Page 103 of Vows of Ruin

I cover her hands with mine, grounding both of us. “We were perfectly safe,” I tell her. “But there’s someone inside that needs to be dealt with.”

Her expression changes, just a flicker, but I see it. That instinctive shift from relief to readiness. The leader replacing the woman who almost fell apart.

She exhales through her nose, nodding once. “Okay. Let us get Daisy settled first.”

I glance toward Wrecker who’s carrying Daisy up the driveway, the kid half asleep, her head resting on his shoulder. She looks small, safe in a way I know won’t last long.

“Is she okay?” I ask quietly.

Wrenley follows my gaze, a faint smile ghosting across her face. “Yeah. I think so. We’ll talk to her in the morning—see what really happened.”

“Good.”

She brushes her thumb along my cheek, then lets her hand fall. The exhaustion in her eyes mirrors mine. She turns back toward Wrecker and Daisy, her voice dropping into that soft, protective tone she only uses when she’s holding the world together. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s get you cleaned up and in bed.”

I watch them disappear through the doorway, Wrecker close behind her, Daisy half leaning against his chest.

The night settles again, heavy and still. Behind me, Torque comes out with Hugo following, his ears twitching, tail flicking against the stone. It should feel like a victory. It doesn’t. Inside, I can hear Wrenley’s voice somewhere down the hall, quiet, gentle, safe. I hold onto that for a heartbeat before turning back toward Hugo.

“Well,” I tell him. “We’re not finished.”

The front doors groans shut behind us. The house smells like Wrenley’s latest painting, her perfume, and the faint trace of rain that followed us back. Torque walks beside me, Hugo padding between us, head low, like even he can sense what’s coming. Noah’s in the war room under Riot’s watch, wrists zip-tied, still bleeding from the cut on his brow. I can feel the weight of him through the walls.

We stop at the base of the stairs. I can hear Wrenley above, her voice low, Daisy’s lighter in response. It’s a small, fragile sound that shouldn’t belong in this house. The others start to gather, Elias and Margot first, followed by Doc coming down the stairs. Max is the last to enter, half-buttoned shirt, tension radiating from every inch of him.

He looks from me to Torque. “Alright,” he says. “What’s going on?”

I take a breath that tastes like rust. “We found Noah.”

That gets everyone’s attention.

“Where?” Max asks.

“An abandoned house near Wrenley’s old neighborhood,” I say. “He’s been working with Sebastian. Feeding him intel.”

Max goes still, the kind of still that means danger. “You’re sure?”

Torque answers before I can. “He admitted it.”

The sound that comes out of Max isn’t a word. It’s more like the first growl of a storm. He moves before I can stop him, heading straight for the hall that leads to the war room. Torque and I step in at the same time, each grabbing an arm.

“Let me go,” Max snarls, muscles coiled tight.

“You go in there like this,” I say through gritted teeth. “And we’ll lose the only chance we have at getting more out of him.”

“He betrayed us. He betrayed her.”

“I know.” My voice cracks just enough for him to hear the truth in it. “But she doesn’t know yet.”

That’s when she appears. Wrenley and Wrecker descend the stairs, she’s barefoot, hair pulled back, wearing that old ratty college shirt that hangs loose off one shoulder. The look in her eyes is clear even from here. She’s already guessed, reading the room in an instant.

“What’s going on?”

Her voice is calm, but I know that calm. It’s the kind that comes right before she detonates.

I glance at Max. Neither of us wants to say it. Not this.

“We found Noah,” I finally tell her. “He’s here. He’s been working with Sebastian.”