Page 133 of Ravaged Soul

“Because it’s easier to hate someone than consider that we all make mistakes,” she tells him. “Life isn’t that simple, Luke. Not even when it comes to the good guys and the bad ones.”

Letting them continue debating, I stuff down mouthfuls of jam-packed tortilla. Moral debates are not my thing. But I can hazard a guess at what’s on Ember’s mind.

It doesn’t take a genius.

She’s wrestling with her own conscience.

We all know that she blames herself, not only for Gracie’s current predicament, but for all that she was forced to do while being held captive. Not to mention Ember’s refusal to discuss what happened at the docks. She’s been emotionally fragile ever since.

I have a lot of experience with guilt. It’s hard to avoid in this line of work—casualties and failure go hand-in-hand with criminal investigations. We toe the line between life and death on a daily basis, and unfortunately, that means losing people along the way.

It also means taking lives.

No matter the damage that leaves behind.

My phone pings in my pocket, capturing my focus. I pull it out with one hand while wolfing down the last of my food, clicking on our team’s encrypted group chat.

Warner: Press release has been issued. Prepare for the onslaught.

Blaine: Raye made contact with a few of our sources this afternoon too.

I tap out a quick reply.

Hyland: Any joy?

Blaine: Not yet. May take some time. These people don’t like to rat even for a reward.

Warner: Then we’ll double it every week until someone talks. Management’s orders. I want to know who purchased the girl ASAP.

Shit, Hudson and Kade are not fucking around. Our contact with the Falcon Team has been extremely limited since the blowout, but it seems Josh’s death is having far-reaching repercussions.

“Hy?” Ember watches me type.

“Nothing important. All went according to plan.”

She visibly deflates, nodding to herself.

“The others will be back later. Warner will check on Tom then come home.”

“That’s good. He shouldn’t be alone.”

“Just watch the movie, Em. Everything is under control.”

She half-heartedly blows a raspberry at me before focusing on whatever crap Luke’s settled on. I watch her over the top of my phone in between checking the building’s security feeds and backup systems programmed into my phone.

It’s not often that I pay attention to my gut feelings. After all the shit we’ve survived in years of investigations, I doubt my gut thinks rationally anymore. But this sinking feeling has been screaming at me for days, and I can’t ignore it any longer.

We took down a trafficking ring once before at great cost. Briar Valley is one of our biggest success stories. A big enough victory that our ex-team leader, Ethan, felt ready to retire and move across the country to live there.

I don’t know if we can do it a second time.

This monster is already far larger than we realised.

All the signs point back to our past—to the evil we thought we’d vanquished when we served justice to Willow and her family. The connections are glaring. Dimitri Sanchez may be rotting in the ground, but his ilk is still wreaking havoc on us.

Rolling my lips together, I draw up my most recent conversation with Willow. She keeps in touch, especially after all we went through together. More so recently as she understands exactly what we’re facing now.

Hyland: Case is spiralling. Think we’re getting closer, but it’s complex. Keep your family close - everything is connected.