Page 117 of Thorns of Deceit

River rolled his eyes and Astor grumbled, “And a village.”

“Let’s focus on this mission,” Aiden cut in, then went over the plan of action one more time. The goal was to slip in and out without notice, but we were prepared for the worst. “Any questions?” Everyone shook their heads. “Good, then let’s go.”

The mood sobered. The twins fell silent, expressions sharpening as they checked their weapons. Aiden moved in front of me without a word, joining his brothers to form a protective barrier while River, Astor, and Darius hung behind me.

Ahead of the Callahan brothers, our reluctant guide—the prisoner—trudged forward into the dark.

The cave smelled of sea and decay. Each step echoed off the walls, swallowed up by the stalactites I could just barely make out. Water dripped steadily somewhere in the distance, creating a rhythm to match my thundering heart.

We walked for what felt like hours, deeper and deeper, the faint glow of our headlamps casting long, twisted shadows along the jagged stone. The path narrowed, the rock walls dropping low enough in places that we had to crouch. Aiden stayed close, sheltering me with his broad shoulders.

Every so often, the prisoner’s steps would slow and one of the twins would give him a not-so-gentle shove to keep moving.

Then, without warning, he completely stopped.

“Keep moving,” one of the twins growled.

But the man didn’t budge. He just turned, slow and deliberate, and then a grin spread across his face.

“What—” I whispered, but my words were cut off when a bang sounded.

Aiden immediately glued himself to me, shoving me backward. He steadied his gun and fired off a round of shots. His brothers did the same. Gunfire, shouting, and the clang of steel on stone erupted all around me while I squinted, unable to decipher who was who in the commotion.

My heart thundered painfully, fear gripping my chest—for the unknown as much as the life growing inside me. My head whipped left and right when I remembered the gun. I wondered if now was the right time to pull it out and start shooting. But Aiden and the twins were close by, and I was terrified that I might accidentally wound them—or worse.

But then I heard it.

“Baby, don’t do anything.”

It was my mother’s whimper, bouncing against the walls of the cave.

I felt the blow to the back of my skull and my world tilted, realizing we’d walked right into a trap.

I woke to the stench of damp rot, blood, and mildew. I would’ve gagged if it weren’t for the invisible grip around my throat, as if steel fingers were clamped there, holding everything down.

Pain pulsed all through my head and down my neck, filling my body with a cold terror.

I cracked my eyes open only to be greeted with utter darkness. My face was wet and sticky. I lifted a trembling hand, fingertips brushing across the back of my head and finding thesource: a tender, swollen spot. The moment I touched it, white-hot pain flared, and I hissed through my teeth.

“Ah, we finally meet, Raven Lyons.”

I lurched upright, the mattress screaming underneath me, its springs whining. The sting of cold air hit every slick inch of skin.

Finding the source of the voice, a man sitting in the chair, I reached for my holster and found it empty.

Panic rose in my throat.

“Wh-what do you w-want?” I stuttered. “Who are you?”

A click sounded somewhere above, and then a white light pierced my eyelids. I squeezed them shut until the glare softened, every blink a small assault.

“I, my dear”—he puffed on his cigar, the scent making my stomach churn—“am your father. Duncan Lyons.”

The name felt like a punch to my gut.

He turned his head and his gaze skimmed past me. I followed it and found a woman on the other side of the room, folded into herself, her round belly protruding out from her hips.

My chest compressed as if someone had driven an iron bar through my ribs.