Page 4 of Cipher's Baby Girl
I close my eyes as they drag her out, her feet scraping against the metal floor. She doesn't struggle much. She’s too weak—we all are.
When the door slams shut again, plunging us back into darkness, I wait until my eyes adjust before moving again to Luna's side.
“If they’re really coming," I say, attempting to ease the fear I know she must be feeling, “we just have to survive until then."
“They’re coming.” Luna looks at me with a mixture of strength and determination. "Saint is looking for me, and he won't stop. The Shadow Reapers won't stop."
I nod, but I’m a pragmatist. I don’t have much faith that Luna's motorcycle club will actually be able to locate, much less execute a rescue.
Hours pass—or what I assume must be hours—before we hear shuffling outside. I brace myself for the return of the guards, but something’s different. The sounds are…louder, heavier, more urgent.
"Something's happening," I whisper to Luna.
Voices shout outside. There's the sound of a scuffle, then loud, sharp cracks like firecrackers. They echo through the metal walls, making my ears ring.
Is it… I think it’s… Gunfire?
Natasha starts screaming. Zoya finally turns from the wall, eyes wide with terror.
Luna struggles to her feet, swaying slightly. "It's them," she says, her voice thick with emotion. “The Shadow Reapers.”
I want to believe her, but hope is a dangerous thing. What if it's just our captors fighting among themselves? What if it's the police, who might send me back to Richard?
The shouting grows louder. More gunfire. Then silence—a silence so thick it feels like a weighty presence.
The lock turns. The door swings open wide.
I wince and try to focus as the bright light hits my eyes.
Silhouetted against harsh floodlights stands a man—tall, broad-shouldered, with what looks like a gun in his hand. Behind him are more tall, broad-shouldered silhouettes.
"Luna?" The masculine voice is rough with emotion.
Luna stumbles forward. "Saint!"
I watch, frozen, pressing my back against the container wall as the other women scramble out. They might be Luna's saviors, but I’m not so quick to trust any man, especially those radiating such unbridled power.
One of them steps into the container, scanning the space with shrewd, calculating eyes. His aura of controlled violence makes me shrink further into myself. Then his cold gaze lands on me.
He moves toward me with predatory grace, crouching down to my level. Up close, I can see a jagged scar running down the side of his face. His eyes are like steel, sharp as a blade. Yet there's something in their depths—a recognition, as if he sees past my filth and stink to something underneath.
"You hurt?" he asks, voice low and surprisingly gentle.
I shake my head, unable to speak.
When I look up into his face, his expression changes completely—from terrifying to something…Well, I wouldn’t call itsoft, just less hard.
“You don’t need to be afraid,” he tells me. “I’m getting you out of here.”
I stare at his outstretched hand for a long moment. Behind him, Luna is wrapped in another man's arms, sobbing with relief. The other women are being aided by more leather-clad men with guns and grim expressions.
I slide my hand into his, and the moment I do, his strong fingers close around mine, and he leans forward, scooping me into his arms. The contact sends an unfamiliar shockwave through my system.
“No one will ever hurt you again.” His words wrap around me. I’ve never been spoken to with such…caring? Possession? Conviction? I’m not sure what it is I hear in his tone, but my insides unfurl like flower petals when he mumbles against my hair, “I got you, Baby Girl.”
Prologue 3: Cipher
When my gaze sweeps the far corner and lands on her, something fractures inside my chest.
