Page 125 of I Am Salvation

We know so little about this cult. About the compound where they have Griffin. Or do they? We have no assurance that she’s there. We only know that Alayna and her team found the compound and are going in with SWAT.

Dragon has the address plugged into the GPS, and as the miles dwindle, my nerves skitter beneath my flesh.

This is some kind of secret society that may possibly do human sacrifices. What if Griffin—after we’ve come so close—has been sacrificed?

What if we can’t find her?

After all she’s been through…

God, I can’t go there. And I can’t voice these concerns to Dragon because I don’t want to worry him. Besides, he’s no doubt thought of every contingency himself.

“We’ll find her,” Dragon says, his eyes glued to the road.

It’s not a response to my unvoiced concerns, but it may as well be. His voice is firm, exuding a confidence that he probably doesn’t feel but wants me to.

I give him a small smile—the best I can do.

The landscape changes gradually as the sun rises high. The dry plains of New Mexico stretch as far as I can see. The compound is nestled somewhere amidst all this—an ugliness hidden within beauty.

Electric tension surges in the air as we approach our destination. I feel it crackling through Dragon’s knuckles on the wheel, see it in the furrowing of his brow.

This is a man who has lived through hell and may well be going into it again.

And he’s doing it gladly. For Griffin. The only family he has left.

The compound looms into view, just as Alayna described—unassumingly ordinary. The sun beats down on what looks like a simple weatherbeaten ranch house.

No police cars that I can see, though there are a few SUVs scattered here and there. Of course, the SWAT team wouldn’t announce themselves with lights and sirens.

Dragon turns off the engine about a block away, and we sit for a moment in the echoing silence, until finally?—

“Ready?” Dragon asks, his gaze steady on mine.

“I am,” I reply, though fear is gnawing at my insides. “Do you think the SWAT team has infiltrated it yet?”

Before Dragon answers, someone taps on the driver’s side window. I jerk despite myself. It’s a uniformed police officer.

Dragon rolls down the window, his face impassive. “Is there a problem, officer?” His tone stays steady.

The officer looks at me and then back at Dragon. “No, sir. But you’ll need to leave this area. We’ve got a police operation going on.”

Dragon nods. “I know. My sister is inside. Or she may be.”

The officer widens his eyes. “I see. You must be Mr. Locke.”

“Yes. Dragon Locke, and this is Diana Steel.”

“All right. If we find your sister, she’ll want to see a friendly face.”

A friendly face? She may not even recognize Dragon, but he simply nods.

“The SWAT team is about to make their move,” the officer continues. “They’re planning to enter from the west. That seems like the least-guarded entrance. You can move your car behind the SWAT vans.” He gestures.

Dragon nods again. “Will do. Thanks for the update.”

The officer tips his hat before walking away and leaving us alone in my car again with our anxieties.

Dragon restarts the engine, throwing one last glance my way before moving the vehicle as the officer instructed. As he pulls up behind the black SUVs that belong to the SWAT teams, I breathe in, trying to ease the sense of dread washing over me. All around us, officers are donning their protective gear.

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