A moment later we were in the room, my eyes zeroing in on the four girls. All four pairs of eyes widened at seeing us, a frightened sob coming from behind the gag of one. A girl, the oldest of the group by the look of it, tugged the whimpering child next to her tight to her side, while her gaze didn’t stray from mine.
I didn’t need to check that Jenson was guarding the door; he knew his job. We’d extract these four via the window, Jenson sending the signal to Kent to gather the second extraction team to collect the girls from us. Jenson and I would continue looking for the last girl while Thatch and Michaels took out the rest of the bad guys.
With my pointer finger to my lips indicating quiet, I edged towards the frightened girls. Crouching before them, I whispered, “Name’s Callen. We’re going to get you out through the window in the next room, okay?” I spoke directly to the eldest. When I received a terrified nod, I reached out slowly and removed her gag.
Relieved as hell she didn’t scream, I smiled at her. “Where’s the other girl?”
The shifter child shook her head and whispered, “T-They took her a w-while ago.”
“To someplace else or is she still here?”
“S-Still here. I h-heard a metal door.”
“I’ll find her.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “She’s my b-baby sister.”
Her words hit me hard, and I fought like hell to keep myself in check. “I’ll find her and get her back to you.” I didn’t dare promise, but I’d do everything in my power to save the girl. I only hoped she was still alive. “All four of you, I need you to be as quiet as possible and follow me, okay?” My eyes roamed over them, receiving a small nod from each. “Jenson over there will make sure we’re all safe, okay?”
Unsheathing a small knife at my ankle, I reached out and sliced through the heavy-duty zip ties shackling their hands and ankles, while the eldest girl helped the two younger ones remove their gags, mumbling to them softly that they’d be okay.
Once on their feet, I took the hand of a girl with bright blue eyes. “Come on then, sunshine. Let’s get you safe.”
She nodded immediately, and in a line connected by holding hands, we raced to the next room, skirting close to the walls and aiming for stealth, surprisingly easy with the shifter girls. At the window, I spoke into my comms. “Callen extracting four at point B.”
“Meadows at point B.” It was the warning I needed before his head came into view.
I gave him a quick nod and picked up the first girl, passing her over into the open arms of Meadows, a guy I’d never met, a human. The fourth girl, the one who’d been so brave, clung to me a moment, squeezing tight. I swallowed hard. “I’ll find her,” I said next to her ear before passing her through the window.
“Point B extraction complete,” Meadows said before backing away into the darkness.
Swinging myself around immediately, I made my way to Jenson in the next room. I gave him a chin lift, indicating all was well. He didn’t exhale in relief; neither of us could, not until we found the final child safely.
After finding our way to a steel door and clearing out a few more guards, we took a breath while I hit my comms. “Callen on comms. What’s your position, Thatch?”
His response was immediate. “At your six.”
My chest loosened, knowing all the rooms must be clear beyond the space behind the steel door. That, and Thatch was unscathed. A moment later, I sensed movement from him and Michaels. Then they were beside us.
“Just four accounted for. One moved this way not long ago. No rush though. I think we’re still good.”
“Jenson and I will focus on the remaining girl,” I whispered.
Thatch’s voice was low when he responded. “Got it. We’ve got your backs and will shut the place down.”
Jenson tried the handle. It turned without sound and he eased open the door. The room was bright.
Thatch instructed immediately, “Kent, lights.”
Within a second, the power cut out and we moved in, separating into our pairs. I took in as much of the space as possible. Movement and a grumble off to my right signalled a person, while from a little further back came a feminine voice. “Sort it immediately.” She sounded frustrated, tense.
I allowed myself a moment of relief that we still had the advantage until it was cut short by a shouted, “Shit, Danny isn’t answering. Get out—”
The man’s voice stopped abruptly, I hoped from an IH dart from Thatch or Michaels. I heard the rush of movement before I saw it. Vampire. But the sound wasn’t aimed in our direction.
“At your three o’clock,” Jenson said, no longer whispering.
Immediately glancing in that direction, my gaze landed on the missing girl strapped to a contraption that had me seeing red. My focus zeroed in on her and getting her out. I couldn’t let the worry for Thatch threatening to seep in distract me.
“I’ve got her. You get the woman.”
“On it,” he responded.
He separated from me as I raced towards the young shifter. Unconscious but with a heartbeat, she looked pale and far too young to be caught up in anything of this magnitude. I surveyed the needles protruding from her arm and the straps tying her down. Just as I reached out, I heard snarls and scraping metal, followed by an agonised cry. With my gut threatening to turn and my heart close to beating free out of my chest, I released the young shifter’s limbs and carefully removed the needles, pressing a gauze I grabbed off the table to her arm.
Her breathing continued in a steady rhythm, dramatically different to my own. “Jenson, report?”
“Got her.” His voice was tight, but there was no doubt that if this woman was the other doctor Cartwright had mentioned,
