Page 117 of Broken Wolf Heart
We step inside.
And I stop breathing.
Everything is gone.
The rooms that previously contained hospital beds. Themedical coolers. The equipment. Even the security doors and swipe pads. All of it—gone.
But the power’s still running. The air hums with electricity. The scent of disinfectant clings to the walls like they just finished cleaning up. Like someone wiped the place down and left ten minutes ago.
Dutch peels off down the left hallway. Andy takes the right. Mia and I move straight ahead, into the central lab room.
And it’s just... empty.
Not just cleared.
Scrubbed.
No monitors. No files. No restraints. Even the shelves have been ripped out of the walls. A steel bracket swings loosely from one bolt above the empty counter.
“What the hell,” Mia whispers.
My wolf stirs. Uneasy.
“It’s Vincenzo,” I say. “It has to be. This is his way of getting what I promised him.”
“Fuck,” Mia says, frustration lining her features. “Where do you think he took it all?” she asks Grey.
He shakes his head. “No idea.”
Andy returns, frowning. “They stripped the data storage room. Backup drives are gone. Server racks. All of it.”
A pressure builds behind my ribs. Tight. Buzzing.
“They were supposed to shut this place down,” I say. “We had a plan in place. Security patrols.”
“Apparently not enough,” Mia mutters.
I round on her. “Don’t.”
Her brows lift. “Don’t what?”
“Make it sound like this isourfailure.”
“I didn’t say?—”
“You implied it.”
“Lexi—”
“No.” My voice is lower now. Edged with a growl.
Dutch returns, frowning. “Lower level’s cleared. Not even a fucking bed pan. They tookeverything.”
The pressure in my chest spikes. My claws scrape the inside of my skin.
“Lexi,” Mia says carefully. “You need to breathe.”
“Iambreathing.”
