Page 68 of Buried in Blood

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He should’vetriedsomething.

I lean back and laugh. Low. Manically.

Because for the first time in years, I’ve outplayed every one of them. Every brother. Every rival. Every whisper in the dark.

I hit the accelerator and take the final turn toward the property I purchased. The main house comes into view, looking drab. Then, further back, we arrive at the prison.The Golden Hollows. A smile forms across my face. I fucking did it.

I park.

Unload.

Drag each girl into the processing room one at a time, placing them in labeled crates.

Reese and Enrique pull up exactly on time. Brooke climbs out of the backseat of Enrique’s truck, her eyes glazed, but alert.

“Any issues?” I ask.

“No tails. Nothing at all.”

“South route?”

“Clear.”

I glance around. Just three trucks. Three men. Seven girls. One boy.

And no one is watching.

No one is coming.

Just how I planned it.

Still, my gut twists.

Because ifIwere Dante, I wouldn’t have waited.

I’d have come now.

I’d havetried.

But he didn’t.

He’s not here.

And that? That’s what sets my teeth on edge.

I don’t like silence. I don’t likesmooth.

Smooth means I’m missing something.

Still…

I walk to the far wall, grab the fresh tin of paint, and scrawl the new name across the whitewashed metal that lines the building.

THE GOLDEN HOLLOWS

Where obedience is golden—and sin is cleansed.

And then I smile.

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