Page 246 of At the Edge of Surrender

And I was pretty fucking sure she did, too.

FIFTY-THREE

KANE

Twenty-Six Years Old

Kane stood gapingat theloadin the back of the truck. His attention swept through the cargo box, covertly counting the heads that were covered by sacks.

Seven.

There were seven fucking girls in the back of this truck.

All of them were bound.

Shaking and whimpering.

Their terror hitting him in a full body blow.

What the fuck was going on?

Disbelief bashed against the reality that laid siege to his brain.

Rage ate up his insides. A fucking monster that devoured every ill-intention he’d ever had and stirred a thousand new.

The thirst for blood and vengeance a bitter taste on his tongue.

“Don’t ever change. Don’t ever let that beautiful light fade. Fight for love and what’s right. I know you will…because it’s who you are.”

He nearly crumbled with the truth. With the truth of the foul, abominable man he’d become.

Tyke howled with laughter as he clapped Kane on the shoulder.

“Surprise. Told you I had something extra special for you.” He lowered his voice, deviant lasciviousness curdling his words. “Every one of them are delectable. I made sure to test them out for myself. We’ll be sure to make a pit stop so we can let you have a little fun, too. Wouldn’t want to leave our brother out.”

Disgust churned in Kane’s guts, and his hands twitched with violence. How fucking bad he wanted to reach out and strangle the life from this motherfucker.

But there were at least six other guys moving around the abandoned warehouse where they often transferred loads from one truck to another.

Mixing things up to remain more undetectable as they moved product to its final destination.

He attempted to gather himself before he gave himself away. Before he went on a straight rampage and murdered every single one of these bastards.

He had to play this smart.

Tyke lifted his hand and waved for Kelp to start backing up the second truck, and once he got it into place, Tyke threw up the rolling door as Kelp came ambling around to the back.

“Get ’em moved,” Tyke ordered. Kelp went to work, yanking the girls up from the one truck and shoving them into the other.

Cries of terror ripped and cut. Knives that scored and flayed.

Kane wavered, so fucking sick he couldn’t move, but he knew he couldn’t stand there and not act the part. So, he grabbed a girl who was huddled against the wall, her body shivering with silent sobs.

He tried to act the beast that the rest of them were on the exterior, while he wished with everything he had that he could whisper in her ear that he wasn’t there to hurt her.

She only whimpered as he jostled her into the other truck, no strength to even stand on her feet.

He turned and went for the next.

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