Page 64 of The Dire Legacy

“I’ve sent twenty of my best to go south and cross the river to the other side. We can keep them penned in, it’ll be easier to get her back.” Alpha sits back on his massive haunches and his tongue lolls between his teeth. “Anyone who tries to leave becomes a snack.”

“I’m glad you’re on my side.” Binoculars are at the top of my bag. Wiggling over the weathered rock, I take my first real view of where they’re keeping my girl.

It’s a shanty town. A collection of sheds and old travel trailers are parked in rough square patterns. Garden patches intersperse the open areas.

How do they survive? There aren’t many farms in the surrounding areas. They must get most of their food from the lake.

Well, that’s not ideal. It will be harder to starve them out if they have access.

I guess that’s where I’ll start, picking off the anglers. There’s at least twenty sitting out there along the edges and a few more in boats.

Before I start anything, I need to make sure they have her.

As I watch, a distant howl breaks through the mid-morning chill. All the heads of people I can see turn in the direction.

They’ve been warned.

“The other team is in place.” Alpha stretches out on the warm rock nearby. “Waiting is the hardest part.” His amber eyes narrow as he turns his gaze to the small village below. “And they say we’re the monsters.”

All I can think of are the horror stories she’s shared with me of all the ways her body was harvested.

A shiver runs through my body. She could be in pain as we speak.

My hands itch. I’m not sure if it’s with the longing to touch her, or because I’m sitting her idly on my stomach while she could be in there being cut apart.

The only thing going for me is that the little town of squatters looks like such a shit hole, they likely won’t have the ability for organ transplants.

But, that still means they’ll be draining her.

Over. And. Over.

Bile rises in my throat.

The sourness in my guts doesn’t wane with the daylight. Even as the chill of night settles over me in a thin frost, I watch for her.

I have narrowed it down to a single building. There’s a lot of activity in and out, with quite a few people rolling their sleeves over a bandage around their elbows as they leave.

To not drop them in their steps takes an act of willpower I never knew I had. But, it too is fading with the warmth.

Ineedher back. I crave her body pressed against mine. To hear her giggle and see those bright green eyes light up when she catches me staring at her.

What do we have here? A short silhouette waddles past the lights. The profile looks right. It isn’t until he stops to talk to a tall lanky guy that I get a good view.

That bearded asshole who took her away. My first solid confirmation I’m in the right place.

Daybreak can’t come fast enough.

Chapter 20

Hope

Murky light comes in through the dirty windows. Or, maybe it’s just the fuzz inside my head that makes it seem that way.

Whatever is in their nutrient solution sucks.

I feel weak. Like after I was in the bear trap.

But, Michael isn’t here to make me feel better. He’ll never be again.

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