Page 91 of Caged Bird

But right now, his dominant personality was doing a victory twerk over the guard’s body while motioning us over.

“He’s so embarrassing,” Ophelia muttered. “I really hope nobody else can see this.”

But she grabbed my arm, and we ran from the edge of the property to the back door where Scythe was waiting for us. Zane brought up the rear, he and Ophelia making sure I was protected between them.

Scythe grinned when we got there, and he pushed open the door the guard had left unlocked, since he was only ducking out for a smoke. I bit my lip and tried not to look down at the unconscious man at my feet. Because up close, he was more than just unconscious. He had a slash across his throat, his blood spilling into the grass.

I glanced at Scythe.

“What?” he whispered, feigning innocence. “I didn’t do it. He was like that when I got there.”

Ophelia waved a hand at him to shut up, and he winked at me, falling back into line behind Zane. Though not without curling his lip and snapping his teeth at Zane like a cranky dog.

I sighed, but there was no point trying to reason with my brother when he was like this. I’d try again with Vincent after all of this was over.

I stepped over the dead guard, reminding myself these weren’t good people. They trafficked women and children, and ending their lives meant others would be safe. But even that knowledge didn’t stop my gut from swirling with nausea at the unseeing eyes and unnatural angle of his head.

The door opened into a stairwell that led down to the basement. We’d known this, from the floor plans Boston had pulled up from somewhere on the internet before we’d left the house. It was why the four of us had picked this entry.

We’d figured most of Guerra’s security would be stationed outside the house. If the perimeter was protected, then there wasno need for much in the way of security inside the home, and the man would probably want some sort of privacy.

Though we were almost certain Otis wasn’t at this residence, I’d wanted to check every floor. And starting with the basement had seemed like the best plan, slowly working our way through the living areas on the ground level, then finally up to Guerra’s bedroom on the second floor, where we presumed he’d be sleeping.

We’d have the element of surprise. I’d tell Guerra everything I knew about his wife and what she and Eddie were planning.

And then I’d pray like hell he had some way of tracking her. Surely the man had Find My Family enabled on his phone, at the very least.

It had seemed like a simple, proactive plan. We’d give Guerra something he wanted, and he’d give us something in return.

But I hadn’t counted on Ophelia stopping dead at the bottom of the stairs.

I hadn’t counted on the windowless basement being full of floor-to-ceiling cages, chains inside each one, like the padlocks might not have been enough to detain a person being kept inside.

My heart thumped. Too hard. And all too quickly, I was back in Eddie’s house, tethered like a dog, left there to die with my baby in my arms.

Zane’s voice was quiet in my ear. “You’re here with me. You’re not back there and you’re never going to be. This isn’t the same.”

My breaths came too fast, and I shook my head, too many memories I’d fought to keep out all rushing back in.

Being held in the dark.

Being hurt, beaten, and broken.

Him taking my body anytime, anyhow, anywhere, and me never having a say.

These cages were empty right now.

But I’d lived in one just like them.

The plan flew out of my head. I shook with a rage I couldn’t control.

Without even thinking about what I was going to do, I snatched the knife from my brother’s hand.

Some part of me knew he’d let me, because I would have never been quick enough to take it from him otherwise, but that only spurred me on. Zane followed close behind, Scythe right beside him, and this time, it was me they followed up the stairs. It was me who led the charge, blinders on because I was too blind with rage to take any of the care we’d talked about.

There was no sweeping of the main living area. There was no quiet sneaking up the stairs.

There was only a storm of hate for men who just took and took and took from women, like we were only put on this earth to serve their needs and wants and desires.

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