Page 39 of Ranger's Justice

Dalton snorts. “How rude; you didn’t even give him time to scream.”

I shoot him a look. “Focus.”

Gideon’s already on the second guard, taking him out with a brutal efficiency that barely makes a sound. The man twitches once, then goes still, blood pooling in the dirt beneath him.

Dalton toes the first guard with his boot. “Want me to ask this one some questions?”

The man groans.

I crouch beside him, gripping the man’s throat. His pulse flutters beneath my palm. He’s terrified, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving him mercy.

“You running security?” I ask, voice low.

He shakes his head, eyes wide, pleading. “No—no, I—I just drive the rig…”

I squeeze, cutting off his words. “You traffic people.”

“I just…” His words cut off with a wet gurgle as I press harder.

Dalton watches, face impassive. Gideon doesn’t move. The man struggles, but there’s no winning this fight. When I finally let go, his body slumps, lifeless.

Gideon exhales. “Well. That’s one way to handle it.”

I roll my shoulders, standing. “Let’s open it.”

Gideon and I move to the trailer doors. I pull the heavy latch free, metal groaning under my grip. There’s a long, awful moment where nothing happens. Then… a girl stumbles forward.

She’s young. Too young. Barely more than a teenager. Her eyes hollow, her wrists raw where they’ve been bound. She blinks up at me, her lips parted like she doesn’t quite believe we’re real.

Behind her, there’s movement. More bodies, more eyes. Some wide with fear, others dull, lost in whatever hell they’ve been living in. My chest tightens.

Dalton curses under his breath. “Son of a bitch.”

Gideon doesn’t say a word, but his jaw clenches, his hands curling into fists.

The girl in front of me sways. I step forward, catching her before she can fall. She flinches at the touch, her whole body stiffening.

“We’re not here to hurt you,” I murmur. “You’re safe now.”

She stares at me like she doesn’t believe me.

I nod toward Dalton. “Get Deacon; have him bring Cassidy.”

Dalton hesitates, glancing at the wreckage behind us. “You sure about that?”

I don’t hesitate. “Yeah.”

Dalton nods and jogs back toward the vehicles.

Gideon steps inside the trailer, scanning the other girls. “We need to move fast. Some of them are in pretty rough shape. They might not last long.”

I tighten my grip on the girl in my arms. She’s barely standing, her breathing shallow. Cassidy needs to see this. But more than that, they need to see her. Not just because I know she’ll help, but because she needs to understand. This isn’t just about revenge or justice. This is war and these women are the casualties.

I barely contain the rage inside me. My wolf is snarling, pacing, clawing beneath my skin, demanding release. It wants vengeance. Blood. It wants to rip apart every bastard involved in what we just uncovered. But I can’t let it. Not here. Not in front of the girls we just pulled out of hell.

They’re huddled together, shaking, eyes darting between us like they can’t decide if we’re their saviors or just another part of the nightmare. Most of them are too malnourished and drugged to put up a fight. A few still have enough spirit left to flinch when Gideon moves too fast. The girl in my arms, the one who nearly collapsed when I opened the trailer, is barely conscious, her body limp against me.

I tighten my grip, keeping her upright. “You’re safe,” I murmur again, but it feels like a lie.

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