Page 202 of Inside the Sun

Ragnar looks at me.

"Can you walk on your own, Sun?"

I sigh heavily. "Well, I feel kinda weak, but I think I’ll manage. Adrenaline works wonders, and you’re gonna have to carry Summer."

The wound in my stomach is healed, but the rest of the bruises… my body obviously didn’t have the strength for those.

"What about your parents, Ragnar?"

"They’re safe. Already on a plane, I’ll explain later."

That’s strange news. I have no idea how Ragnar knows it, but I’m happy it had a good ending after all.

Ragnar’s gaze lands again on the unconscious capo.

"And this bastard—" he glares at Anzo with blatant hatred. His voice sounds very unsettling. And yet… there’s something weirdly sexy about it. Don’t ask me why.

"Let the feds decide what happens to him," I say, though I won’t lie, the temptation to make him pay is strong.

But I know better. There are also cameras in this room. If we beat him while he’s unconscious, we’d have to show up in court and answer for that, even if, I guess, most normal people would understand our rage.

He stole two months of my life and filled them with nightmares. Probably, I would be morally justified in hurting him, me and Summer both. But looking at his naked, mutilated, castrated body, I can’t even bring myself to think about continuing the violence.

Someone has to break this cycle, I suppose. May as well start with me. The endless loop of brutality that traps everyone caught in it. I don’t want to be one of those people who just continues the anger, the violence, no matter how right I wouldbe in my revenge. It’s just… I want to be free of it all, just leave it all behind.

"Let’s move," Eliano says, also turning his gaze away from his uncle’s broken body.

"I bet they’ve already taken out the guards at the front entrance. They could be here any minute," he adds, glancing at the ceiling and listening intently.

"Am I right in thinking the tunnel’s under the gazebo?" Ragnar looks at Mauro.

Mauro nods.

"I thought so. The floor in the gazebo made this weird dull sound underfoot," Ragnar says, though he doesn’t explain when exactly he had the chance to notice that. Probably for the best.

Suddenly, Mauro kneels by Anzo and checks something in Anzo’s temple implant. He leverages it and pulls something out of there, which looks like some small device that was attached just behind the tiny metal plate.

Eliano gapes, then makes a loud exhale.

"Here it is! Our freedom!" he whispers in disbelief.

"What’s that?" I ask.

"The central module that controls our locator devices. And…"

There is a brief pause as it becomes clear how much this means to both brothers.

Eliano approaches Mauro, his face strangely stirred.

"Did you dream about pulling it out of him?" I whisper, seeing how much emotion he radiates, as he kneels by Mauro and takes the device in his fingers, staring at it with wide eyes.

"You won’t believe what it means to me. Freedom!"

"Well, I kinda alsounderstandhow important it is now," I mutter. I had a rather painful sample of what losing it means. "Freedom is everything."

"Correct," Eliano whispers.

Then Ragnar also crouches down and picks up Anzo’s pants from the ground, pulling two phones out of the pockets. One’s mine. The other’s Ragnar’s.

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