Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70801 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70801 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Arrow follows without hesitation.
I lower my voice. “Salem’s father said something before we got him out.”
Arrow’s eyes sharpen. “What did he say?”
“He said Serafina found out he hired Maddox because someone sold him out,” I say. My throat feels tight. “He thinks there’s a mole close to Maddox.”
Arrow’s face goes still. “Salem told you,” Arrow says.
I nod. “She told me right before the ambulance doors closed. He warned her again after.”
Arrow exhales slowly, gaze flicking down the hall to where our people are clustered. “He said a mole inside Maddox.”
“Or someone close enough to leak contracts,” I say. “Either way, it’s bad.”
Arrow’s jaw clenches. “Yeah.”
My stomach twists. “It can’t be one of us.”
Arrow looks at me like he already knows I need that reassurance. “It’s not us. You know us, Oz. We grew up together. You, me, Render, Poe, Gage, and Knight. We’re brothers.”
I swallow hard. “You’re sure.”
Arrow’s eyes hold mine, steady and certain. “As sure as I can be about anything.”
That helps. A little.
I watch him pull his phone out and step a few paces away, posture tightening as he makes a call. His voice stays low and controlled, but I can still catch pieces. “Dean. We have a problem.”
My pulse kicks up.
Arrow listens, his face changing slightly. Not panic. More like something just confirmed a suspicion. Then Arrow says, “When?” He pauses again, eyes narrowing. I hear him say, “Copy.” When he ends the call, he looks back at me with a grim expression.
“What?” I ask, bracing.
Arrow’s voice is flat. “Dean says their whole system just went down.”
My blood turns cold. “Went down how.”
“Hacked,” Arrow replies. “Total blackout. Comm interruptions. Access points compromised. Rae got kicked off the secure channels and had to switch to backups.”
My stomach drops. “Do they know who did it?”
Arrow shakes his head. “Dean doesn’t.”
I clench my fists at my sides, forcing myself not to pace because pacing in a hospital makes you look guilty or unhinged, and right now I need to look like a man in control.
“They hit Maddox right after Salem’s father said there’s a mole,” I mutter.
Arrow nods. “Timing is not a coincidence.”
My heart pumps rapidly through my system, anger and fear mixing again. “So what now?”
Arrow’s gaze flicks toward the exam room. “We get Salem out of here. We get her back to HQ. We keep her close, and we keep our mouths shut in public. We assume anyone listening is already listening.”
I swallow hard. “And her father?”
Arrow’s face hardens. “Dean will take care of him. Sawyer already has a protective detail on him. He’s a priority now.”
A nurse walks by pushing a cart. Arrow and I stop talking instantly, like our words can be seen in the air. When she passes, I breathe again. My brain keeps running in circles around one truth. Someone’s inside.
Or someone’s close enough to touch Maddox from the outside. Either way, the net is tightening.
I turn and walk back toward Salem’s room.
Inside, she’s still sitting on the bed, but she looks slightly less hollow with Juno’s hands on her shoulders and Lark’s water bottle pressed into her palm. River is wiping her eyes quickly like she hates being caught crying. Gage is leaning in the doorway, arms folded, protective as a wall.
Salem’s gaze snaps to me as soon as I enter. Her expression softens at the sight of me. Not weak. Never weak. Just… relieved.
It hits me so hard it makes my throat burn. I cross the room and crouch in front of her, placing my hands on her knees gently. “Hey.”
Salem’s fingers curl around my wrist. “Hey.” Her voice is steady, but I can hear the tremor beneath it. The aftershock.
I glance at Juno and the others. “Give us a minute.”
Nobody argues.
Juno squeezes Salem’s shoulder and steps out first, motioning the others with her. River hesitates, eyes lingering on Salem like she wants to wrap her in bubble wrap, but Gage guides her out. Lark and Knight follow, Lark giving Salem a small nod that says she’s here whenever Salem needs her.
The door clicks shut, and the room quiets except for the hum of the ventilation and the distant murmur of the hospital outside.
Salem looks at me with eyes that have seen too much in too little time. “You look wrecked,” she says softly.
I give a humorless smile. “I feel worse than I look.”
Her gaze flicks to the bruise on her cheek, then back to my eyes. “I’m okay.”
I swallow, my chest tight. “You shouldn’t have to be okay after that.”
Salem’s mouth tightens. “But I am.”
I nod, because fighting her strength is pointless. It’s part of her. It’s why I fell so hard. I squeeze her knees gently. “We’re heading back to HQ.”
She nods. “My father.”
“He’s being stabilized,” I say carefully. “They’re keeping him here for now. He’s going to be guarded.”
Salem’s throat works. “He told me… he told me something else before they moved him.”