Page 109 of The Devil's Wrath

My mother’s face fell, and she averted her gaze. “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry . . . They took her.” Her voice broke as a sob escaped her lips.

“Who?” I asked.

“Honey, I-I think you should rest.”

“Mom, who took her?” I demanded, sitting up.

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “The Collectors.”

A cold numbness spread through my veins as the reality of her words sank in. “I have to go after them, Mom. I have to get her back.”

“I know, my love. But you’re in no condition to go anywhere,” she said. “Your father and the others are already preparing for a rescue mission. They’ll bring her back, I promise.”

I shook my head. “Where are they? I have to go with them.”

“Theo, please. You need to heal,” she pleaded for me to lie back down.

“Where’s Gage? Tell him to take this IV out. I need to go get her back.”

She made no move to fetch Gage but instead stared at me like there was more she wasn’t telling me.

“Why aren’t you going to get him?”

Silence.

“Mom, what aren’t you telling me?”

Her expression crumbled, and she took a shaky breath before speaking. “Theo . . . Gage . . . he’s being questioned by Archer, Kai, Asher, Cassian, and your father . . .” Her voice trailed off.

“What do you mean, ‘questioned?’”

“While you were unconscious, the boys intercepted communication between Gage and Abel Benson. It turns out Gage owed money to The Benson Family from some gambling debts.”

“So they took Wrenly to settle a debt?”

“Yes.” She nodded sadly.

I yanked out my IV, ignoring the blood trickling down my arm.

“Theo, stop!” my mother cried, reaching for me as I swung my legs over the side of the bed. The room swayed, and I gripped the edge of the mattress to steady myself.

My vision blurred at the edges as I followed the sound of raised voices. I burst into the room where Archer, Kai, and our fathers had Gage tied to a chair, his face bruised and bloodied.

All heads turned to me as I stumbled into the room, barely able to stand. Gage’s bloodshot eyes widened with fear as he met my furious gaze.

“Theo, you shouldn’t be here,” my father said sternly, stepping toward me. “You need to rest and recover.”

“I’m not going anywhere until he tells me where they took Wrenly,” I growled, my voice low and menacing.

Archer and Kai exchanged a glance, their expressions grim. They knew better than to try to stop me in this state.

“I-I don’t know where they took her,” Gage stammered, his voice trembling. “I swear, I didn’t know they were going to take her. I thought they were going to rough me up a bit, maybe break a few bones. I never thought they’d go after Wrenly.”

“You sold her out to save your own skin,” I snarled, lunging toward him. Kai caught me before I could reach Gage, holding me back. “You betrayed us! You betrayed her!”

“I’m sorry, Theo. I’m so sorry,” he sobbed, his head hanging in shame. “I never meant for any of this to happen.”

“Sorry isn’t good enough,” I hissed, wrenching free from Kai’s grasp. “You’ll tell me everything you know about where they might have taken her. Every detail, every scrap,” I snarled, crossing the room in two strides and slamming my fist into his face.

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