It was kind of fucked up that I hoped the asshole was right.
That she’d disappeared because she couldn’t handle the truth of what she’d seen.
Fact I’d known where her sister was. Had kept it from her in this skewed, distorted sense of loyalty.
That devotion real.
But at what cost?
In the end, what had it done?
Even if he was right, I definitely didn’t need his shit right then.
He’d actually fuckin’ shoved me to the ground when I’d told him what was going down, unable to believe what I’d kept from him.
What I’d unknowingly gotten Lily involved in.
How I’d come so close to getting Violet condemned.
Royce had grabbed hold of him. Told him to save the anger for those who deserved it. That we didn’t have time right then. More important matters were at hand.
Because Rhys might be spouting it now—that Violet was just pissed and giving me the cold shoulder and was focused on trying to find her sister—but the three of us knew that wasn’t the case.
Our spirits wouldn’t let us rest with that.
Besides, Kade hadn’t heard a peep from her, and I knew if she had the address, she would have shown. He’d kept us updated, letting us know the neighborhood where he lived had remained completely still.
It’d been almost three hours since anyone had heard from Violet. That would have given her plenty of time to get there.
I glanced at the clock.
Counting down.
My foot to the floor as the truck sped down the two-lane country road.
It was the only place we knew to go.
Trees whipping by. Bright rays of sunlight strobing through the branches as we blazed underneath.
Royce wiped the sweat that was gathering on his temple, dude antsy as fuck.
Me feeding him, him feeding me. “When I set out to take down my stepfather, had no clue how far this bullshit went.”
“Evil has no bounds.” The words were grit.
He grunted an incredulous laugh. “Funny how that bastard had acted like he was the king. That everyone bowed to him. And it turned out he was nothing but a puppet.”
“Never meant for you to get in this deep,” I said as I swung a glance his way.
“Always have been in this deep. I just didn’t know it.”
I gave him a tight nod, and I glanced at Rhys who shouldn’t have even been there. Asshole had jumped in the fucking truck when we were getting ready to take off.
“Don’t give me that look, bro. I know what you’re thinking. You two are in deep? You can bet your asses I am, too. That’s just the way it is. If I were in something, would you turn a blind eye? Let me go it alone?”
I didn’t say anything.
He jutted his chin. “That’s what I thought.”
We fell into silence as we blew down the road, the anxiety shouting so loud it drowned out everything else. My heart roared and thundered as we finally made it into the small city that was about two and a half hours outside Dalton that we’d made in two.
I barely slowed as we drove beneath the underpass of the freeway and the two-lane road opened to four lanes. The endless green fields gave rise to buildings on each side.
Stores and offices.
Apprehension lighting me up, I tried to keep myself in check as I followed the directions on my phone, considering I’d only been there once and it’d been in the dead of night.
We took the first turn into the family neighborhood.
Quaint and quiet.
Lawns fronting each modest house with kids playing on the street.
That only ratcheted my anxiety ten times higher.
Royce itched.
“Hate this bullshit,” he rumbled. “Needs to end.”
I made another right and came to a stop at the curb in front of the small house.
Silence took us over while we sat on the street and stared at the stilled structure.
Innocuous.
White bricks with a gray shingle roof.
A sidewalk cut right through the middle of the manicured lawn and led up two steps to the front door that was painted black.
Two planters on either side spilled over with pink flowers.
If you didn’t know any better, you’d think a little old lady lived there.
So Kade might be in his 50s, but he was straight ‘don’t-fuck-with-me’ ex-military.
When we’d set into motion the plan to get the girls out, Danica had known her father would step up and keep them safe.
My eyes scanned for anything amiss.
Pulse thumping so hard I could feel it beating in my ears and battering my chest.
Nothing seemed out of place, but that didn’t mean I didn’t feel it. That I couldn’t sense this wickedness that rode in on the breeze.
Royce exhaled a harsh breath.
Dude felt it, too.
“Her truck’s still not here,” I said, stating the obvious. The one hope I’d had was she’d show.
I cranked open the door and stepped out under the Kentucky sky. Sweat slicked my flesh, this anxiousness that ripped through my senses, every single one of them on overdrive.
I tucked my gun in the waist of my jeans as I let my attention skate over the lot.
Birds sang in the full trees and the drone of cars echoed from the main streets in the distance.
Royce stepped out, too, same as Rhys, and the three of us slowly started up the small sidewalk.
Stomach tight.
Everything feeling…off.
Intuition told me we were walking straight into a trap.
But I’d walk into a thousand of them if it meant getting Violet back. If it meant protecting these women.
Decoys.
Distractions.
Whatever the fuck we had to be, that’s who we’d be.
Royce’s phone bleeped, and he pulled it out before he gave me a nod. “Casile has secured a team. They are coordinating now. He’ll be here by three himself. Warrants are being issued as we speak.”
“Thank fuck.”
I knocked on the door, two times fast and three times slow.
On the other side, there
