Page 26 of Beautiful Scars: Unshakeable

Wolf approaches with a tablet displaying the security feed we hacked. "Guards are doubled on the lower level. They know something's coming."

"Good." I check my weapons one final time. "The more nervous they are, the sloppier they'll be when we hit 'em."

Zane catches my eye. "When we get to Sunny—"

"I know." The words are acid in my mouth. "You're on point. She trusts you more."

It's true, but that doesn't make it hurt any less.

My fingers find the spot over my heart where her name is inked into my skin—swirling black letters I see every morning in the mirror. What started as penance for my failures has become something else. A promise. There are no lines I won't cross, no limits to what I'll do to make sure I get Sunny back. With me. Where she belongs. Where she's always belonged.

"We move in three teams," Colt reviews. "Levi and I take our men through the main entrance. Wolf and Chase take their team in through the loading bay. Zane and Rex hit the basement."

I nod, forcing myself to focus on the tactical details instead of the storm in my head. "The nurse's key card should get you through the first set of doors. After that—"

"We improvise," Zane finishes.

The sky is dark, cloudless, and full of stars. In a few hours, the city will start waking up. We need to get moving.

"Remember," I say as we do our final checks, "we'll deal with Garrett. Capture him alive if possible, but Sunny comes first. No matter what, we leave with her."

The others nod. They've seen what this has done to me, how the weight of my past failure threatens to crush what's left of my soul. But they also know I'll put it aside to make sure she's safe.

Failure is not an option.

"Move out," I order, and we split toward our vehicles. The warehouse looms ahead, a concrete fortress.

Somewhere inside, Sunny's fighting to survive.

Zane

Thewarehouseglowsaneerie green through my night vision scope. My finger rests against the trigger guard, steady despite the anger burning in my chest. The security cameras we disabled look back at us with their black, dead lenses. Everything's quiet—almost too quiet.

It doesn't make sense for a building supposedly holding as many people as it is.

My earpiece crackles with movement checks from the teams. Colt's voice confirms the north entrance is clear. Levi's harsh breathing comes through as he positions on the east side.

The image of Sunny in my t-shirt that morning at the safehouse flashes through my mind—how small she looked, how safe she finally felt. The memory focuses the violence I've been containing.

"All teams in position." Wolf's voice is barely a whisper.

I adjust my grip on the rifle, scanning the perimeter one final time. For years Garrett's had his hooks in her, even when she thought she was free. Years of watching, stalking, controlling from the shadows. The thought makes my trigger finger itch.

"On my mark." The words taste like metal in my mouth.

Guards patrol their routes with clockwork precision—four on the roof, two at each entrance. Inside, we know there are at least twelve more. And somewhere in the basement levels, Sunny's waiting. Probably terrified. Definitely hurt.

My chest tightens. The memory of her voice on that phone call, the terror when Garrett discovered her...

I push it down. Lock it away. I need cold calculation now, not fury.

"Three..."

The word hangs in the humid night air. Through my scope, I watch a guard light a cigarette. His hands shake slightly—he's nervous. It means we've already got the upper hand.

"Two..."

Levi's breathing has steadied. He's found his killing calm. Part of me hopes he reaches Garrett first. If he does, I know Levi will make sure he doesn't walk out alive. And, he deserves that closure. But an even bigger part of me wants Garrett for myself. To drag him back to the house and show him how many levels of hell I can take him to. I turn off my night vision.

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