The golden morning sun peeked through the slats of the dirty diner blinds. The aftermath of last night's fight—scrapes, bruises, and fatigue—still lingered on their faces. Dante and Raven were seated in their booth, the one by the window where they could monitor the street. They were silent now, a world away from the tumult of the previous night, although there was a tension between them that only seemed to emerge after blood had been shed.
Dante's fingertips drummed nervously on the coffee cup, his thoughts in another place, even though he was attempting to be drawn into the mundane speech Raven was forcing him into. She was prattling about ice cream, naturally—because no matter that they'd all come close to dying in the past 24 hours, nothing was ever higher on the list than ice cream.
"Dante," she replied, leaning forward, smiling. "You're going to tell me what flavor you're having today, right? I'm not giving you that old 'chocolate' dodge again."
A small smile touched Dante's lips. "Chocolate's a classic. You don't tamper with perfection."
"I promise that if you have chocolate again, I'll refer to you as 'Mr. Boring' from now on," Raven mocked, looking back over her shoulder at the door.
"You can call me whatever you want, but if you order strawberry again, I may never speak to you again."
Raven cocked an eyebrow. "Wow. Harsh."
Before he could answer, the diner door creaked open and Lucas walked in. His arrival was impossible to miss. With his tousled, long hair, unshaven jaw, and smug attitude that he wore wherever he went, Lucas seemed to always come at the exact moment when things were beginning to feel almost normal. Almost.
"Speak of the devil," Dante grumbled under his breath, settling back into his seat as Lucas strolled over to their booth.
Raven didn't even glance up. "So, how many folks did you irritate today?" she asked lightly, drumming her nails against the table top.
"Ah, you hurt my feelings," Lucas said with pretended indignation, sliding into the booth beside her. "I'm the epitome of charm. But seriously, you two need to listen—this is huge."
Raven raised an eyebrow and finally looked at him. She'd caught glimpses of him before, but today there was something different in his eyes—something more serious than the usual cocky grin. "What's happening?"
Lucas withdrew a thin file from his coat, banging it onto the table. He flipped it open, showing a few photos, some fuzzy, some sharp, all depicting a black, underground setup. There were individuals—girls, women—bound and trapped, their faces expressionless with the sort of fear that got stuck in your bones.
Dante braced himself, his eyes tightening as he took in the photos.
"That's the trafficking ring I've been following," Lucas announced, his voice now strictly professional. "And it's more than we knew."
Raven's jaw clenched. She didn't have to ask to be sure. She could already anticipate where this was headed. She swallowed, attempting to maintain a steady voice. "And Valerie?"
Lucas touched a picture with his finger, a fuzzy photo of a woman, her face covered in shadows, but the very recognizable red stripe in her hair was enough to make Raven recognize her immediately.
"Her," Lucas said. "She's been fighting for some time now. They transferred her through various different places, but this is the most recent one. Some warehouse off the docks.
Raven's heart pounded in her chest. She couldn't help but look at the photo of Valerie—her friend, her ally, the woman they'd all been fighting for.
Dante leaned forward, his gaze intense. "What do we know about this place?
Lucas looked at his brother, nodding. "It's a warehouse in the industrial section. Guarded. Folks come and go, but nobody really has any idea what's going on inside. It's a front—drug dealing, weapon smuggling, all sorts of underworld crap. But since I have the right people in my ear now, I can let you know exactly how they're operating."
Raven was no longer focused on Lucas. She was looking at the map he had laid out before her, the black shape of the warehouse marked in red. Her thoughts were already whirling through possibilities—what they could do, how they could get inside, how they could rescue Valerie. But for an instant, her thoughts were empty.
"I have to get in there," Raven said at last, her voice low, too even. "We have to get her out."
Lucas didn't blink. "I'm not saying it's going to be easy. This building is like a fortress. But I've been doing some research—got some people on the inside helping me out. If we act fast enough, we can get in and out without anyone ever knowing we were here."
Dante looked at her across the table. "We can't rush this," he told her, his tone unyielding. "It's not about rescuing her. It's about putting an end to this ring once and for all. We can't allow them to continue doing this."
Raven breathed slowly, relaxing in her seat. The pressure of their mission weighed upon her, but now there was something else driving her—the need, the resolve. Valerie was alive, and that was an opening.
"Yeah, you're right." She looked at Lucas, the softening of her voice barely perceptible. "Thanks for the information. You did well.
Lucas shrugged, his smile back. "I know. I'm pretty awesome, right?"
Raven rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress the small smile playing on her lips. "If you keep sounding like that, I'll start calling you 'the hero.'"
He threw up his hands in mock defeat. "Please, don't. I've got enough nicknames already."
Dante rose, laying a couple of bills on the table. "We go in tonight. The sooner we get in and out, the better. We meet back here in an hour. Lucas, you come with me. Raven, you remain back for the scout. We'll come to you when we need a diversion."
Raven rose, her jaw clenched but her actions deliberate. "Let's go rescue Valerie."