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“Get her out of here,” I grunt at Levi.

I hear her heels on the pavement, the sound fading as she gets further away. I laugh. “You got me on the wrong day, brother. I’ve been looking for someone’s ass to kick.”

“You’re going to kick my ass over a whore?” He scoffs. “Trust me dude. No piece of ass is worth it.”

Once, I’d felt the same way. Women were objects to be toyed with. To be used. But then Imogene came into our lives, and fuck, I treated her exactly the same and now all I have is regrets and the pain of losing her.

“Women should be treated with honor,” I growl, my fist balled and elbow lifted. I slam my fist into his jaw, hearing the snap I’d been craving all day. I go for another—

“Elon!” My name echoes off the brick.

I ignore him, knowing he’s going to try to make me stop.

“Elon, you need to see something,” he says, voice firm. “Then you can finish kicking this guy’s ass.”

I shift my gaze long enough to see Levi and the girl at the end of the alley. He’s removed his jacket and slung it over her bare shoulder. The way she looks at him is… familiar. Slowly, I release the guy and say, “Beat it and don’t you fucking come down here again.”

He doesn’t ask why, just scrambles away, running the opposite direction down the alley.

The scabs tore off my knuckles and I wipe them on my pants. Getting closer I narrow my eyes at the girl. I remember her from the cells under the Main House. How Anex groomed her to work out on the streets. Silas and Imogene had taken care of her. Her name pushes past the adrenaline. “Charlotte, right?”

She nods, hands are trembling like a leaf as she wipes away a line of mascara dripping down her cheek. “I was on the way back from the store and that guy just came out of nowhere and grabbed me.”

“So he wasn’t a client?”

Her mouth turns down. “I don’t have clients. Werecruitfrom there.”

Her wet eyes slide over to a building that isn’t boarded up. The windows are still intact, the front steps clean. An uneasy feeling rolls over me. “Recruit?”

“It’s Anex’s new program.” Her expression brightens when she says his name. Fuck.

“Is he up there now?”

“No. He only comes once a week.” Her hands twist together. “Please don’t tell him this happened. I know it’s my fault. That I should do better, but I just… I want to see him.”

“And he won’t if he finds out about any problems.” Understanding flickers across Levi’s face. He mutters, “Jesus.”

“I’m trying so hard to follow The Way. To be the good girl he wants.” She grabs my forearm. “But you can go up and explain. Explain that it wasn’t my fault, right?”

My gaze meets Levi’s. “Yeah, we’re happy to clear things up.”

And find out exactly who’s running this sex trafficking business. Maybe I’ll still get to beat the crap out of someone today after all.

We enter the building—an old hotel—and it’s cleaner than expected. We pass a reception desk, manned by another vaguely familiar face, and follow Charlotte into a spotless elevator. The doors open on the top floor, and she steps out, heels sinking into a new emerald green carpet. She stops at a door.

“Thank you so much,” she says, turning to us. “I’ve been working so hard, and The Way must have sensed my need.”

Levi nods. “Because it sent us to protect you.”

“Yes!” She smiles. “And because you’re the only two that he’ll listen to.”

She opens the door and before we even cross the threshold, we see him, her handler:

Silas.

17

Silas