Chapter 17 #2
“Then we make our move,” Bones finished.
Voodoo flexed his fingers on the wheel. “Grace. When we hit, keep Nico down and hold tight.”
My heart pounded, but my voice stayed steady. “Lo tengo, mi amor,” I whispered down to Nico. I’ve got you, sweetheart.
The vans approached the intersection—one slowing, one hesitating, both caught in the web AB had spun for them.
This was it.
Bones’ voice dropped to a low, lethal calm.
“On my mark.”
The moment froze sharp and thin.
Two white vans boxed us at the intersection. Engines humming. Brakes squealing. Traffic held in place by AB’s digital chokehold.
Bones leaned forward, voice low and lethal. “Mark.”
Voodoo hit the gas.
We cut off the lead van with a clean, angled block that pinned it behind a delivery truck. The second swerved left—straight into the trap—only to find the lane sealed by the SUV’s back quarter panel.
Perfect.
“Grace—heads down,” Bones ordered.
I folded over Nico, wrapping my arms around him as Goblin wedged himself between us and the window. His low growl pulsed against my ribs—protective, fierce.
Legend braced behind me. Both vans screeched to a full stop.
AB crackled over comms, breathless. “All right. They’re boxed. No exit lanes. No reverse path. You’re green.”
Bones was already unbuckling.
“Lunchbox—left van. I’ve got right. Voodoo, Grace, hold position until we clear.”
“You got it,” Voodoo muttered. “Bring back souvenirs.”
The doors burst open.
Bones hit the pavement first, silent and deadly. Legend followed, rounding the left van with a predator’s precision. I kept Nico tucked close, Goblin’s paws planted on my lap as he scanned the windows with tiny, furious intent.
The right van’s driver cracked the door an inch—panic in the motion. Bones yanked it open, slammed the guy’s wrist against the frame, disarmed him before he even understood what was happening, and dragged him onto the asphalt.
Legend ripped the left passenger door wide. Someone lunged at him—wild, cornered. Legend stepped aside, grabbed a fistful of shirt, and introduced the man’s head to the doorframe with a brutal thunk.
Inside the vans, movement. Not adult movement. Smaller. Softer. Huddled.
Oh God.
Bones growled. “Grace—stand by.”
He and Legend opened the sliding doors in unison.
And the world shifted.
Shapes in the dim interior. Thin limbs. Wide eyes.
Blankets wrapped around trembling shoulders.
Four kids total. Two in each van.
All of them too quiet.
Nico whimpered—a tiny, broken sound. Goblin whined low, vibrating with distress.
Bones didn’t flinch, but something in his jaw cracked.
Legend blew out a breath, voice hard with fury. “Grace. Bring Nico. Slowly.”
Voodoo was out of the driver’s seat and opened my door before I unbuckled. Then I was sliding out with Nico clinging to me like I was the only solid thing left in the world. Goblin hopped down, planting himself at Nico’s side.
“Está bien, mi cielo,” I whispered into his hair. “No estás solo.” It’s okay, sweetheart. You’re not alone.
When we reached the first van, the children shrank back, flinching at movement, at sound, at everything.
So I dropped to my knees.
Nico didn’t hesitate—he let go of me just enough to kneel too. Goblin pressed between us and the open van door, tail low but not threatening, just present, grounding.
Softly, I spoke to the nearest little girl. “Hola, mi amor… estamos aquí para ayudarte, ?sí?” Hi sweetheart… we’re here to help you, okay?
Her lip trembled. She nodded once.
Legend muttered quietly behind me, “Hell.”
Bones’ voice was quieter still, meant only for our team. “Get them out. Gentle. Quick.”
The kids came out like shadows—tiny hands reaching, legs unsteady. Some clutched blankets. One boy carried a stuffed toy missing an eye. Another little girl looked at Goblin and burst into tears—silent tears, her chest shaking.
Goblin stepped forward and licked her wrist. She folded over him like he was the first safe thing she’d felt in days.
Bones swallowed hard. His voice stayed level. “Load them in our SUV. Grace takes point.”
Legend moved fast but gentle, lifting the youngest with care. Voodoo picked up another who couldn’t quite stand. Bones handled the last two, guiding them with slow, deliberate movements, like they were made of glass.
I kept Nico’s hand tight in mine, guiding him and Goblin back to the SUV.
“Todo está bien,” I whispered to the group, switching between English and Spanish. “Están a salvo. Los tenemos.”
Everything’s okay. You’re safe now. We’ve got you.
We loaded them in—middle row, third row, stuffed animal reunited with trembling hands. Goblin crawled right into the center of them, letting them hold onto him, six small hands gripping his fur.
Nico stayed pressed to my side—but he was watching them now, eyes big and worried instead of terrified.
Then AB came back on comms—this time not frantic, but furious.
“Guys,” he said. “You need to move. Now.”
Bones climbed into the passenger seat as Voodoo slid behind the wheel.
“What’s coming?” Bones asked.
“Backup,” AB said. “Heavy. Fifteen minutes out. But—”
He paused.
“But what, Alphabet?” Legend snapped.
“We need to relocate the kids and we’re going to need backup of our own,” he said, voice low.
“What’s up?” Bones asked even as Voodoo got us moving. The vans created another traffic jam, but we were able to slide between. “There’s a bigger transport. Heading toward the port. Full blackout. Doesn’t want to be seen.”
My blood chilled.
“ETA?” Bones asked even as he turned toward us, his gaze flicking over the five children huddled together and Goblin on the floor.
“We have maybe an hour.” Though AB’s tone implied we would be lucky as hell to get that much.
“Get us a secure location for Grace and the kids,” Bones said.
“On it,” AB replied.
Then Bones transferred his gaze to me. The question was in his eyes. We couldn’t take five kids into any kind of combat. They’d also made me a promise, and we were still looking for Amorette. At the same time, this operation needed to be shut down whether we found Amorette or not.
I glanced at the kids then at him as I nodded. “Just leave a weapon.”
“We will.” Bones nodded once. “Alphabet?”
“Secure location acquired, sending you the address.”
My heart slammed against my ribs. The only sound in the SUV was the faint snuffling of the kids, and the harsh sounds of my own breathing.
“Give us the SITREP,” Bones ordered after a beat. “We need to be ready to roll once we’ve gotten the kids locked down.”
I listened as AB briefed them, the whole time, Nico held fast to my hand. One of the little girls had gripped my wrist. We had to burn all of these operations down.
Every.
Single.
One.