Page 93 of Retribution

‘Yeah?’

‘It’s Mav.’

‘Hey, Daisy’s Simp One, or are you number two?’

Has her tone softened or am I imagining it?

‘Uh… It’s about Daisy.’

‘I told you, babe, I don’t know anything and, even if I did, I wouldn’t say a word.’

‘Look, Lu. Please. How did she look when you saw her yesterday?’

‘Like shit,’ Lu says after a moment’s hesitation.

‘She’s out there alone. She needs us as much as we need her. Please help us find her.’

Lu lets out a long sigh followed by a, ‘fuck you for being such a goddamned motherfucking teddy bear, Shaw. FUCK! Fine! I’ll tell you what I know, but only because she told me that she was your first time, and it hit me right in the feels. But don’t fucking tell anyone I said?—’

‘She told you about that?’ I gasp in a very unmanly tone.

‘Of course she did. She’s my bestie! My cousin, Sark, picked her up. He…told me where he dropped her off. But you have to promise that if she doesn’t want you near her, you leave her alone.’

‘Promise,’ I say immediately, knowing that I’m lying through my teeth.

‘He dropped her at the club.’

‘The club?Ourclub?’ I yell as I exit the building on the street with Shade behind me.

‘Yeah. That’s all I got.’

She hangs up.

‘What did she say?’ Shade asks.

‘Sark dropped her at Wrath yesterday.’

Shade looks excited. ‘Are the new cameras working yet?’

‘I think so! Blake was testing them a couple of days ago!’

We practically run to the parking lot and jump into Shade’s car, speeding back toward the KIP House. I call Blake and tell him to look at the footage from yesterday morning. He sounds just as excited as we do at first, but then he lets out a low cry of anger and upset.

‘What?’ I scream into the phone. ‘What is it? Use words!’

‘Fucking Sauvage,’ Blake bites out. ‘He has her!’

9

DAISY

Idon’t know how long I’ve been in this lab, but it must be coming up to eleven hours.

The alarm I set on one of the little magnetic timers I found beeps, jolting me out of the half-asleep state I’m in with my head propped up on the cold metal table by my elbow.

I get up a little unsteadily, wondering if I’m going to keel over. The only thing that keeps me upright is the knowledge that I’m so close. After the past however many hours, I’m on the cusp of my plan actually coming to fruition.

I put the green powder in the mixer with the excipient and set it to run. I glance back at the two guys who are standing by the door. New ones. Must have been a shift change. I didn’t notice when.