Page 42 of Girl Lost (The King Legacy #1)

THEY’D TRIGGERED THE ALARM —a shrill, piercing sound that ricocheted off the sterile walls, drilling into Luna’s skull. Cameras. Had to be. She’d scanned the corners and ceilings for obvious surveillance, but somewhere she’d missed something. These people were too smart for standard setups.

Corbin, his hand pressed against his side, followed close behind. “Hidden cameras?”

“You read my mind. This way.” She shoved open a heavy metal door marked “AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.”

They stumbled into a narrow corridor. Red emergency lights cast long, distorted shadows, painting the walls in a grotesque dance of light and darkness.

Summer stood at the end of the hallway, her eyes wide, her body blocking their escape route. She rushed to them. “Mr. Sinclair? Mrs. Sinclair? I’ve been looking everywhere for you. What’s going on?”

Luna’s heart thundered as she made a split-second decision that went against every instinct honed over years of covert operations.

“Summer, we’re not who we said we are and he’s not sick.

” Breaking cover was unthinkable, a cardinal sin in her line of work.

Yet here she was, shattering the very foundation of her training.

“We’re the police, and we believe a teenager named Trinity Brown and an older man named Stryker King are being held here somewhere. ”

She waited, eyes locked onto Summer’s face, searching for any hint of betrayal. Luna had faced torture without breaking, endured countless dangerous situations without flinching. But this moment, this vulnerability, terrified her more than any of that.

Summer’s expression flickered through a range of emotions. Shock, confusion, and then something Luna couldn’t quite place. Was it fear? Resignation?

Summer pulled a small, white device from her pocket and pressed a series of buttons on something that looked to Luna like a toy. “Give me a sec. I’m shutting down the alarm panel.”

The shrill wail of the alarm faltered, then died, replaced by a blessed silence.

“There.” Summer pocketed the device. “That should buy us some time, but it won’t last long.” Her eyes darted to the corridor behind them. “Follow me.”

Luna’s legs moved before her mind caught up, chasing Summer’s retreating form down the sterile corridor. “What was that little thing you used?”

“Flipper Zero. It can clone key cards, disable alarms, mess with access controls. Basically, a hacker’s multitool.

I got suspicious a while back, wanted a way to poke around, so I ordered one.

With the right programming, I’m able to open doors my security badge doesn’t.

” She shot Luna a quick grin. “Handy, right?”

Luna’s pulse hammered. “I’ll take handy over dead. Keep going.”

Summer glanced back. “What’s wrong with him? I thought he was faking the heart condition.”

“It’s a long story,” Corbin said. “One that involves some very bad people who don’t like us very much.”

“Well, if they catch you here, they won’t kill you,” Summer said. “At least, not right away.”

“What do you mean?” Luna asked.

“I’ve overheard Dr. Forest talking.” Summer’s eyes darted to the ceiling, as if searching for the invisible eyes watching them. “He says he doesn’t waste resources.”

Resources. Organs. Not people. Not lives. Just ... resources.

The rhythmic slap of their shoes against polished floors seemed to echo Luna’s frantic pulse as they rounded a corner. Another corridor stretched before them. This place was a seemingly endless tunnel of white walls and fluorescent lights. A shadow flickered at the far end of the hallway.

“Someone’s coming.” Summer pushed Luna and Corbin into a nearby alcove, concealing them in the shadows.

A security guard’s boxy frame filled the hallway.

“Corn nuts,” Summer whispered. “He’s searching for whoever set off the alarm.”

They were trapped. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.

Luna stepped forward. She had to do something. She had to create a distraction. “Sir? I’m so sorry. The alarm is my fault.”

The guard turned, his gaze narrowing. “Who are you?”

“I’m Mrs. Sinclair. We’re here for my husband’s consultation.” She gestured to Corbin, who was still pale faced, clutching his chest. “We were just leaving, and I think I accidentally tripped the alarm.”

The guard studied them for a moment.

“It was my fault,” Luna forced a nervous laugh. “I’m so clumsy. I bumped into a door, and...” She trailed off, letting the implication hang.

“Yeah, my wife’s a bit of a klutz.” Corbin managed a weak smile.

The guard grunted, his gaze flicking between them. He punched a code into the keypad. The red light above the panel blinked green. “All right, folks. False alarm. But try to be more careful, okay?”

He turned and continued down the corridor, his footsteps fading into the distance.

Summer emerged from the alcove, her eyes wide. “That was close. Too close. We need to get out of here.”

They reached a stairwell, the air growing colder, damper, the sterile scent of the upper floors replaced by a musty odor of disuse. Summer led them down a flight of stairs. Her small frame navigated the stairwell with the agility of a seasoned operative.

She swiped a security badge at the next door.

A green light flashed above the keypad. They hurried through, entering another long corridor.

White walls. Linoleum floors. The relentless buzz of fluorescent lights overhead.

The same sterile, impersonal atmosphere that pervaded every inch of this place.

“How does your badge work on all these doors?” Corbin asked.

“Like I said, I’ve been getting suspicious about what’s going on around here,” she explained as they hurried through. “So I’ve been carrying my Flipper to work every day. When Dr. Forest wasn’t looking, I cloned his badge onto the device and used it to reprogram mine. I’ve been poking around.”

“I don’t get it,” Corbin said. “That little device can do all that?”

Summer nodded. “It hacks radio protocols, Wi-Fi networks, and ... oh, access control systems like the ones on these doors.”

“Impressive.” Luna admired the girl’s audacity. She’d always had a soft spot for those who dared to defy authority.

Summer swiped her badge at the next two doors. They entered a wing that felt different, quieter. A place where secrets were kept.

“This section has always been highly restricted, and I saw that some patients were brought down here to these rooms for treatments no one discussed,” Summer said. “If Trinity is anywhere in the facility, she would be here.”

They reached a room at the end of the corridor. The door was ajar, a sliver of light spilling out. Luna’s heart pounded against her ribs. My daughter. In there.

She stepped forward. Pushed the door open.

Trinity lay in a hospital bed, her wrists and ankles restrained, her gaze fixed on the television playing reruns of a TV show Luna watched back when it was originally broadcast. The familiar theme song was a jarring juxtaposition against the sterile white walls and the scent of antiseptic.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Trinity’s eyes widened. Luna saw a flicker of fear.

She was beautiful. Dark, wavy hair, just like Luna’s. Corbin’s eyes, warm and expressive. A small, delicate nose, just like Luna’s.

But something was missing. That instant, overwhelming connection, the rush of maternal love. She hadn’t felt it. Not the tidal wave she’d imagined. But maybe it didn’t always come like that. Maybe some connections didn’t crash. They gathered.

“Don’t be afraid. We’re here to help you.” Luna moved toward the bed, her gaze lingering on Trinity’s face, searching for a glimmer of recognition, a spark of connection.

“How did you get in here?” Trinity’s voice trembled. “Are you with ... them ?”

“We’re not with anyone but you.” Corbin began unbuckling the leather restraints on Trinity’s wrists. “We’re getting you out of here.”

Summer worked to remove the ankle restraints.

Trinity sat up. Swayed.

“Easy, there.” Luna steadied her by the shoulders. “Have you been drugged?”

“They didn’t give me anything,” she said. “Not this time. Dr. Forest said he was keeping me here to ... to keep me clean. He was mad that I ... I have an addiction. Pills. It started after my heart transplant.”

“I know.” Luna stroked Trinity’s hair. “You’ve been through a lot.”

Summer stepped forward, holding a tablet Luna hadn’t seen before. “Let me check your records. See if they gave you anything.”

Corbin asked, “How’d you get into that thing?”

“It’s a long story.” Summer smiled. “One involving some minor computer skills.”

“You hacked into their system?” Trinity was clearly impressed.

“Let’s just say I have a way with computers.” Summer glanced at Luna. “You guys aren’t the only ones with hidden talents.”

Corbin looked over Summer’s shoulder. “What’s it say?”

“She had a transplant, all right,” Summer said. “But it’s not what we thought.”

Luna felt a chill. “What do you mean?”

“The heart.” Summer’s wide eyes met Luna’s, then she looked at Trinity. “The heart they gave you ... it’s bioprinted.”

They stared at Trinity. A bioprinted heart. Not a human heart.

Trinity’s face paled. “What? What does that mean?”

“It means...” Luna struggled to find the words. The truth, so cold, so unreal. “It means they didn’t give you a human heart from a donor. They gave you a ... a man-made one. Grown in a lab.” Probably this one.

“But ... but that’s not possible. They told me it was a real heart. From someone who died in an accident. They told me I’d be okay.” Trinity’s words frayed like a girl unraveling one thread at a time.

“Hey, let’s try to stay calm.” Luna reached for Trinity’s hand. It was cold, clammy. Fragile, like it might break under her touch. Her chest tightened as she fought the urge to pull her hand away and shield her own heart. But she couldn’t. Not when her daughter needed her most.

“You’re going to be okay. We’re getting you out of here.” The words felt too small, too insufficient for the magnitude of this moment.

“No!” Trinity shook her head, her eyes wide with terror. “I don’t want a fake heart. What if it stops working? What if I die?”

Wet trails marked Trinity’s face as she cried.

Her body trembled like a leaf caught in a storm.

Luna’s breath hitched as she pulled her close, wrapping her arms around the girl she’d lost so long ago.

She wasn’t just holding a scared, trembling teen.

She was holding the baby she’d kissed goodbye, the little girl she’d dreamed of a thousand nights, now alive in her arms.

“You have to stay calm, Trinity,” Luna said. She gently rocked her as if soothing a child, stroking her hair. “Getting upset won’t be good for you in this condition.” She’d almost said “your heart” but caught herself. Trinity was frightened enough without her adding to it.

Summer handed the tablet to Corbin and moved beside Trinity. “You’ve been doing great all this time. Most likely you don’t feel good because you’re going through withdrawals. I think you’ll be fine once you get your strength back.”

Corbin stood silently beside her with his gaze fixed on the tablet. Luna nudged him, and he turned the screen toward her.

“Her blood type,” he whispered. “It’s AB negative.”

AB negative. Luna was O positive. Corbin was O negative.

They couldn’t be Trinity’s parents.

The realization hit her like a crushing blow. After so many questions, so many false starts, she finally had the answer.

The girl in her arms wasn’t her daughter. Not biologically. But she’d risked her life for Trinity, and she would do it again and again if that’s what it took to keep her safe. Blood didn’t make her family. Choice did.

Trinity was sobbing, near hysterics. They couldn’t sneak her out like this.

“It’s okay,” Luna whispered. “You’re safe now.”

“No, I’m not.” Trinity pulled back. “I can’t trust anyone. Not after what they did to me.”

“You can trust us. We’re friends of Stryker,” Luna said. “We were in the Warrior program too.”

“He’s the reason we came to find you.” Corbin added.

“You really know Stryker?” A flicker of hope flashed in Trinity’s eyes. “Where is he? Is he okay?”

“We’re going to find him,” Luna said. “I promise.”

“But first, we need to get you out of here.” Corbin handed the tablet to Summer and moved toward the door. “Give me a minute to find a cell signal and I’ll call for backup.”

“I’m ... I’m ... scared.” Trinity sniffled. The tears began to subside. “I don’t think I should leave. My ... heart.”

Luna said, “We’re going to get you the medical care you need.”

She eyed Corbin as he came closer. He shook his head and dropped his phone into his pocket.

Still no signal. They couldn’t stay here and wait to be discovered.

They had to get Trinity out. Not only could her heart provide evidence of every sinister thing happening here, but she wasn’t sure if it was even viable.

“Okay, Trin,” Luna said. “We’re going to all leave together. We have some medical experts on standby, and they need to look at your heart.”

Trinity shook her head. “I feel weak. What if I can’t make it? How do I know I can trust you?”

“You can trust them.” Summer dabbed Trinity’s tears with a tissue she’d plucked from a box. “They’re Alex and Lorelai Sinclair and they’re with the police.”

“Actually, that’s our cover names,” Luna said. “I’m Luna Rosati, and that’s Special Agent Corbin King.”

Summer’s eyes darted between Luna and Corbin. “Luna and ... and Corbin?” Her voice dropped to a near whisper. “You guys ... you’re ... you’re my parents.”