Page 59 of Bound to the Guard

It’s what I wanted. What I thought I needed. Now, I’m not so sure.

I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself as Damien hauls the Doctor to his feet, his hands bound behind his back. This is it. It’s finished.

On the way back out of the lab, Damien’s team plants explosives at key structural points.

Then they rejoin Team Two, which Caleb had led, taking out the other guards in the building. In the background, one of the guards escorts a small, blanket wrapped woman toward avehicle, and anger surges through me to know another Omega suffered the same way I did.

The twins share a look, and Caleb presses the button on the controller he holds.

An explosion rocks through the facility, fire and clouds of dust shooting out the sides of the building.

As the walls crumble into the flames, the lab collapses in on itself, burying the horrors of my past beneath tons of concrete and steel. One chapter closed, and another step toward reclaiming what was stolen from me. It’s not everything, but it’s something.

My eyes flicker between the screens as the hit team moves toward the extraction point. The men are battered and bruised, a few limp from injuries, but they are all alive. They made it out.

Damien’s body cam shakes and lifts, turning toward his face, and he winks into the camera. “Be with you soon, sweetheart.”

For the first time since the mission began, tension drains from my shoulders, the knot of fear in my chest unraveling. It’s not over, not by a long shot, but for now, it’s enough.

“Good job, everyone.” Milo takes off his headset and turns to me, concern creasing his brow. “Are you sure you’re up for going to the interrogation location? It’s not at the manor house.”

I swallow hard, my mouth dry. The thought of facing the Doctor again, of being in the same room as the man who tormented me for so long, sends a shiver of fear down my spine. But I need to see this through. For myself and for the others who suffered at the Doctor’s hands.

“I’m ready.” With a deep breath, I set my safety blanket aside. “I want to be there when Damien brings in the Doctor.”

“Okay, I’ll notify Damien,” Milo says. “If it gets to be too much, say the word, and we’ll leave. Deal?”

Even as my tense muscles tremble, I take another breath to settle my nerves. “Deal.”

As Milo puts his headset back on, my attention returns to the monitors, where Damien’s team now loads into the transport, the Doctor secured in the back under heavy guard.

My pulse races as they head out, knowing I’ll soon stand in front of my tormentor again.

But this time, I won’t be alone. This time, I’ll have Damien by my side.

The heavy metal door creaks open, revealing a dimly lit hallway.

My pulse races as I follow Milo inside, trying to steady my breathing. The air here holds the familiar, sterile scent of bleach and antiseptic, and my stomach churns.

I clench my fists, willing myself to stay calm as I follow Milo deeper into the building.

Milo gestures down the hallway. “We’ve got holding cells in the back, reinforced steel doors, and guards posted twenty-four seven. No one’s getting out of here unless we want them to.”

I only half-listen as I take in our bleak surroundings.

Milo seems so at ease, like he’s done this a hundred times before.

What does it take to become comfortable with this side of the Rockford family’s business? Will I ever become numb to it? Or does it take a specific personality I lack?

I search for a crack in Milo’s calm exterior, a hint of vulnerability, but he remains inscrutable. He reminds me of Caleb, cold and capable, but not scary. Just like death doesn’t bother him the way it does me.

Leo hadn’t been front and center during the hit, choosing instead to wait in the library. I think, had it not been the Doctor that Damien was going after, I would have joined him, instead.My anxiety can’t take another round of watching Damien put himself in danger.

“Seven?” Milo snaps me out of my thoughts. “You with me?”

“Yeah, sorry.” I give him a weak smile. “Just… taking it all in.”

Milo stops in front of another heavy metal door. “Brace yourself. This area doesn’t smell great.”

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