24
The impact still rang in Adrian's bones.
The kidnapper lay pinned beneath him, gravel biting into skin, breath coming out in frantic, broken gasps. Adrian's grip hadn't loosened since the moment he tackled him—if anything, it tightened, fueled by everything that had led them here.
Nearby, Elena clutched Emma tightly, rocking her gently as the girl trembled against her chest. Emma's cries had quieted, but her fingers still fisted Elena's jacket like she was afraid the night might snatch her away again.
"I've got you," Elena whispered over and over. "You're safe. Mommy's got you."
Sirens wailed somewhere beyond the steel walls of the yard—closer now, louder than before—but they hadn't arrived yet. Not yet. Until they did, nothing was guaranteed.
The ally stood guard a few steps away, scanning the maze of containers, ready for anything. The shipping yard felt less like an open space and more like a cage, every metal wall closing in around the man struggling beneath Adrian.
