Page 80 of Spinner's Luck

“I’ll handle it,” I said, my voice low. “Just not tonight. Right now, I need to focus on Lucy and finding her.”

Brenda’s expression softened slightly, and she nodded. “I figured as much. Hearin’ it makes me feel better, though. I liked Lucy. Girl has guts.”

“Yeah,” I muttered, staring into the glass. “She does.”

Brenda pushed off the bar, giving me one last knowing look. “You’ll find her,” she said with quiet confidence. “But keep an eye on Ashlynn—she’s not just readin’ a different page, she’s in a whole other damn library.”

Her words lingered long after she walked away, settling in my chest alongside the guilt and regret.

Lucy was my only priority.

And I’d never stop looking for her.

CHAPTER FORTY

THE ROOM WASdark, damp, and suffocating.The air reeked of decay, the faint hum of fluorescent lights overhead casting a sickly green glow on the cracked concrete walls. My legs felt like lead as I moved forward, each step dragging me closer to a door I didn’t want to open.

But I couldn’t stop.

I gripped the handle, the metal cold and unforgiving under my fingers, and pushed the door open. The creak echoed in the silence, and the sight on the other side made my stomach lurch.

It was her.

Aria.

She was lying on the floor, her small body lifeless, her pale skin marred by bruises and dirt. Her favorite pink dress was torn, stained with something I didn’t want to name. Her hair, usually so carefully braided, was a tangled mess around her face.

“No,” I whispered, my voice cracking. I dropped to my knees, my hands trembling as I reached out to touch her, to wake her up, to make her open those big, bright eyes that had always looked at me like I could do anything.

But she didn’t move.

I tried to scream, but the sound caught in my throat, stuck like a jagged shard of glass. My chest tightened, my breath coming in shallow gasps as the weight of it crushed me.

I’d promised her. I’d promised to keep her safe.

I failed.

“Lucy,” a voice hissed behind me, sharp and mocking.

I spun around, my heart pounding. It was Fang, his grin twisted and cruel. “You can’t save them all,” he said, his voice dripping with venom. “And this one? She’s on you.”

“No,” I said again, louder this time, my hands curling into fists. “You don’t get to take her from me. You don’t—”

The room started to spin, Fang’s laughter ringing in my ears as the walls closed in. I reached for Aria, but she was slipping away, her tiny hand just out of reach.

“Lucy,” Fang’s voice taunted, echoing around me. “You’ll never save them. Never. Now time to pay up.”

I woke up with a start, my chest heaving, my face damp with sweat. The room was dark, but it felt too bright, too loud, like the nightmare was still clinging to me, refusing to let go.

My hands were trembling, clutching at the sheets as if they could ground me. My throat was raw, my breath uneven, but the words slipped out before I could stop them.

“I couldn’t save you,” I murmured, my voice breaking. “But I’ll spend my life bringing down those organizations and avenging you. I’ll save others like you.”

The weight of the promise settled over me, heavy but familiar. It was the same promise I’d made all those years ago, standing over her grave, my heart broken and my soul hollow.

I closed my eyes, willing the tears to stay put. There was no room for them, no time for the weakness they represented.

This wasn’t about me.

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