Page 148 of I Will Mend You
We step into the darkened dormitory on the left. Bunk beds line one wall, and young girls huddle in the corner, their faces contorted with terror. I step back, letting Amethyst approach the children.
“It’s okay, we’re here to help you,” she says, her palms raised.
Camila pushes past me to join Amethyst. I leave the room, directing the female operatives to extract the girls. If their experiences are anything like the memories my little ghost shared, the last thing they’ll need is the presence of a man.
“Xero!” Jynxson yells from down the hallway. “We’ve found an entrance to the basement.”
Movement in my periphery catches my attention. I turn just in time to see a door open and a man in full body armor emerge, with an automatic weapon aimed at Jynxson. He fires, bullets hitting Jynxson square in the chest.
Fury powers my steps. I charge at the shooter, tackling him to the ground. The machine gun skitters across the floor, the clatter drowned by the roar in my ears. We grapple, his fists pounding at my ribs, but my vest absorbs the impact.
I tear the helmet off his head, exposing a face I nearly recognize—sharp features, dark hair, and a distinctive tattoo near his right eye.
My fist lands into his face, breaking his nose with a satisfying crunch.
“Give me a reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now,” I snarl, my hands tightening around his throat.
“Xero, right?” he chokes out through clenched teeth. “Kill me, and all the information you’re looking for dies with me.”
I press harder on his windpipe, savoring his gasps for air. “You should have thought about that before you shot my friend.”
Another figure rushes out from down the hall, but disappears under a pile of my operatives. I strip off this asshole’s armored jacket and shove him aside.
“Get him up,” I snarl.
As I stand, two of my operatives haul him to his feet. “Show me where the other instructors are hiding from our sensors.”
Jynxson stumbles toward us, clutching his chest but waving off help. “I’m fine. Just a bruised rib.”
I clap him on the shoulder. “This asshole is yours. Make him pay.”
Jynxson and the others drag the captured man to another room, and the rest of us move toward a stairwell. It’s narrow andunlit, clearly meant only for the instructors. When I lived here, I had no idea Father kept the Lolitas upstairs.
We reach a heavy door, and I motion for an operative to drill through its lock. The girls might have been receptive to Amethyst, but things will be different with the boys. I was happy here, and so were the others. For me, this facility was a haven from an abusive stepfamily. For Jynxson, it was a home away from the streets.
“Be ready for anything,” I say over the whirr.
The drilling stops, and the operative opens the door with a swift kick. We pile into another hallway. Adrenaline surges through my veins. It’s so familiar, I could navigate it in my dreams.
This is it—I’m seconds away from saving the boys.
My heart pounds. My thoughts oscillate between the state we’ll find the children in and how Amethyst is coping with confronting her past.
We continue to the dormitory I once shared with Jynxson and the others and signal for my team to prepare. “Remember,” I say, my voice low. “Half the kids here don’t even know they’re assassins.”
I force the lock and push the door open. The dorm is clean, orderly, and lit with flashlights. Twelve boys, aged between ten and fourteen, stand in a defensive formation with their backs to the wall. Though they look scared, they’re prepared to fight.
“Stand down, operatives,” I order, using language they should find familiar.
“Identify yourself,” demands one of the taller boys. He’s dark-haired, already six feet tall, though his features are still a child’s. He can’t be more than fourteen.
I step forward. “Xero Greaves. Former graduate of this facility. I’m here to move you to an above-ground home where you’ll be safe and free.”
The boys exchange skeptical glances, their defensiveness palpable.
The older boy clenches his fists. “How do we know this isn’t a trap?”
“Your instructors are dead. Delta has gone into hiding. If you want to survive, come with me to my safe house.”