“Where is Micah?” I demanded.

I watched the fight filter from Pixie’s striking blue eyes, her next words resounding through my skull. “That’s the problem. We don’t know.”

“What does that mean?”

They shared a weighted glance and my patience evaporated into the atmosphere—gone, adrift in the fucking ether. I stepped up to bodycheck her, despite being twice her size. Undeniably an asshole move, but my girl was missing, and no one was getting in my way. Fucking no one.

“You better spit it the fuck out, little one.”

She raised an eyebrow, not the least bit intimidated, when I was shoved back by a firm male hand. “Back the fuck up. We’re Micah’s family, and she’s missing. We don’t have time for this.” Before I could charge forward, his eyes narrowed. “She wanted to come here herself.”

“Then why didn’t she?”

His jaw clenched as his condemning eyes narrowed on Pixie Face. He was fucking livid—at her.

Her features slackened under his scrutiny. “The mission got pushed forward and…she stayed.” Her voice turned harsh. “We don’t know why, but she stayed behind without us.”

A strong impression of foreboding tingled down my spine. “Mission? Ava? What happened?! You were supposed to get me first.”

The two women that ruled my life…their fates intertwined into one, causing my heart to plummet into overdrive at the possibility of either of them being hurt.

“Ava is safe. Micah wouldn’t have it otherwise. While your sister is secure, my own sister is now missing.” Her tone was sharp, but not quite accusing. “She entered the underground via Forbidden Garden. That was her last known location. We don’t know the Caverns well enough. We’re out of our depth. We need you. She needs you.”

Half a breath. Bittersweet. Relief for Ava’s safety was quickly overpowered by concern for Micah. “That’s all I need to know. Get me out of here and I’ll find her.”

“We will find her.”

“I work alone.”

“Not with this, you don’t. She’s ours first and foremost, so get that into your dick brain right now.”

Dick brain? She advanced and dug a finger into my chest. “We work together, that’s how we operate. Don’t fuck with our system. Don’t fuck with her.” We weren’t exactly talking about the mission anymore. She was concerned for Micah, and would protect her against everything. Including me.

I raised my hands in surrender and plastered a cocky smirk on my face. “I’ll help you. But once I find her, she’s going to be punished so fucking hard for breaking her promise to me.”

They both groaned in unison, equal expressions of disgust written on their faces.

The male surrendered a knife to me with a heavy stare, weighing me for judgement. He let me take it, which was a surprising gesture in itself.

“Don’t take this for granted,” he said, and I nodded.

As we ventured down the deserted hallway, more light filtered through the barred glass panels. My eyes roamed over their features, their mannerisms. They appeared different, yet moved scarily similar to my golden girl. It was uncanny.

“What are you looking at?” he asked.

“Just wondering how Micah got all the good genes.”

The brown-eyed male huffed, then looked over his shoulder to flick a finger between he and Pixie Face. “Tanner and Emerson King. Finally we get to meet the Psycho. Let’s hope you live up to your reputation.”

They wouldn’t have to wait long. I was more than willing to deliver.

We rounded familiar corridors, my escape inevitable. I’d thought I’d be elated, exhilarated by my release. However, I couldn’t concentrate on anything except Micah. My freedom would amount to nothing if she wasn’t beside me. Imprisoned and trapped in a wholly different way. I refused to settle, refused to even consider that future a possibility.

The duo led me past the harrowing grey basement door and my gut churned. “What’s today?” They halted by my side. They didn’t have to answer, the hairs on my arms rose on end as I pushed against the lever. “Do you have access?” I’d relinquished Fern’s swipe to Micah after I got in trouble.

Emerson shook her head. “There’s no time.”

“For this, I’ll make time. Micah would want me to.” I wasn’t lying. She’d be disappointed if I left without retribution.

Tanner examined my resolve and offered a swipe from his pocket. “Make it quick.”

I disappeared through the archway and retraced the map from my shotty memory. With the lingering smell of bleach, my previous state of helplessness and vulnerability burned through my circulatory system, saturating each nerve ending in twelve months’ worth of fury and wrath.

I crept into the office adjacent to the operating theatre, Burner’s head bowed over an ostentatious desk. Before he could process my intrusion, I’d already lifted his bulk, slamming his back against the hard desk’s surface, his head tilted backward over the side, hanging mid-air, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

Burner dared not move in my presence, his eyes crazed with panic. My favourite look.

I retrieved a cigarette from my pocket, lit the tip and let the ashes fall over his sternum. “I wish I wasn’t on a deadline.”

His words blurred into a convoluted mess. “Psycho. The lobotomy wasn’t my idea. It wasn’t up to me. I was against it.”

I cackled. “You think I give a fuck about that? You’re a dirty excuse for a manager of Oakview. You don’t know the meaning of the word recovery.”

“I’m s-sorry.”

“If only that would save you.”

“Hold on, we can work something out. I’ll bring in Dr Chaser.” Wrong move, asshole.

I tilted my chin at Tanner. “Give me a hand.”

He followed my instruction, his arm muscles bulging as he restrained Burner to the desk. When he was situated, I placed one hand on Burner’s forehead, the other grasping his chin.

Burner tried to talk through my restrained grip. “Plea—"

“Not another word from that serpent fucking tongue. My only regret is my shortage of time, so this will have to do.” He struggled beneath me and Tanner as I shoved a hand into his mouth, his stretched throat battling for air, gurgling from the invasion. With a final grunt of effort, I ripped his lower jaw clean off his face.

I examined my work…not the smoothest extraction. I hadn’t intended to kill him instantaneously, I at least wanted him to bleed out for a bit. But due to my rush, I nicked an artery along the way, his carotid now severed and spurting an intermittent fountain of red all over the floor.

Three down, one to go. Then the Terror Squad will be eradicated.

As I turned for the exit, Tanner and Emerson crowded the open archway, assessing my handy work with clinical precision.

Tanner swept a clean hand through his wavy hair. “A bit too messy for my liking.” I didn’t know how he’d remained so clean. I was a fucking mess.

I flicked the butt of my cigarette on top of Burner’s cooling corpse. “I’ll admit, I’m a bit rusty.” I hitched a thumb towards the operating room next door. “Only practice will help with that.”