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“I have no intention of hurting our little flame,” he continues, voice chilling in its casualness. “However…” His eyes darken, an icy smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “If she doesn’t doexactly as she’s told… That invites consequences. How much pain she endures is entirely up to her.”
Wolfe’s smile widens, slow and sinister. “You see, it’s always about choice. She can choose obedience. Or,” his eyes lock on mine, “she can choose pain. Either way, the outcome is inevitable.”
Blaze snarls, straining harder against his restraints, but Wolfe remains unfazed. His gaze never leaves mine. It’s as though Blaze’s rage is inconsequential—a mere ripple in a pond while Wolfe holds all the power.
“Then why are we here?” The question slips out before I can stop myself, and I make the mistake of meeting his gaze—those cold, calculating eyes pierce straight through me.
A chill snakes down my spine. His eyes are void of anything human, like staring into an abyss that reflects all my worst fears. I shrink, instinctively pulling inward as if trying to make myself smaller, less noticeable.
Wolfe’s lip curls into a smirk, his gaze pinning me down like I’m already defeated. “You’ve stumbled into something much bigger than yourself, little flame. A game that’s been in motion for years.” His voice is smooth and controlled, each word carefully measured, and there’s no doubt in my mind—he’s the one pulling the strings.
He looks between Blaze and me, utterly unbothered, like he’s already won whatever twisted game we’ve found ourselves in.
“What are you talking about?” Blaze demands.
Wolfe’s eyes gleam in the harsh light. “Tell me, Mr. Hawkins. What do you know about the disappearances of foster children in New York over the past decade?”
The question hits me like a slap in the face. I’ve known kids who vanished, sure. It was just part of life on the streets, in the system. But the way Wolfe says it…
“Ember here,” he continues, his eyes sliding back to me, “she was supposed to be one of those statistics. Another lost child that no one would miss. But she proved—troublesome.”
“Troublesome? I’ve never met you before.”
“No?” Wolfe leans in close, his breath hot on my cheek. I fight the urge to puke. “Think back, little flame. The night you helped those kids escape a fire. We may not have met, but you’ve been a thorn in my side for many years.”
My blood turns to ice. Memories I’ve tried to bury come flooding back—the group home, the night everything went to hell. “I don’t… I don’t understand.”
Suddenly, I’m twelve again, smoke burning my lungs as I lead a bunch of scared kids out of a fire. The heat. The flames at my back. Sirens wailing in the distance.
“That was… That was you?” My voice sounds small, like a scared kid’s.
Wolfe’s smile is cold, cutting through the air like a blade. “You cost me a lot that night. You exposed a significant part of my operation and cost me millions in potential merchandise. I’ve been looking for you ever since.” His tone is too calm, as if he’s discussing a simple business transaction instead of shattered lives.
The missing kids. The whispered rumors. My stomach twists as the truth clicks into place, sickening and undeniable. It was all real, and I stumbled into the heart of it without even knowing.
“You were trying to kill them,” I blurt out, my voice sharper than I intend, trying to piece it all together, trying to make sense of the nightmare I unknowingly survived.
Wolfe laughs, the sound low and full of mockery, as though I’ve just told the world’s funniest joke. He steps closer, the smile on his lips as icy as his words.
“Oh, dear little flame, you don’t understand, do you? Those kids were never meant to die.”
I flinch at the condescension in his voice, every syllable dripping with amusement.
“The fire? That was nothing more than a distraction. A convenient cover-up so I could move them into my business.” His eyes gleam with dark amusement as he towers over me, and his voice softens as if sharing a secret. “You see, my business requires a certain—product. And those children?Theywere the product.”
My stomach lurches, bile rising in my throat. “Product?” The word feels like poison in my mouth.
“Of course,” he continues, completely unfazed, “that business isn’t exactly what you’d call—legal. But profitable? Oh, very much so. And you ruined that for me. You were supposed to disappear that night, like the rest of them. Instead, you became the thorn in my side.” He chuckles with a sound that makes my skin crawl. “I’ve been looking forward to this moment for a long time.”
The weight of his words sinks in, suffocating me. All these years, I’ve unknowingly been dodging a nightmare far darker than I could’ve imagined.
“You’re a monster,” Blaze spits out, his voice dripping with disgust. “Trafficking children.”
Wolfe shrugs like we’re talking about the weather. “Business is business, Mr. Hawkins. And vulnerable children are a valuable commodity in certain circles.”
I want to vomit. My mind races, flashing through memories of all the kids I’ve known—scared, alone, desperate for someone to care. How many of them ended up in this bastard’s hands? How many were swallowed by the darkness while I ran without knowing the hell I escaped?
Wolfe’s cold eyes lock onto mine, chilling me to my core. “Your capture after the debacle with Aria Holbrook has given me an unprecedented opportunity.” His voice is smooth andclinical, like discussing numbers instead of human lives. “It allows me to recoup some of the damages you caused all those years ago.”