Page 3 of Deadfall

GABRIEL

I threw myself out of the SUV and stormed into the safe house. I barely made it through the front door before I slammed my fist into the drywall.

“Griffin!” Kyllion barked a warning, hot on my heels.

I rounded on him. The violence vibrated through my veins and lit a fire in them—a hunger for blood.

“She was there,” I roared. “She was fucking there!”

I threw down the manifest I’d been holding in a death grip the entire ride back. Papers showered into the air and fluttered to the ground between us. I whirled around, afraid I’d do something I’d regret, and disappeared into the war room. He knew better than to follow me.

Something was wrong. Or, I missed something—

Quarry had been spooked—again.

Seething, I glared at the evidence boards. They mocked me with all the information we’d amassed over the years. All for what? To always be one step behind? Three years. Three years and I didn’t feel like we were getting anywhere.

Emersyn’s picture was front and center, like always. I shoved it off the screen. I couldn’t look at her anymore. I couldn’t spend another second staring at her face—that beautiful face I’d studied every inch of until I knew every freckle, every curve and definition. I knew those eyes because every day they glared at me, daring me to save her.

And I was failing.

There was only one other time this had happened to me and those memories loudly screamed from the shadows as they clamored to come forward. They mocked me too.

I watched Seven come into the room. He didn’t say anything, just put the bunch of papers he’d collected from my tantrum on the table in a neat stack.

“The bed—” I could barely speak between the adrenaline and the anger. “It was still—” I couldn’t finish the sentence, my throat closed. I couldn’t breathe. I tore my face covering off and threw it on the table. My gloves came next, then my vest until I felt like I could take a breath again. My hands shook. I dug my palms into the table and leaned heavily over the worn wood.

The bed had still been warm.

Just like before—

“Get your head out of the past,” Seven demanded. “This is not the same. You hear me, G?”

“I know that,” I snarled. “I know.”

“We’re going to find her,” Seven stated firmly. “We’re not done yet.”

When I didn’t respond, Seven shoved my shoulder and my head jerked up.

“Right?” He demanded.

“You know I’m not,” I growled, eyes narrowed. “I’ll never be done,” I said in a quieter voice as my eyes moved back to the evidence boards. Seven didn’t answer. He knew what I meant. Even before Emersyn we’d hunted trafficking rings, all to atone for the one I hadn’t been able to save. I’d hoped at some point I would feel like it was enough, but it never was. It would never be enough to silence the guilt that still flooded me.

Seven’s hand landed on my shoulder in a firm grip. “Emersyn is not your sister.”

The words landed one by one like blows to my gut, and rendered me breathless. All I could do was nod. Obviously, this wasn’t the same, but the situation was similar in a way that continued to wreck my sanity. Seven’s eyes glowed darkly with the lights from the monitors. There was pain there too; I could see it reflected back at me, and I immediately felt more guilt. I wasn’t the only one hurting. I put my hand on the back of Seven’s neck and gripped it tightly.

“We’re going to find her,” I said firmly.

Seven latched onto the hope in my eyes like it was a lifeline. “Alive.”

I nodded. “We’re not going to fail this time,” I growled.

“We can’t,” Seven said, his voice strained.

“Griff.” Rune stood in the doorway with a strange expression on his face. “You need to see this.”

He handed me his tablet and on it was an open inbox.