Page 79 of Buried in Blood
Because if we say their name out loud, they’re already dead.
Instead, I focus on the map. Tunnels. Yard access. Guard blind spots.
“We need to place someone inside,” I say.
Dante grunts. “Agreed. Buyer access only. Top-tier, cash verified. Two open slots still on the registry.”
“Fake IDs?”
“Already in motion,” he says. “We’ll need burner phones. Audio, visual feeds. I can get you in as a buyer.”
I pause. “Just me?”
“They’ll never let me near the place. I’m on Damien’s blacklist.”
“And Reese?”
“Too close to Harmony if she is alive. Damien’s watching him.”
I nod, tension thick in my throat. “What’s the backup plan?”
“If the auction goes south, we breach. There’s a secondary entrance through a collapsed tunnel under the east wing. Our informant said it’s passable but tight. We’ll need a distraction.”
I run a hand through my hair. “Explosives?”
“Or fire,” he says flatly. “If they’re panicked, they’ll make mistakes.”
“And the captives?”
“We extract who we can. Prioritize Harmony and Brooke. Then burn the place to ash.”
I nod slowly, letting it sink in. “You realize this could get us killed.”
“I’m counting on it,” he says.
I look up. His eyes are dead calm.
Resolved.
And for the first time in months, I feel it too.
There’s no turning back after this.
Not when the Golden Hollows exist.
Not when humans are being sold like merchandise in a repurposed prison rec room.
“Three weeks,” Dante mutters. “That’s all we’ve got.”
“Then let’s make them count.”
* * *
She doesn’t knock.
She never does anymore.
Astra moves like she belongs in my space. Like the room was built around her silhouette. Like the shadows on the wall are hers to command.
