Page 74 of Three to Fall

My heart thundered. “She’s a child!”

Joan’s voice was rushed, barely above a whisper. “That’s not the worst part. They use images of her to draw men in. Naked—”

I slammed my eyes shut, squeezing them so tight they hurt. “No!”

Joan stopped. “I have to go. I’m so sorry, Kara. None of us want this, I assure you. I was horrified the first time they gave me her photos to use, but there’s nothing we can do. If you can do something…anything to get her out… Kyle? I love you.”

The call ended before any of us could reply.

I couldn’t breathe. My skin crawled like bugs were covering it, and I scratched at my arms, fighting the horrible feeling.

Arms came around me, all three of my guys surrounding me, reminding me I was safe.

Reminding me I didn’t have the luxury of falling apart again. I’d come here a shell of a woman, and they’d built me up into something more than I ever could have dreamed of.

Now it was my turn to stand on my own two feet and fight alongside them.

She was only thirteen. Barely a teenager. Definitely not yet a woman. And my husband was abusing her.

There was no time for berating myself. For beating myself up over not taking her with me in the first place. I’d tried, and I’d failed.

I couldn’t do that again.

“We need to go get her,” I said quietly, but with a strength I didn’t think I’d ever heard in my own voice. I sounded like Rebel. Like Bliss. Like Queenie. Like a woman who had power and wasn’t going to let a man take it from her ever again. “We’re going back to Ethereal Eden. We’re getting my sister, and any other woman who wants to be free.”

18

HAWK

Icouldn’t stop the sick feeling swirling in the pit of my stomach. I stood in the doorway of Hayley Jade’s room, watching her sleep, her hair all spread out across her pillow. Her eyelashes fanned across her cheeks, and her chest rose and fell in deep, relaxed breaths, her body at rest because she knew she was safe here within these walls.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Kara’s little sister. About how she was barely older than the child sleeping in front of me now.

I’d done some shit things in my time. I hadn’t always treated women well.

But I sure as hell hadn’t come close to the level of fucked-up Josiah and his cult of freaks had shown. Being an arrogant prick was bad enough, but I wasn’t in the same league as Josiah.

Someone stepped in behind me, and I instantly knew from how big he was and how close he stood that it was Chaos. Nobody else would be all up in my space like that, but for once, I didn’t mind. I found myself leaning until his chest was brushing my back.

His voice was soft so he didn’t wake Hayley Jade. “What’s the plan?”

I sighed. “Other than go get her sister, while leaving enough men here to keep Hayley Jade and everyone else safe, I don’t know.”

“We don’t have enough guys, do we?”

I shoved my hands in my pockets and closed my eyes, wishing I hadn’t already come to that conclusion. “No. I don’t think so. From what Kara has said, Josiah has more than a handful. And probably even more now, after his fucking podcast went viral. The men we dealt with at the school and the hospital were all armed. I just can’t see Josiah not having a stash of weapons himself. He has to have a way of protecting his turf. It’s one thing for us to protect our own grounds. We have the upper hand here. But if we have to split up, half of us here, half of us there… We don’t know his grounds. Don’t know what we’re facing. It could end up a fucking shit show in a matter of seconds if we play this wrong.”

“Kara knows Ethereal Eden.”

I spun around and stared at him. “You are not seriously suggesting we take her? We’ll take Kyle.”

“We should take them both.”

I shook my head stubbornly. “No fucking way.”

“She’s not going to take no for an answer. I saw the look in her eyes just now. It’s the same one I’ve seen in her every time she has to protect Hayley Jade. Or me. Or Grayson. Or you.”

I swore beneath my breath. “She has zero sense of self-preservation.”

---