Page 9 of Beautiful Scars: Unshakeable (The Beautiful Scars Duet #2)

Chapter Eight

Zane

The coffee's gone cold again. I stare at the untouched mug, my third today, while surveillance feeds flicker across multiple screens. Same feeds, same locations, same nothing. A month of this and we're no closer to finding her.

Levi hunches over maps spread across the kitchen table, red circles and X's marking possible locations. His hands shake as he draws another line, connecting points we've already checked. The dark circles under his eyes match mine.

"There has to be something we missed." His voice cracks from exhaustion.

I shift my focus back to the feeds. We've narrowed it down to three possible houses, twelve cameras, endless hours of footage showing nothing but regular guard rotations and supply deliveries. No sign of Sunny and no signs of anything we can use to verify her location.

The floor creaks behind me. Rex, arm still in a cast, sets down another stack of files. "More background checks."

I grind my teeth. Every lead we've followed has led nowhere. The hospital connection seemed promising until we realized how deep the corruption runs. Too many people involved, too much money changing hands... it's all too much to pull a single string out of until we get more information.

Colt's phone buzzes. Again. He's been on and off with Wolf all morning. This time he steps outside, voice low but urgent. Through the window, I watch him pace the driveway, running his hand through his hair—a tell that something's different, he's stressed.

"Z." Levi's voice pulls my attention back. "What if we're wrong about the rotation pattern?"

Before I can answer, Colt bursts back in. The energy in the room shifts instantly.

"We might have something." He looks between us, tension radiating off him. "Wolf's been working an angle with one of the nurses. She came forward, says she's treated someone matching Sunny's description."

Levi's on his feet so fast his chair crashes backward. "Why the fuck are we just hearing about this now?"

"Because I needed to make sure she was legit." Colt holds his ground. "Wolf's been vetting her for a few days now. She's solid. Has two kids, and she wants out. Says she can't keep doing what they're making her do."

My fingers curl into fists. I ignore the thought of what those things could be. "What's she asking for?"

"Money. Enough to disappear with." Colt meets my eyes. "She's scared, Z. Really scared. But she's willing to talk."

The room goes quiet except for the hum of computers. A month of dead ends, and now this. If she's telling the truth, if she's really seen Sunny...

"When?" I keep my voice steady despite the adrenaline surging through my veins.

"Wolf can bring her here tonight. Nine o'clock." Colt glances at Levi. "But we need to be cautious. Kid gloves. She spooks? We lose her."

Levi's entire body trembles with barely contained rage. "If she's lying—"

"Then she won't leave this house." The words come out darker than I intended, but we're all thinking it. "But if she's telling the truth..."

"She's our best shot at finding Sunny." Colt finishes.

I turn back to the surveillance feeds, studying the familiar patterns with renewed focus. One shot. That's all we'll get. If we move on the wrong location, give too much of a warning, Garrett will know.

"Tell Wolf we'll be ready." I grab my cold coffee, dump it in the sink. "And make sure she understands—if this is a setup, if she's playing us..."

"She knows." Colt's already dialing. "Trust me, she knows exactly what she's risking."

The hours until nine stretch endlessly. We review everything again—maps, guard rotations, delivery schedules. Looking for patterns we might have missed, connections we didn't see before. But my mind keeps circling back to two truths…

Sunny's been in Garrett's hands for a month. And she's needed medical care.

The nurse better be telling the truth. For her sake, and for Sunny's.

Because after thirty days of helplessness, of watching Levi spiral and knowing Sunny's suffering, my patience for games is nonexistent. Tonight, we either get answers, or someone pays the price for wasting our time.

I check my watch. Seven hours until we find out which it'll be.

The nurse Wolf brings in looks like she hasn't slept in weeks. Her hands shake as she sits at our kitchen table—eyes darting between Levi, Colt, and me. She flinches when Rex sets a glass of water in front of her.

I lean against the wall, keeping my distance, letting her get comfortable before we start pressing.

Colt slides a photo across the table. "Is this her?"

The nurse's breath catches. She nods, pushing the photo back like it burns. "Yes. That's her."

"We need more." I keep my voice level. "Proof you've actually seen her."

She wrings her hands, staring at the table. "She... she calls out—talks sometimes. Usually right after I'm called to sedate her when she needs it. Before the meds kick in. She says two names over and over. Levi and Zane."

The room goes still, silent. My chest seizes, and my knees feel ready to buckle. The physical pain her words cause must be written all over my face.

"I take it that's you two," she says as she nods at us in turn.

"At least I can do this much for her." The words are said under her breath before she continues.

"Every time I've seen her she's pretty out of it. It’s not often I’m sent in alone, mind you, but it happens. Each time I have been she’s begged me to deliver a message to you.

If I ever got the chance. In case… " She lowers her eyes to the table and the words trail off. The meaning is clear.

"She wanted me to tell Zane thank you for teaching her how to breathe through the worst parts.

" She pauses, as if each word is a heavy weight she's finally letting go of.

"And to tell Levi she thinks a lot about the day at the lake when he kissed her.

She forgives you for everything. She misses you both. "

The message crushes me, but it devastates Levi. He sways as if he can hardly stay on his feet. His white-knuckled grip on the counter is the only thing keeping him upright.

Colt watches us implode. "Give us a minute," he says quietly, guiding the nurse to her feet and out to the living room.

The silence is deafening. Neither of us can look at each other, both choking on her words. Thirty days of not knowing if she was alive, and now this—confirmation that rips us apart.

When Levi finally speaks, his voice is low, dangerous. "We're going to find her."

I push away from the wall, throat tight with everything I can't say, and nod to Colt. Time to get answers. He brings the nurse back.

"Start from the beginning." I pull out the chair and sit across from her. "Everything."

She sighs deeply, wringing her hands in front of her on the table. "I'm one of the rotation nurses. We handle aftercare at the houses, check on the girls before..." She swallows hard. "Before they're relocated."

"But your girl's not at any of those houses," she continues. "She's being kept in a warehouse. Here in town. It's where they bring girls who need a higher level of care for a while. Extra medical attention. More time… to adjust."

Levi looms over her. "Which warehouse? Where?"

"I—I don't know exactly. They blindfold me for most of the drive.

But it's in the industrial district, past the old meat packing plant.

I can tell by the smell. They're cautious.

" Her hands shake harder. "I've memorized the door codes though.

She's on the lowest level, separate from the others. Private room."

"Her condition?" My voice comes out rougher than intended.

The nurse pales. "She's... she's alive. But..."

She catalogues Sunny's injuries for us—bruised or broken ribs, cuts, deep tissue bruising. Systematic torture designed to break someone down without killing them. "Sometimes, more so lately, we have to sedate her. The pain—"

"Why come forward now?" Levi's teeth grind as he grits the words out between them.

"When I started, it was for the money." She looks down. "I mean it's bad what happens to those girls, but I made peace with it by telling myself that at least I was making sure they're not in pain, not suffering and are well taken care of before... "

She lowers her eyes, focusing them on her hands. "But, truthfully—I can't... I can't keep doing it. Can't keep watching what happens. Especially what he does to her. I mean all of it's bad, don't get me wrong. But with her it's… different. It's personal."

"Your kids." I dip my head, catching her eyes, bringing them up to look at me. She needs to know how serious I am right now. "You understand what happens if you're lying?"

She nods, tears spilling. "I know. But she... she doesn't deserve this. None of them do. I can't live with myself anymore."

After she leaves, we gather around the maps again. The industrial district spans several blocks, but her directions narrow it down.

"We'll find her." Colt's voice is firm. "We know she's alive. We know she's close."

I stare at the map, memorizing every possible route, every warehouse that fits the description. Sunny's message echoes in my head—thank you for teaching her to breathe. It brings back that morning when she woke up with her head on my shoulder and I realized I wanted to be her person.

Levi hasn't spoken since the nurse left. His eyes are fixed on the photo of Sunny, taken long before Garrett took her. Before all this started.

We have a general location now. We have the codes to get inside. It's more than we had this morning.

Soon, I silently promise both Sunny and myself. Soon this ends.