Page 147 of Sunrise

“Some old lady in the next neighborhood from her house. Vault’s with her already.”

My legs nearly give out as I look around. “Where? What direction?”

“Follow me.”

I see on his dash that he’s pulled up my location. We’ve always been able to track each other. Why didn’t we do that with Sophie? I feel like we’ve failed her in every way that matters. We didn’t protect her. We didn’t keep her safe.

D busts a U-turn and I do the same. I’m so grateful she’s been found, but… what am I going to see when I get there?

How am I going to fix whatever that sick fuck might have broke?

Where is he? Did he get away again?

I need to calm down.

One thing at a time.

Sophie, Sophie, Sophie, Sophie…

“Sophie!” I yell, pulling up to a small rancher-style home. She’s wrapped in a crocheted blanket with a busted lip and swollen eye.

“I’m fine,” she says, shaking like a leaf. “I’m fine.”

She’s anythingbutfine.

“Where was she?” I ask Vault. “Where’s the asshole who took her?”

“He’s in there.” Sophie points at the house kitty-cornered to the one we’re standing in front of. “I hit him in the head with a chair. I think I killed him.”

“The cops were called.” Vault sounds robotic.

Ryker’s here too, which I hadn’t noticed until he says, “The old lady called an ambulance.”

“I called Ry when I couldn’t get ahold of you guys,” Sophie explains.

I missed her call? How the fuck did I miss her call?

Because I was so hellbent on finding her, I was too numb to feel my phone vibrate and never thought to check it. Jesus fucking Christ.

She’s shaking so much I’m scared she’s in shock. “How bad are you hurt?”

“I’m okay.”

Lies.

She flinches when I reach out to touch her arm. So I back off and give her space. I notice Vault’s done the same. She must have rebuffed him too, or I know he’d be holding her right now. We all would be.

“He drugged me,” she squeaks in a small voice.

The level of fury that boils in my veins is apocalyptic.

Ryker looks murderously at Dmitri, who then pulls me to the side and whispers, “We’ll need to ask for a rape kit.”

Vault literally shuts down hearing him say that. Grabbing his head, he stares at his feet.

“He… he didn’t touch me like that,” she’s quick to say.

It does little to ease any of our worries.

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