Page 178 of Blackwood

“Damn, Tex. The throat, that’s brutal.” Lex says with admiration.

One of Krolek’s guards reaches for his gun.

BANG.

He drops before he can aim. The other guard shot him. Why? I have no idea. He then lowers his weapon and says something sharp in Polish to the rest of the room. The other men freeze, get to their knees, and put their hands in the air.

Thank you, Piotr,” Bella says.

The man nods.

“Nate, get Piotr out of here. Tex, beautiful shooting, as always. Laing honey, tie them up. Knox, I’m coming out.”

And just like that, Bella returns. No more deep-voiced seductress. No more calculated madame. Just her. The girl who destroys monsters for a living. And I’ve never seen anyone more terrifying or more breathtaking in my life.

Chapter 53

BELLA

Ditmas Park, Brooklyn

667 Days Since Zeke’s Death

The night air hits me like a slap to the face. My heels scrape against the stone as I step off the porch and make my way toward the black SUV parked by the curb. Kenji stands watch by the front, arms folded, eyes scanning the street like he’s waiting for war.

I open the door slowly. The brunette I had to slap recoils so hard she nearly hits her head on the window. Her eyes are wide and terrified. She curls her shoulders inward like she’s bracing for another hit.

“Hey,” I say softly. “It’s okay. You’re okay. What’s your name?”

She doesn’t move. Just stares at me confused and scared. “Lilly,” she says so quietly I barely hear it.

“I’m sorry I had to hit you, Lilly,” I tell her, crouching down a little, lowering my voice like I would for a child. “We had to sell it. Krolek had to believe that I wanted to buy you. The whole thing was just an act.”

Lilly’s brow furrows. “What do you mean?”

“I mean we’re not who you think we are. My name is Bella and we’re here to get you home. All of you.”

There’s a long pause. Then one of the other girls, a redhead in a silver dress, starts crying. Big, gulping sobs that she tries to hold in with the back of her hand. Another follows, clinging to her friend like she might collapse.

“You’re safe now,” I whisper. “I promise.”

I glance back at the house. Tex is already sweeping the scene. Knox’s van is pulling up behind us, headlights off, quiet and smooth like a ghost in the dark.

“I need you to get out of the car,” I tell the girls gently. “We’re going to have to get your information so we can find your families. We’ve got a change clothes for you, water, blankets, whatever you need.”

They don’t move right away. So, I offer a hand to the Lilly. She hesitates at first but then takes it.

“Look,” I say, nodding over my shoulder as the black van rolls to a stop beside us. “That’s our team. You’re not alone anymore. We’re going to get you girls home.”

By the time I get the girls out of the SUV, Nate and Knox are walking up to us with duffel bags of clothes, bottles of water, and blankets.

Knox sets the bag down and looks at me. “You ok, Bells?”

“Yeah, this is Lilly. Lilly this is Knox and this is Nate. They are going to get you all taken care of. They’ll help you find your families.”

The girls behind me nod and Lilly smiles.

I walk away, the pressure of the night starting to build. The slap, the feel of Laing’s hands on me, the things I had to say. The show I had to put on. The kill shot. All of it starts to crash down on my chest like a weight I can’t breathe under.