Page 17

Emmy

The world was quiet. Too quiet.

No more taunting voices over hidden speakers. No more cold, calculated commands. No more cameras watching my every move. I even had on clothes. Not my own but a worn pair of pants and a shirt, both a few sizes too big. But I still felt exposed.

The reality versus illusion continued to mess with my head. How did I get here? Austin. That’s right. We rode the motorcycle until I thought I was going to fall asleep and end up as roadkill. And then we turned onto an overgrown road and pulled up to what looked appeared to be an abandoned shack.

I didn’t care what it looked like as long as we were safe.

I sat curled up on the edge of a bed, staring at the blank wall in front of me. The sheets were soft beneath me, the air smelled clean—like cedar and something faintly familiar. Safety.

Austin.

I wanted to trust that feeling of safe here, but my body didn’t believe it yet. My skin still burned from phantom touches that weren’t real but felt too close. My mind replayed everything—over and over—trapping me in a loop of fear, shame, and something else I didn’t want to name.

The door creaked open, and I jerked, my breath catching in my throat.

Austin stood in the doorway, his broad frame filling it, his eyes locked on me like he felt the storm inside my head. He didn’t speak right away, just walked inside, moving slowly like he was afraid I’d break.

I hated that. Hated that he thought I was fragile.

Hated that I thought I was.

"Hey, sweetheart," he murmured, crouching in front of me. "You need anything?"

I shook my head, forcing myself to meet his eyes. There was something there, something unsettled.

My fingers curled into the blanket at my sides. "Where are we?" My voice was hoarse, weak. I hated that too.

"Safehouse," he said simply. "We’re still in Mexico, outside the city limits. No one knows we’re here."

Safe.

I wanted to believe it.

Austin reached out, his fingertips barely brushing my hand. The warmth of his skin should have comforted me. Instead, my body locked up, muscles going tight. I pulled back instinctively.

His jaw ticked, but he didn’t react. Didn’t make a big deal of it, but I saw the flicker of pain in his eyes.

"Emmy—"

"I’m fine," I cut him off quickly. Too quickly.

His brows pulled together. "Don’t do that, sweetheart. Don’t pretend with me."

My chest tightened, and suddenly I couldn’t breathe.

The walls closed in. The memories pushed forward. The Ghost’s voice in my ear. The vile demands. The way I’d forced myself to comply, knowing the alternative was so much worse. Javier blending into Austin and how I reacted to him.

A sob ripped free before I could stop it. I slapped a hand over my mouth, horrified at the sound.

Austin didn’t hesitate. He was on the bed in an instant, pulling me into his arms. Strong. Unshakable. Safe.

And I broke.

Tears streamed down my cheeks, my body shaking as I pressed my face into his chest. "I-I did things," I choked out. "Things I had to do to survive."

Austin stiffened, but his grip didn’t falter.

I squeezed my eyes shut. "I feel dirty."

He pulled back just enough to cup my face, forcing me to look at him. His eyes burned with fury—not at me, but for me.

"You listen to me," he said, voice rough with emotion. "Nothing they did to you, nothing they forced you to do, changes a damn thing. You’re still mine, Emmy. And nothing can take you from me. Not even him."

I sucked in a shaky breath.

Austin brushed his lips against my forehead, lingering. "I’m gonna fix this. I swear it."

I cried until I had no more tears left to fall. And through my entire emotional purge, Austin held me. I clutched on to him just as tightly. I didn’t know how long I stayed wrapped in his arms, letting him hold me together. At some point, exhaustion took over, and I dozed off.

Later, I woke disoriented to low voices outside the room.

At first, I thought I was back in the villa. But it wasn’t Javier’s voice I heard—it was Austin’s. And someone else’s.

Pushing the blanket off, I slipped from the bed, padding barefoot across the hardwood floor. The door was cracked just enough for me to see into the next room—where Austin stood with Jax and Tank, his expression a mask of barely controlled rage.

"We leave in an hour," Austin was saying. "I don’t give a fuck what it takes. The Ghost is mine tonight."

Jax shook his head. "Brother, this ain't the time."

"The fuck it isn’t."

"She needs you here," Tank said firmly. "You think you can just drop her off at a safehouse and go hunt him down? What happens when she wakes up and you’re gone?"

Austin’s shoulders were rigid.

Jax crossed his arms. "This isn’t just about revenge, is it?"

Silence.

Then…"He watched her," Austin grit out. "Made her perform for him like she was some kind of fucking toy." His voice cracked. "And I just stood there and watched it happen."

Austin saw what I did?

My heart froze, and embarrassment like I’d never experienced filled me. He saw.

Austin ran a hand down his face, his body practically vibrating with fury. "I should've gotten to her sooner."

Jax exhaled heavily. "You saved her. But if you run off and get yourself killed now, what the hell does that do for her?"

Austin didn’t answer.

I had heard enough. I shoved the door open, the sound breaking the tense silence. All three men turned to me, their eyes widening slightly in surprise.

I marched straight up to Austin, jabbing a finger into his chest. "You were going to leave me?"

His nostrils flared. "Emmy?—"

"Shut up." My voice shook with anger. "I am not some problem you can set aside while you go on a fucking suicide mission!"

"I wasn’t?—"

"You were." My eyes burned. "And you know it."

He raked a hand through his hair, glaring down at me. "I have to do this."

"No," I snapped. "What you have to do is be here." I shoved at his chest. "With me."

His entire body went still. My lower lip trembled.

"Because I don’t know how to come back from this," I admitted, voice cracking. "I don’t know how to fix what’s broken inside me."

My eyes met his, pleading. "But I know I can’t do it without you."

Without a word, Austin pulled me in. He wrapped his arms around me, crushing me against him, his lips pressing to my hair. "I’m here," he murmured against my skin. "I swear it, sweetheart. I’m here."

For the first time since I’d been taken, I believed him. I wasn’t alone, and together we would find a way forward.

The morning light filtered through the thin curtains, but I had hardly slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the cold, leering faces of the men I imagined watching me, the ones who had controlled my every move. Even though I was free, the phantom weight of their commands lingered.

But Austin was here. He hadn’t left me, hadn’t walked out that door to chase down The Ghost like I feared he would.

I lay curled against his side, my head resting on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. It was the only thing anchoring me. The only thing keeping me from unraveling completely.

Austin shifted, his fingers combing lazily through my hair. “You awake?”

His voice was raspy with sleep, but the edge of worry was still there. It hadn’t left since the moment he’d found me.

“Yeah,” I whispered, but I didn’t move.

For a while, we just lay there. No words. No expectations. Just warmth and safety.

But safety was temporary. I knew it. He knew it.

A knock on the bedroom door shattered the fragile peace. Austin tensed beside me, then sighed. “Come in.”

Riot stepped in.

“You!” I screamed and fought against Austin’s hold.

Riot took a step back, his face drawn tight, his usual cocky demeanor stripped away as he held up his hands in surrender. “Emmy, I’m sorry. You’ll never know how much.”

Austin’s arms tightened around me as I thrashed in his hold, fury crackling like live wire under my skin.

“Let me go!” I screamed, struggling against him, clawing at the covers. “He’s the reason I was taken!”

Riot flinched but he didn’t move from the doorway. “I didn’t know what they were going to do to you. I swear to God, Emmy.”

My chest heaved, the air in the room suddenly too thick to breathe. “You tossed me in the back of a van like garbage, and then you left me with him. Don’t stand there and pretend you didn’t know he was going to sell me.”

Riot took a slow step forward, still keeping his hands raised. “I knew he wanted leverage. That’s what I was told. I thought it was just a warning, a scare tactic—something to put pressure on Luke. I didn’t know they’d hurt you. I sure as hell didn’t know he was putting you up for auction.”

“And that made it okay?”

“I tried to fix it,” Riot said quickly, desperation bleeding through his tone. “I went back to get you, but you were already gone.”

I froze. “You went back?”

His gaze met mine. “You were gone by the time I got there. I swear, Emmy. I never wanted you hurt. I made a deal I didn’t fully understand, and when I realized what it cost, I did everything I could to undo it.”

I didn’t know what to do with that. My body was still trembling, the echo of his betrayal too loud to ignore. But something in his eyes—haunted, hollow—made the fight drain from me, just a little.

Austin sat up straighter but kept one arm anchored around me. “Tell her why you did it.”

“Because they took my sister, Raven,” Riot said. His voice cracked. “They used her to pull me back in. And now that I’m out, they want me dead. Grit risked his life to rescue her.”

I was only with the devil a short time. If Raven had been there longer, I couldn’t even imagine what she was going through. A shudder ran through my body. “The Ghost still has her?”

Riot nodded. “That’s why I’m here. We got a lead,” he said without preamble.

Austin gently eased me off him as he sat up. “On what?”

“Luke, and I hope to God Raven is near him,” Riot said grimly.

I sat up too, my heart pounding. “Where is he?”

“He’s alive,” he said first, as if that was the most important thing. And it was.

Austin swung his legs over the side of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees. “How do you know?”

“I talked to a guy I knew back when I was working for The Ghost,” Riot admitted, leaning against the doorframe. “He mentioned a prison—one that The Ghost doesn’t advertise. It’s where he keeps the people he still has a use for.”

Austin’s eyes darkened. “A use?”

Riot nodded. “Yeah. Word was, he had a traitor locked up. Someone who broke the rules. But The Ghost wasn’t done with him yet. I’d bet anything it’s Luke.”

My stomach twisted. “Why hasn’t he killed him yet?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it?” Riot said. “The Ghost still wants something from him. And whatever it is, it’s keeping him alive.”

Austin bent to pull his boots on. “Then we find out what that is.”

Riot nodded. “I can get us close. My guy doesn’t know exact coordinates, but he gave me a region. It’s a fortress, though. If we’re going in, we better be ready for a fight.”

“Then we plan.” Austin stood, took my hand, and we joined the others around the kitchen table.

There was silence as we entered the room.

Luke was alive. I knew this because… “I saw him,” I blurted out.

Their eyes turned to me.

“What do you mean you saw him?” Austin asked, his body tensing beside me.

“When I was being held… They showed me a tablet. It was a live feed of him. He looked—” I broke off, blinking rapidly. “He was beaten, bloody, but he was alive.”

Austin’s expression darkened. “Why the hell would they show you that?”

I forced myself to meet his eyes. “To break me. To make me feel like there was nothing I could do to help him. To get me to… participate in their games.” I exhaled in an attempt to calm myself. “But I did see his surroundings. The walls were concrete, cracked in places. The lighting was almost nonexistent, maybe a single bulb. There were bars, but not like a cell. More like a cage.” I looked at Riot. “Does that sound like the prison you heard about?”

“Yeah. That sounds like the place.”

Jax, who had been quiet until now, leaned forward. “That actually helps. We’ve been searching reports, rumors, anything we can find about The Ghost’s prison. This narrows it down.”

“I can help direct you to what I saw when we get there.”

Austin turned back to me. “That’s good information, babe. But you’re not going with us.”

“What?”

“You heard me.” His jaw was tight, his eyes like steel. “You’re staying here. I’m not losing you again,” he shot back.

I took a step forward. “I can help. I know what to look for.”

“I don’t care. You’ve been through enough. You need to heal, not march into another war zone.”

I heard what he was saying, and he was probably right. I was too fucked up in the head to deal with anymore. Even the chance of being taken prisoner by The Ghost again left me shaken and weak. The need to stay near Austin and not be left behind was a stronger force.

“I understand, but…” I pressed, desperate for him to understand. “What if I stay back with Jax. Please, Austin. The thought of you walking out that door without me, leaving me behind, is emotionally crippling to me.”

Austin stared at me for a long time, muscles ticking in his jaw. I could see the battle inside him—his need to keep me safe versus the truth of what I was saying.

Finally, he let out a slow breath. “Fine. But you stay with Jax. And you do exactly what I say.”

I nodded. “Thank you. You have my word.”

The fight left him all at once, his shoulders slumping. He reached for me then, pulling me against him. He tried to kiss me, but I turned my head at the last second. His lips landed on my cheek instead.

Austin froze, pulling back just enough to search my face. “Emmy?”

I couldn’t do it. Couldn’t let his mouth touch mine. Not after what I had done. Not after what I had willingly done.

“I can’t,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around myself. “Not yet.”

Pain flickered across his face, but he didn’t push. He just nodded, stepping back.

I let out a breath. “Let’s just focus on getting Luke and Raven back.”

“You’re still mine, Emmy. Whatever’s in your head right now, whatever you think—you’re still mine.”

I didn’t say anything in response. Because the truth was… I didn’t know how to recover from what I’d been through. I wasn’t sure I ever would.

The mood at breakfast was tense but focused. Austin had gathered the men who’d come with him to Mexico, the ones he trusted with his life. Jax stood at the head of the table, pulling up a satellite image on his laptop.

“I did some digging last night,” he said. “Based on what Emmy described and what Riot’s contact said, we’ve confirmed Luke is being held here.” He tapped a section of dense jungle. “It’s a high-security compound. Heavy arms, cartel muscle, and The Ghost’s personal guard.”

Austin leaned forward. “We need more men.”

Riot nodded. “I know some guys. Mercenaries, ex-military. They don’t come cheap, but they don’t ask questions either.”

“Get them,” Austin ordered.

Tank pushed back from the table. “We’ll head out now to get them on board. Be back by nightfall.”

Austin nodded. “We leave at dawn.”

I needed to sleep, but I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, turning over all the plans for tomorrow in my mind as well as worrying about Austin and Luke.

Austin lay beside me, but there was an invisible wall between us since I wouldn’t allow his kiss earlier.

He turned his head toward me. “Talk to me.”

I shook my head.

“Emmy.” His voice was raw. “You’re shutting me out.”

“I just need time,” I murmured.

He sighed but let it drop. Instead, he rolled onto his side and pulled me against him.

I didn’t fight it. Didn’t fight him. Because even if I couldn’t handle his kiss, I needed his warmth. Needed the steady, comforting strength of him.

Just as I started to drift, I whispered, “Promise me you’ll come back.”

Austin pressed his lips to the top of my head. “I promise.”