Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,319

as we followed Lenny, who was the only man that didn’t have to hunch. Jacob grunted and grabbed my hand—I could feel each tremble through his body. I didn’t offer for him to stay in the more massive tunnel, though. I knew he wouldn’t, and I definitely didn’t want any of my men out of sight.

“Here’s where we keep prisoners,” Lenny said, a proud boast in his tone that had me feeling sick. Huxley was at the front of our group and saw the Scavenger with supposed information about Payne. I knew it was bad the moment he screamed.

“Let her out of that fucking hole right now before I kill you both,” he growled. I shoved my way forward past Patrick and Maverick to see.

“You don’t get to make demands, traitor. I’m the one with fucking Heat,” Lenny boomed. The other guy, currently holding Heat on us was just swaying, watching us with a lazy grin. I maneuvered around them to see who was in the prison and gasped.

There, crouched in a hole barely big enough for a child, let alone a grown woman, was Mia. I nearly choked on the bile rising in my throat. She looked sickly and scarily thin. Her sunken cheeks gave her beautiful face a haunted expression. “Maverick!” I yelled, not knowing what else to say. She needed medical attention, now.

Lenny rolled his eyes as he stepped between the door and us. “Back up. We’re going to get the information from her. She knows where the cure is. We’re gonna bleed the boy dry!” he screamed, spit gathering on his lips. He sounded absolutely insane. “You know this bitch? Aha!” He started clapping, the smacking sound filling the small space. He was rocking back and forth with glee, stomping his feet on the ground as he whispered to himself, “Let’s get her out of here and play. I found a fun way to make her talk.”

He reached in his pocket for a key, and the moment Huxley saw the tool for Mia’s freedom in his grasp, he lunged for Lenny and immediately started landing punch after punch to his scruffy face.

Lenny’s goon lifted Heat to my skull, causing a frenzy to erupt in the crowded space. Jacob yelped and tried to yank me back. Maverick shoved past Patrick to intervene. But it was too late. Time slowed, and his pudgy finger pressed on the trigger. The last thought I had was how much I loved these men.

He engaged the weapon, and I closed my eyes, prepared to die.

But nothing happened. He clicked it again. Nothing. I was still breathing in the stench of the air, but now I was even dizzier, my thoughts felt slow. Cyler growled. “You’re so fucking lucky you’re holding a dud.” At that, all my men overtook Lenny and his goon. Huxley was still landing punches while Patrick and Jacob tackled the other guy, ripping the weapon from his hands. Within seconds they were pulling Mia out of the hole and were shoving the two of them back in it, firmly locking the door in place as blood poured from Lenny’s mouth.

I started to sway, not quite sure what was wrong with me. I fell to my knees to get a better look at Mia. She wasn’t awake, but she was alive.

“Mia?” I called out while stroking her white hair out of her eyes as the guys caught their breath. She started to wake up, but I could see the fog in her eyes. I could easily wrap my fingers around her arm. What did they do to her? Where was Aarav?

“Agrio?” she croaked out.

“I’m here,” I said with a whisper as tears rolled down my cheeks. How many times would I have to watch those I love kiss the brink of death? She wore her suffering like a cloak that wouldn’t keep her warm. She looked like she should have died long ago. Around me, my men were cursing and moving out of the cramped tunnel.

“’Bout time you got here. Almost died before I could give you a clue,” she whispered.

“What clue?”

“That frigid bitch,” she started coughing, like a laugh got caught in her throat. Instead of a chuckle escaping her chapped lips, it was sickness that poured out of her. “Stonewell. She has the boy. Told me to tell you 88982. She said you’d get it.”

I went still. That didn’t make sense. I didn’t understand what she meant. I stalled while staring at Mia, watching as she slipped into