Page 86 of Intertwined Souls

“I couldn’t be brave enough,” she says so quietly I almost don’t hear her, her skin already turning clammy and pale.

“Hey, sweetheart, I bet you were so brave. You’ve done so good. I promise. No one is going to be upset with you, okay? We are going to help you, and you’ll get to leave here with everyone else and be free, okay?”

“Free?” she mumbles as she coughs and gasps in pain.

More blood gushes from her wound, and Vance does his best to keep it under control as one of his other guys is on the phone with someone talking about her a few feet away.

Placing my hand on her cheek, I smile at her. “Yes. Free. You are free now, sweetheart. Can you tell me your name?” I ask, fighting back tears.

She rasps, “Sammy. My name is Samantha Brown.”

“Sammy. It’s beautiful. You get to be free, Sammy.”

“Does that mean I get to see my mom again?” she asks, her eyes drooping slightly.

“Yes, Sammy. We will find her, okay? But I need you to keep being strong for me. Be strong like you told the other person you were strong.”

“Mom?” she murmurs, her gaze growing distant.

I nod as a few tears fall down my cheeks. “Yes, we are going to find her. I promise.”

“I’m free now.” Her eyes slowly fall closed, and she takes a gasping breath. But her chest doesn’t rise again.

“Hey, hey, Sammy. Sammy, talk to me, okay?” I sob, unable to contain myself any longer.

Vance slowly pulls his hand away from where he was keeping pressure on her wound and presses two fingers against her wrist. Shaking my head, I press my hands onto the wound.

“No. No. Sammy is not dead. Not dead,” I cry harder.

“Harley, there wasn’t anything else we could do,” Vance explains emotionlessly.

I shake my head firmly, not pulling my hands away. She didn’t fight just to die the second she was going to finally have freedom. No.

Vance sighs, glancing between me and her. “Like you said, she’s free now. You did everything you could for her. She didn’t die with this place on her mind. You helped her,” he says, trying to comfort me.

Dropping my hands from her wound, I look up at him. “You’re never truly free,” I seethe through my tears.

Vance tilts his head as he studies me. “Something happened to you,” he states, not asking.

Narrowing my eyes at him, my hackles rise. “That’s none of your business,” I retort and quickly wipe the tears from my face.

Vance pinches his lips together but nods in understanding and moves away as Cade approaches. He bends down and meets my eyes, gently gripping my chin between his fingers.

“I can take care of her, but you’re needed. The girl on the table is terrified of us. She needs you, baby girl,” Cade murmurs.

Nodding, I carefully run my hand over Sammy’s still perfectly braided hair. “You’re free, Sammy,” I whisper before standing up. Cade squeezes my hand and gently presses his lips to my forehead, looking down at the girl.

Taking a deep breath, I force myself to shove my feelings down and keep going. This isn’t about me. They need us to be strong.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Harley

When I get to the steel table on the far side of the room where Gabe, Ryker, and Grayson are standing a few feet back with stricken looks on their faces. I approach slowly, coming to the side of the young girl who is silently sobbing as her body violently shakes within her restraints.

She is wearing a slip dress. The same as Sammy, but this one is white not black. Her wrists and ankles are being held down at each corner of the table.

“Hey, sweetheart, my name is Harley,” I say softly.

---