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“What?”
“Do you think it’s the same building?” she asks, her voice tentative.
“It’s possible.” I pick up my phone and scroll to an image of Father with all the instructors and boys and set it on the table. “Do you remember any of them?”
Amethyst expands the image with her fingers and studies each face. “Only Delta. I’m not sure about the rest.”
“Don’t push yourself. We’ll figure out the truth when we get the location from Charlotte.”
She hums.
“Do you want me to bring in Becky?”
“What if it makes Charlotte suspicious?” Her expression hardens, exposing a flicker of rage. “We should wait. Becky was nice, but if she knew the adoption agency was trafficking children, she’ll die like Charlotte.”
I smile, my chest swelling with admiration and pride. “You’ve come a long way from the woman who couldn’t face torture.”
“You’re talking about the human centipede,” she says, her eyes rolling. “When I get hold of Charlotte, there’ll be no silly games. I’ll keep her alive and in constant pain until she’s the one hallucinating.”
My heart flutters. “That’s my girl.”
The next days pass in a blur of sparring, shared meals, and shared baths. Amethyst allows me to massage her back and pepper her neck with kisses. Every night, she wakes up screaming, remembering a new sick method of torture, courtesy of Charlotte. It takes several moments to reassure her she’s safe before she nestles against me and recounts the nightmare.
Tyler’s research on Charlotte is extensive. She took over the adoption agency shortly after Lyle Bishop died. Since then, she’s ostensibly devoted her days to removing children from the streets and putting them in permanent homes.
The team cross-referenced images of adoptees from Charlotte’s database with movie stills from X-Cite media. It’s hard to tell because of the age difference, but Tyler thinks there’s a pipeline from the agency to Father’s facility to dying on camera.
That’s probably what happened with Dolly, except she fought back. Surviving on camera brought her popularity and kept her alive. Instead of directing her rancor where it belongs, her resentment festered and turned toward Amethyst.
I almost understand. Father has a way of brainwashing children until they don’t know what’s right or wrong. At one point, he got me thinking my mother’s death was a mercy killing.But that doesn’t mean I’ll show Dolly clemency.
But the end of the three days, Charlotte doesn’t lead us to the facility, so it’s time to move out.
With Tyler’s help, we cut off the power and approach the building under the cover of darkness. Infiltrating a townhouse the size of Charlotte’s requires more finesse than force. Amethyst is at my side, clad in night-vision goggles and bullet-proof armor. We don’t expect a welcome party, but I won’t put my little ghost at risk.
We enter through a basement conveniently linked to the sewers and make our way through the ground floor. It’s a modest residence for someone who peddles human lives. The Spring brothers reported that she returned from work hours ago and her lights have been off for long enough to assume she’s asleep.
We pass by a study containing a filing cabinet and a computer I itch to explore, but our immediate target is Charlotte.
There’ll be time to come back for the other information after capturing her treacherous carcass.
After ascending the stairs, we head down the hallway to her bedroom. Passages from the diary return to my mind with renewed horror. What kind of operative accepts such a heinous mission? I can’t wait to watch Amethyst slay her demon.
“Stay back,” I whisper into her ear.
She nods, her breath quickening as she grips my hand.
Movement sounds from the other side of the door, and I fling it open. A streak of blonde hair flashes as a petite figure disappears into a closet.
I charge after her with Amethyst on my heels. As the door swings shut behind us, the room fills with the sound of faint clicking. I kick the closet, but it’s reinforced.
“Fuck,” I snarl.
“What is it?” Amethyst asks, her voice rising with alarm.
“She has a panic room.”
Beams of red light cut through the darkness, crisscrossing the entire space. Alarm shoots through my gut. I leap on top of Amethyst to shield her before the room erupts into chaos.
