Chapter 76 Morgan
Morgan
The safehouse didn’t feel so small once the rest of the team filed in behind Damian. The room filled with movement—Oliver stacking weapons on the table, Gage sweeping the perimeter again before locking up tight, Cyclone dropping into a chair like he’d been running on fumes for days.
Ruby, wrapped in her blanket, sat close to me, her eyes still wide but steadier now that the men were here. She didn’t let go of my hand, though, and I didn’t make her.
Damian stayed at my side, one hand resting at the small of my back as if he didn’t trust the walls, the locks, or anyone else to keep me upright. His touch wasn’t for show—it was instinct. Protection was written into every move he made.
Cyclone rubbed his eyes, then flipped his laptop open.
The screen glowed, bathing his face in pale light.
“I pulled what I could before the system started burning itself out. We’ve got fragments—communications, inventory, movement schedules.
Enough to know where they’re pushing their operations.
Perhaps we can rescue even more children and women. ”
Oliver leaned over his shoulder, frowning. “And?”
Cyclone tapped the map on the screen. A cluster of red marks lit up. “One of the hubs. Not a feeder site. Command-level. Luthor’s people didn’t even try to bury it deep, which means it’s important. Too important.”
Damian’s arm tightened against me, his eyes narrowing on the screen. “That’s our next target. The DEA and FBI have been watching these people, but so far, they haven’t been able to catch them. I wonder how many are getting paid off.”
My stomach dipped. The idea of him walking into another fight after tonight—after a man had been at our door while he was gone—made my chest ache. But at the same time, I knew there was no choice. This was bigger than us.
Ruby spoke up suddenly, her voice quiet but firm. “That’s who was here, wasn’t it? Luthor’s men.”
The room went silent. Damian’s hand stilled on my back. Then he nodded once. “Yeah.”
Ruby swallowed, looking down at her blanket, then lifted her chin. “Then finish it. Make sure they can’t come back.”
Pride and sorrow twisted together in me. She was sixteen, but she was speaking like someone who’d lived through decades of fear.
Damian pressed his lips to my temple, a fleeting touch, then looked to the team. “We move at first light. No mistakes. We hit them before they even know we’ve got this lead.”
Cyclone nodded, already typing. Oliver checked his weapon again. Gage muttered something under his breath that sounded like a prayer.
And me? I sat there with Ruby’s hand clutching mine and Damian’s steady on my back, knowing this storm had a long way to go before it was out.