Page 141 of These White Lies

But none that mattered this much. I can’t get Elizabeth out of my head.

She must be petrified.

Rhodes must pick up the shift in my breathing because he leans sideways and places another gun on Finn’s thigh. His voice is even. “She’s only got a fifteen-to-twenty-minute lead. Maybe less.”

“They’ll need more time than that,” Finn adds, eyes on the road. “They’ll have to prep a location, secure her. Probably bring someone in. Anna’s not going to get her hands dirty.”

“She didn’t get Elizabeth out of the hotel alone.” My voice comes out harsher than I intend. “Someone helped her. More than one.”

The van falls silent.

I stare out the windshield, jaw locked, fists clenched so hard my knuckles ache. Every second that passes is another second she’s in their hands. We all heard the voicemail of Keith’s death. These aren’t people who hesitate to inflict pain. It feels like the countdown has already started, and I’m not moving fast enough to beat it.

We hit the turnoff for West Paces, winding through narrow, hilly roads lined with gates and hedges taller than most houses. Mansions peek from behind them, quiet in the dark.

Rhodes hands me and Finn new earpieces. I clip mine in, ignoring the tremor in my fingers.

“Three minutes out,” Rhodes says.

“Should be on the right,” comes his voice again through comms. “Satellite shows no access from the back.”

“Roll past and park up the street. We don’t have time to stash the vehicles, but she’s got cameras on the gate, guaranteed.”

“Yeah, nothing screams inconspicuous like an electric company van in Buckhead at night,” Finn mutters.

“It’s not ideal, but we’re going for speed, not style.”

Rhodes cuts in. “Think Anna’s waiting for us?”

“She couldn’t have known we’d grab Seth that fast,” Finn replies. “Or that he’d fold this easy.”

Finn doesn’t slow as we pass the Lindquist gate, and it takes everything in me not to throw the door open and charge.

I must not be hiding my face well, because Finn glances at me, his voice softening. “She’s going to be okay, Brady.”

I don’t answer. Can’t.

He doesn’t know that. None of us do.

But I know this, whatever happens, I’m not leaving without Elizabeth. Either she comes out alive with me, or no one walks out of that house.

She trusted me. Did everything I asked of her. And I let her down.

The thought of never hearing her voice again, never seeing those crystalline eyes narrow, never having the chance to tell her that I love her hollows me out.

Rhodes reaches back and clamps a hand on my shoulder, hard. His voice is steady, grounding. “Game face. She needs a professional right now. Not her boyfriend.”

I nod once. He’s right.

Both vehicles cut their lights, and we roll to a stop.

“Vests on, people.”

When Sera meets us outside with a tactical vest on, I reach out to stop her. My sister is a badass, but she doesn’t have the training for this or any sort of battle experience.

“Not you.”

Her face flushes red, and she opens her mouth to argue, but I cut her off. “I need you here ready to go when we come out with her.” I stare hard into her eyes.