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His fingers brushed my waistband. “I’ll have to remove these,” he murmured apologetically, like he was taking away a favorite toy. “A woman should never wear pants. It’s unnatural. Makes you think you’re something you’re not.” His voice stayed soft. “But don’t worry. Once we get these off, you’ll feel better. Cleaner. More…yourself.”

His fingers hooked under the denim at my hips, and he started to tug.

CHAPTER 46

STERLING

Ididn’t slow down when I hit the porch.

The wood groaned under my boots as I crossed it in three strides, my hand already coming up, my shoulder already turning into the door. It gave under the impact with a sharp crack, the frame splintering just enough to let it swing inward as I pushed through.

“Sienna.” Her name came out strained, dragged tight from my throat as I moved inside, scanning the rooms for any sign of her.

The smell hit and I recognized it immediately…rot. I scrunched my nose, but it didn’t help. It was everywhere, clinging to the walls, the floor, the air itself.

I kept moving, faster now, my gaze sweeping the living room as I passed through it. Dust coated everything in a dull film, muting the colors and softening the edges of a space that didn’t look lived in so much as abandoned.

There weren’t any overturned furniture or signs of a fight. And there was no Sienna.

My pulse didn’t slow. It climbed.

I stalked into the kitchen, and the smell was even worse there. Dishes were stacked in the sink, crusted with food that had gone gray and tacky, the edges dissolving into a thin, sour smear. A pot sat on the stove, lid askew, something inside it burned down to a blackened ruin. Flies buzzed lazily near the window, the sound constant.

It didn’t look like Harvey had been here for a while. So where the fuck was he?

I forced my gaze to move slower this time, tracking the details instead of skimming past them. The table in the center of the room had been cleared once, then used again, the surface marked with faint rings and scratches. A stack of papers had been shoved to one side, half hidden beneath an empty bottle and a set of keys, their edges worn from being handled often.

I stepped closer, examining them. They didn’t look like bills or random clutter. I pulled them free, flipping through quickly until I found a survey map. Spreading it flat against the table, I followed the branching paths that cut through the hills outside of town.

This was a map of the mines.

Several sections had been marked and crossed out, the ink heavy and uneven, as if he’d been working through options over time. But one spot stood out immediately—circled hard enough to crease the paper, the pen digging in so deep it had nearly torn through.

My grip tightened as each piece slid into place. “She’s got to be there,” I murmured as I pulled my phone from my pocket. I snapped a quick picture, my thumb moving fast over the screen as I sent it to Ryder.

Mines. Circled spot. Meet me there. Now.

I didn’t wait for a response. The map disappeared into my back pocket as I turned and headed for the door at a run.

Sienna would fight him first chance she got. She would make it difficult for him. Which meant he wouldn’t give her time.

Every second mattered now.

Every second she stayed alive depended on how long she could keep him off balance—and how long he decided he was willing to tolerate it.

Once outside, I jumped back into the truck, the engine turning over hard as I pushed it down the narrow road leading out of town.

Every mile of the drive dragged against the urgency building in my chest, every turn taking longer than it should have while the clock in my head ticked louder with each passing second. Trees closed in as I pushed deeper into the hills, swallowing the light, narrowing the road until it felt less like a path and more like something I was forcing the truck through.

Too slow. Everything about this was too slow.

“Hold on,” I muttered under my breath, my grip tightening on the wheel.

I cut the engine before the final bend and went the rest on foot, moving fast through the brush as the mine entrance outlined in the map came into view ahead, a dark cut in the earth that seemed to swallow the light around it.

Ryder was already there. He stood just off to the side of the entrance, half-shadowed against the rock, his posture loose in a way that only read relaxed if you didn’t know him. His gaze flicked to mine the second I stepped into view, and whatever he saw on my face was enough. He didn’t ask a single question.

I didn’t say anything, either.