Page 64 of Echoes of Desire

“Knox, I’d be surprised if Taylor doesn’t take away all of your electronics,” I tell him. “I sure as hell would.”

“But those are my livelihood,” he gasps. “It’s literally my job.”

“As if he would care,” Ghost says from behind the wheel.

“Alright. Alright. Lesson learned. I’ll leave the heroism to Emily. Why are you guys wearing hats?”

“Emily’s in trouble too,” Blaze answers. “And the hats are so Raven can find us in a crowd.”

“Cool. Maybe we should all wear something that she identifies us with. Maybe a tattoo,” Knox closes his eyes and rests his head on my shoulder. “I’ll think of something.”

The truck grows quiet, the weight of the night settling over all of us. The horrors we witnessed in that warehouse won’t be easily forgotten, and while we saved Knox, we know there’s still work to be done.

Knox and Emily may have started this, but we’re all in it now. We’re going to clean this town up. Raven would never be able to recognize pictures of the predators if we showed her. She’s vulnerable.

“We have to protect her,” I whisper.

Blaze nods beside me, his face shadowed but his determination clear. “We will,” he says, his voice low and steady. “No one touches her. No one even gets the chance.”

Knox stirs against my shoulder, half-asleep but still alert enough to mumble, “You guys talk like she’s some kind of porcelain doll. She’s tougher than you think.”

“She’s tough,” Blaze agrees. “But she’s also vulnerable in ways you don’t understand. And that’s not a weakness. It’s just a reality.”

Knox opens one eye, glancing up at me. “You mean her face blindness?”

“Exactly,” I reply. “If someone came after her, she wouldn’t be able to identify them. Even if they were right in front of her. We can’t let that happen.”

Knox hums thoughtfully, then closes his eyes again. “Well, you’re not wrong. But she’s got you two, and I don’t think there’s anyone stupid enough to mess with that.”

Blaze smirks. “You’d be surprised.”

The truck pulls into the hospital, and the faint hum of activity greets us as we unload. Emily is already waiting, pacing with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. The second she sees Knox, her expression softens, and she rushes forward.

“Knox!” she exclaims, her voice trembling with relief as she pulls him into a tight hug.

Knox winces but hugs her back, his usual sass replaced with quiet gratitude. “I’m okay, Em. Thanks for saving my ass.”

“You’re welcome,” she says, pulling back just enough to glare at him. “But don’t ever do something that stupid again, or I’ll personally make sure you regret it.”

He chuckles weakly. “I didn’t kidnap myself. But, noted. Take me to Taylor.”

As we follow them into the hospital, I glance at Blaze. His expression mirrors my own. A mix of relief and unrelenting resolve.

“We’ll talk later,” I murmur. “About what’s next.”

Blaze nods, his gaze flicking to Raven, who’s standing outside of a room, watching everything with wide eyes.

“Raven, please come back in here,” I hear Taylor call out. “Come sit with me.”

“For now,” he says, his voice softening as Raven smiles and returns to our brother, “let’s make sure everyone gets home safe.”

I follow his gaze, my chest tightening at the sight of her holding Taylor’s hand. She’s our center, our reason to keep pushing forward. And no matter what comes next, we’ll protect her. Always.

“Looks like King’s been training you lot to become soldiers,” someone says. “Great job out there. We couldn’t have caught them without you.”

I turn to see who is speaking, but all I see is the back of an officer as he walks away.

Shaking my head, I follow my brother to get our woman.

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