Page 162 of Ravaged Soul

WARNER

STRONGER – THUNDERSTORM ARTIS

The stairs leadingto Tom’s apartment are hellish on my swollen limb, but I claw back any evidence of my pain. We’re twelve hours out from leaving the country. This is not the time for my useless leg to flare up and hold our team back.

“Just take it slow.” Ember stands above me, watching each stiff movement.

“I’m alright.”

“I don’t know why you bother to lie to me. It’s never worked.”

“Worth a try.”

Lips mashing together, I brace a hand on the sleek metal banister while swinging my prosthetic up to tackle the next step. She always sees straight through me. It’s incredibly annoying. Though, come to think of it, I’m sure she feels the same way when I read her like a book.

“We’ve got one team member recovering from a car accident and one being stitched up after his twin stabbed him.” She runs a hand over her face. “Not exactly the A-Team, are we?”

“Price of doing business,” I grunt back.

“At least Tom’s out of the hospital now. I can cross one person off my list of worries.”

Sure enough, he received the all-clear after weeks of agonisingly slow recovery. Tom’s lungs are badly scarred from the pneumonia, but he’s well enough to continue healing at home. Or rather, the impenetrable fortress that I’ve erected in his apartment.

“Pretty sure our list of worries extends beyond that.” I catch up to her so we can ascend together. “How do we know that Gunnar is even telling us the truth?”

“I’d say he has a pretty decent motivation.”

“Axel’s deal is bullshit, and you know it.”

Ember shoots me a glare. “I have zero intention of allowing Axel to surrender to that lunatic. But as long as he thinks that’s going to happen, we will pump Gunnar for all his intel.”

“He isn’t a reliable source.”

“We’re fresh out of those.”

Well, shit. I can’t quite argue with that.

“Not even Dominic Pit or the other prisoners will confirm if Nolan Madden is in Estonia.” Ember shakes her head. “They’ve all accepted their fate behind bars. No one is talking but Gunnar.”

“I know, Em.”

Her desperation is obvious. And I don’t blame her for it. With Gael’s threat looming and a possible ID on Gracie’s location, Ember’s racing to end this battle before there are any more lives lost.

Yet that doesn’t mean we should trust an international bounty hunter with about as much credibility as the monsters we’re hunting. For all we know, he’s leading us straight to Gael and Nolan Madden. Not offering them up to us on a silver platter just to win his brother’s head.

“Gunnar places Nolan’s base of operations in Estonia’s capital, Tallinn.” I grab her shoulder to halt her at Tom’s door.“I’m willing to go, but we will not put anyone else at risk. That includes you.”

“I have to find her.”

“And we will. But no more casualties.”

“What else do you expect me to do?” she hisses.

“Stay safe! Follow orders! Be careful!”

Ember begs me with her big storm cloud eyes. I’d still lock her in a fucking closet to stop her from undertaking this mission. It’s a high-stakes, international rescue op. Hardly a walk in the park. The reward is great, but so are the risks.

“Gael doesn’t know we’re working with Gunnar.” I tug the end of her braid, rubbing the blonde and red strands between my fingers. “We’ll use that to our advantage and hope we catch him by surprise.”