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“Jesus Christ,” Black said. “Gentry and Dempsey handling it?”

“They’re there right now,” Elesio said. “I just thought you might want to know, so you can call that reporter that’s been sticking around…”

“Fuck,” Black said. “Give me five.”

Black had a quick phone conversation with, I assumed, the woman who’d just been here before Elesio had shared his news.

Joy filtered through my heart at hearing that she was alive, followed just as quickly by anger and pain.

My brother had done this.

He’d dug an underground bunker, and him and two other boys had captured this woman and tortured her.

My brother didn’t deserve to live.

He’d ruined everything.

He’d tortured me.

That woman.

He deserved to be set on fire.

Silence followed, and I assumed that Elesio had left.

But that warm hand on my own stayed solid.

“I know that you’re awake.”

I jerked slightly, causing his hand to tighten.

“I’m right here. You’re safe. He won’t get you again. Now, open your eyes.”

And, because I could deny the man nothing, I opened them.

And was blinded by light.

“There you are.”

I burst out crying, and he lifted me off the bed and into his lap.

I buried my face into his neck and sobbed.

I sobbed so hard that at one point I nearly threw up.

He didn’t put me down. Didn’t let go of the tightness.

Not until I was all sobbed out.

“H-how?” I asked.

He explained everything, not leaving out a single detail, of how I was found.

I’d thought I was going to die there.

I knew that Black would look for me, but I’d resigned myself. Montana was a huge place, and how the hell would he know where I’d been put?

And I’d known that Leo had been involved somehow.