Page 4 of Law

The dim lighting gave way to utter darkness as he stepped into the small room at the top of the stairs. It was fortunate the room was there. Otherwise, the change in light would alert the guard to his presence.

The wooden steps to the basement were silent as Law crept along the wall. One guard stood at the base of the stairs next to a spotlight that likely ran on batteries. With his back to the stairs, he was more concerned about the prisoners in the cells below escaping than about anyone coming down to rescue those who were held. They’d be reconsidering that plan after today.

It pissed him off nearly as much as the barbed wire on the perimeter fence leaning inward like a prison rather than outward. They worried more about theirmembersescaping than they did outsiders coming in to harm them.

One blow to the guard’s temple was all it took to knock him out, leaving him lying on the floor. After dragging the guard into one of the vacant cells, Law grabbed the spotlight, found the keys, and opened Zane’s cell door.

“You all right?” Law tipped Zane’s chin to use the spotlight and assess the extent of abuse the kid had suffered. That would determine how many of the Society’s members Law had to kill. One for each bruise seemed fitting to him.

Zane wrestled his chin from Law’s grasp. “I’m fine. Let’s go get Lovie.”

“Not so fast, man. They’ve been using you as a punching bag for four days. Let me see the damage.”

“It’s not gonna be any more or less damaged after we get Lovie. They never even let me see her, not once they got us inside. They wouldn’t let her, either, or she would have been down here.”

The kid wasn’t wrong about that. From what he overheard, she’d tried everything. Zane wasn’t the only one who wanted to get to Lovelyn. After watching for as long as he had, Law had become invested in her life. He wanted to meet her in person to see if she was who he thought she was.

Law gave in. He could count Zane’s bruises as they made their way to Lovelyn’s room. “One rule, kid. Until we’re safely off Society property, you do exactly what I say the second I say it. Got me? Because if you can’t give me your word on that, I’ll leave you here, get your sister, and pick you up on the way out. I have enough to worry about without worrying about you doing something stupid.”

Zane scowled at him. Law could appreciate that. Zane had to grow up fast over the last year. He thought of himself as a man, even though he wasn’t. Zane had to know who was in charge, so Law waited him out.

“I’m not a kid, no matter what you call me. I want my sister safe, so no way am I going to do something stupid that will slow us down. I’ll do whatever you say.”

Whether Zane could stand by that statement or not, they needed to get moving. Time was running out. “All right. Let’s go.”

At the top of the stairs, Law took Zane by the arm. “Play along so we don’t attract attention.”

Pulling the brim of his security cap low, Law marched the kid to the entry hall and up the wide staircase leading to the second floor. They received a few curious glances, but no one attempted to stop them. If the floor plans Sawyer had sent him were accurate, Lovelyn’s room should be the third on the left.

When they reached the door, Zane knocked. Best case scenario, Lovelyn would open the door, and they could all get the hell out before the chaos settled.

Of course, nothing ever matched the best-case scenario. Lovelyn didn’t answer the door, which made sense when Law remembered they kept her locked in. That was why he always had a Plan B, and a plan for every other letter of the alphabet. With proper planning, the objective could always be obtained.

Law pulled out a multitool he’d had customized to his specifications. Selecting the hex key tool, he inserted it into the lock and working on it in short order.

“They locked her in? What the fuck? Has she been treated like a prisoner for four years?”

Law couldn’t have heard him correctly. He assumed Zane and his sister had been with the Warriors for about the same amount of time. Zane had been with them for almost a year, which was a hell of a lot shorter than four years. What had taken her family so long to try to rescue her? And why in the fuck had it been her kid brother who made the attempt at all?

He needed answers, but that would have to wait.

The click of the lock opening was music to Law’s ears. Time to get the girl and get them all the hell out of here.

He wouldn’t have been surprised to see any number of things when they stepped into the room. Lovelyn jumping on the bed would be par for the course. Lovelyn talking to her stuffies, or dancing, or even sleeping since the power was out… none of those would have been out of the ordinary.

What he didn’t expect to find was an empty room. She hadn’t left this room in four days, so where the hell was she? He crossed to the bathroom to see if she was taking a bath, but that room was empty as well. She wasn’t hiding in the closet, either.

Law had made a plan with twenty-six contingency measuresfor every conceivable scenario. But not for a Little named Lovelyn to get a wild hair and be completely absent from the damn room.

She hadn’t been in the dungeon. And there had been no talk of them taking her anywhere before Sabre attacked. Had she gone outside? His phone was in his hand the second the thought occurred to him.

“Hutch? Did you spot Lovelyn outside? She’s wearing dark pants and a gray, long-sleeved shirt that reads ‘Squirrel Mode Has Been Activated’, so she should be easy to spot.”

“Checking now… no, I don’t see her. I’m out front. Let me call Reid and see if she went out back. Do you need me to come in and help you find her?”

“No, you need to be out there in case I need cover getting them out. Neither of them is equipped to scale the fence. She’s most likely inside the mansion. I’ll report in when I find her.”

“Roger that. Calling Reid now, then I’ll call Sawyer in case any of the camera feeds are still connected to his system.”

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