Page 30 of Tristano

Declan looks my way. “On our way.”

My heart feels like it could beat out of my chest. This could be it. In just a little while I could be holding Serena in my arms.

Turning, I look out the window and brace myself for both the good and bad. This could be it or it could be nothing. One thing is for sure, I won’t stop looking until I find her.

* * *

Logically,I understand the waiting and watching, but this time it kills me. I feel as if I’m coming out of my skin. It takes everything in me not to pace.

“Alright, the place is empty. We have guys watching the entrances and exits. We go in, and we get out. Follow me. Faraday cages,” he says referring to a device that blocks all signals. “Go on in three, two, one. Move out,” Sean says.

As a unit, we walk through the vacant property, clearing it as we go. We come to a stop outside of the warehouse door, and I feel as if I could puke.

This is it.

As Sean starts picking the lock, we all scan the area. When the chain falls, everything goes silent. Turning back to the door, I watch as one of Callum’s men slides the door open as several of the men point their guns inside.

Women scream in fear, and as fucked up as it is, I smile.

I don’t know if I’ve found her yet, but we’ve found women who were being trafficked. Either way, it’s a win.

Declan walks in quickly, and I follow. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out a flashlight and pan around the room.

Women. Children. All chained up like they are dogs.

“Sabrina,” I call out her cover name first, even though it feels wrong.

“Tris?”

I drop my head to my chest and laugh. Nothing about this is funny, but it’s better than crying.

“Where are you,anima gemella?” I ask, fighting back the emotion.

“Back here. Seriously Tris, if you don’t get these chains off of me, I’m going to haunt you,” she jokes, her voice cracking.

Raising the flashlight, I pan it over the area it sounds like her voice came from. Sure enough, I find her with a young girl curled up next to her. I choke back the bile as I look at her. I’ve never been so thankful for the shadows until now. I thought I was prepared to see her in any condition, but I was wrong. She looks like hell, but I’ll never tell her that.

“I thought I taught you how to get out of cuffs?” I say as I approach.

Setting the light on the ground, I reach into my pocket for lockpicks and get to work. The entire time I watch her closely, making sure she doesn’t flinch away from me.

“Yeah, well, I was taken by guys with half a brain. They didn’t leave anything for me to use, and I’ve never seen ones like this.”

The thick cuffs look as if they should be used on animals, not humans.

I don’t know what to say, so I hum. As soon as the cuffs fall off of her, she lunges forward, tackling me. Slowly, I wrap my arms around her and hold her close.

I found her.

She’s safe.

I’m never letting her go again.

Relief flows through me. I kept telling myself that I would find her, but after a while that optimism started to dim, and I wasn’t so sure.

“I knew you’d come,” she whispers into my ear.

I feel the tears falling down her cheeks and hitting mine as I fight back my own.

---