. There are a lot of people. They’re safe. Some of them are… intense.”
Her brows lift. “Intense how?”
“Like,” I say carefully, “if you trip, three men will try to catch you and fight each other for the honor.”
She snorts, then looks like she surprises herself by doing it. Good. I like that sound. “Do I need a code word?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I say. “It’s ‘Ozzy, shut up.’”
Her eyes narrow. “I think I’ll be great at this.”
Arrow opens his door. “Let’s go.”
Salem steps out and winces as she steps forward. “Oww.”
My heart trips. “Are you okay?”
“My knee. Maybe I hurt it while running. Not sure.” She tries walking faster, but limps again.
I don’t even think about it. I lift her in one swift motion.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“Carrying you. Can’t very well have you limping around and causing yourself to get hurt even more.”
She laughs lightly, so lightly I barely hear her. “I guess chivalry isn’t dead.”
“Just hold onto me.”
Her arms wrap around my neck as I carry her bride-style through the lot. “Good girl,” I whisper, and my heart pounds.
She licks her lips, and I try to ignore the way my entire body lights up at the sight.
I clear my throat and walk. “Anyway—HQ.”
Arrow’s shoulders shake like he’s suppressing a laugh.
“Don’t,” I mutter to him.
He doesn’t respond. Just leads the way.
We enter through the secure door and the world shifts from garage-cold to building-warm. Lights are bright but not harsh. The hall smells faintly like coffee and clean wood and whatever expensive cologne Sawyer Maddox probably bathes in.
Footsteps approach. And suddenly the hallway fills with people. I set Salem down, but keep her close.
Dean Maddox is first—tall, solid, eyes like a man who’s seen war and decided the world doesn’t get to take anything else from him. Sawyer is beside him, posture relaxed but lethal. Sawyer lurks a half-step back like he exists mostly to scare criminals into confessing through sheer presence. Riggs stands off to the side, arms crossed, expression bored, like this is just another Tuesday. Which at Maddox Security, it is.
Then there’s the crew I actually know.
Arrow walks in with us, and Juno moves in fast. She offers him a quick hug and then turns her direction to Salem like she’s assessing damage and offering warmth at the same time.
River is there, leaning against a counter with Gage at her side, the two of them looking like they stepped out of a “power couple who breaks your firewall” magazine spread.
Knight stands near the back with Lark, who’s trying to look casual and failing because her eyes are on Salem with immediate, fierce interest.
And Rae is at a computer station behind glass, headset on, fingers flying over keys like she’s playing a piano in a war movie.