Page 10 of Drowning in Darkness

I pull up the building plans, and the answer makes my blood chill. “Basement.” It’s in the storage wing, hidden from the main house and rarely used.

I yank open the desk drawer and retrieve my gun. Camryn catches my wrist, and we stare at each other for a beat.

“By the time I explain, she’ll be dead.” The words scrape against my throat.

Camryn studies me before releasing her grip. “Let’s move.”

We take the stairs two at a time. The noise from the raid fades the deeper we descend until only the sound of our footsteps remains.

The air grows cooler. The smell of mildew clings to the walls. My pulse pounds harder with every second that passes. I know this part of the estate. Jonathan loved rooms like these. Hidden spaces where people could disappear without consequence. The memory leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

We reach the bottom floor and follow a narrow corridor lined with locked doors. Most haven’t been opened in years, but one hangs slightly ajar. A muffled shout drifts toward us, the sound punching straight through me. Camryn hears it too, and we break into a run.

The cry comes again, weaker this time, followed by a thud. Then silence that settles after a struggle. Silence I have learned to fear.

By the time we reach the door, my chest is straining.

I flatten myself against the wall and gesture for Camryn to do the same.

She offers me her weapon. I hand over mine without argument. No fingerprints. No questions later. She’s not one to shy away from pulling the trigger when it needs done, but there are enough ghosts waiting for her without me adding another. Mine stopped counting years ago.

He’s just another dead predator who made a fatal mistake.

I count to three, then shove the door open and assess the scene in a heartbeat. The guard has both hands wrapped around the girl’s throat. Her back slams against the wall as she fights for air. Her face is red, her movements weak as her body loses its fight.

He glances over his shoulder at the interruption. One glance. One mistake.

The shot cracks through the room, and the bullet punches straight through his forehead. His grip disappears, and the girl crumples to the floor in a heap, coughing and dragging desperate breaths into her lungs. Camryn shifts inside, takes possession of her weapon, wipes mine down for prints with her sleeve, and places it next to the body on the floor.

For a moment, nobody speaks. The only sound is her choking as she struggles to breathe.

Camryn is beside her in seconds, crouching down and speaking in a calm voice I know she reserves for victims.

I remain where I am, staring at the body. Another monster. Another man who believed he would never answer for what he had done.

A shadow appears behind me. Agent Thompson. His gaze moves from the corpse to the weapon and then to me. Understanding flashes across his face. He says nothing. Doesn’t need to.

I turn and place my hands behind my back. The cuffs bite into my wrists once more. It’s a familiar weight, one I’ll gladly carry if it means she gets to walk out of here alive.

“Leader James,” the girl whispers. I look over. Tears track down her cheeks as she stares at me. “You saved me.”

The words land like a punch because she believes them. After everything we’ve done to break these girls, she still looks at me like I’m something worth trusting.

I shake my head. “No.” My voice is rougher than I intend. “Agent Sinclair saved you.”

Confusion flickers across her face. “But⁠—”

Camryn turns toward her. “Listen to me.”

The girl immediately falls silent. I close my eyes briefly before forcing myself to finish the job. “Stacie.” Her shoulders straighten at the sound of her name. “My last command to you is to listen to Agent Sinclair. Whatever she tells you, you follow it. Whatever she asks, you answer honestly.”

Her lower lip trembles. “If that’s what you want.”

My throat tightens. “It is.”

She gives a slow nod.

One day, I won’t have any influence, and that will be the day I rest. Until then, I’m the puppet of the state. Each life saved settles something in my tormented soul, but witnessing nights like this with the worst of humanity leaves a permanent stain.