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"But—” She swallowed. "Please don't keep me in the dark."

He stepped closer, resting one hand gently against her cheek. "I won't, I promise."

She nodded. "I know you mean that."

"I do." He leaned down and kissed her forehead before turning toward the door. As soon as it closed behind him, all warmth inside of him vanished.

"So help me God," Luca muttered beside him, "if Collins had her marked⁠—"

Soren kept walking. "Don't."

"Don't what?" Luca asked.

"Don’t finish that sentence." Because if Richard Collins had been preparing to traffic Lily, Soren wasn't entirely certain he'd have enough self-control left to remain civilized.

Within minutes, his team was assembled, and they were sitting in the SUVs outside of St. Gabriel's Church. The place had been abandoned for nearly thirty years. Its once-grand stained-glass windows were boarded over. The stone bell tower leaned slightly to one side, and nature had begun reclaiming the cemetery surrounding it.

Soren parked beside two black SUVs. Four of his men stood guard outside, and another two watched the tree line. He had given specific orders that nobody reached Rachel Monroe without going through him first.

One of the guards opened the church doors. "She's conscious, Boss."

"Barely," another man said.

Soren stepped inside. The old sanctuary had been converted into a temporary medical station. Battery-powered lanterns illuminated the room. Medical equipment covered what had once been the altar. Rachel Monroe lay on a cot beneath several blankets with an IV that disappeared beneath her sleeve. A bandage was wrapped around her left shoulder. She looked terrible—pale and exhausted, but alive.

She turned her head when she heard his footsteps. "So—” Her voice cracked. "You're Soren Kane."

"I am,” he said.

She studied him for several long seconds. "You don't look anything like I expected."

"I hear that often,” he drawled.

The corner of her mouth lifted. "It explains why everyone fears you."

Soren pulled a chair beside the cot. "The introductions can wait." She nodded. "My men found you." It wasn’t really a question.

"Yes,” she breathed.

"How?" he asked.

"I let them find me,” she said.

Soren's eyebrows rose. "You wanted us to find you?"

"I knew—” She paused to catch her breath. "That if anyone could keep me alive, it would be you.” Soren remained silent. People didn't seek him out because they trusted him. They sought him out because they feared their enemies more. Rachel was different because she'd chosen him to find her.

"Tell me about Collins,” he said.

Rachel closed her eyes. "He wasn't running the operation."

Soren wasn't surprised.

"He answered to someone."

"Who?" Soren asked.

She slowly opened her eyes again. "I never learned his name."