And I’m not waiting for them to be gift-wrapped and handed to me like I’m some obedient, drugged-up doll waiting by the door.
He wants me safe in that motel room? Too fucking bad.
Tonight, I get the truth.
Even if I have to tear it out of him with my nails.
One bloody lie at a time.
Eleven
Dagger
The tires kickgravel as I roll up to the clubhouse, engine growling like it’s just as pissed off as I am. Link pulls in behind me, visor down, his bike humming low as we coast into the open lot.
The place is quiet, but not dead. Too quiet, considering how much shit is popping off lately.
This isn’t a motorcycle club—we’re not playing Sons of Anarchy out here. But the clubhouse? It’s still home. A fortified little fortress at the edge of nowhere. Safe enough to stash our product. Private enough for meetings, deals, and breakdowns. Neutral enough that when something goes south, it’s the first place we come.
I kill the engine, yank off my helmet, and swing my leg over the bike. The heat clings to me like a second skin—muggy, thick, California sweat. I tug off my gloves, jaw tight, eyes already sweeping the lot.
Someone steps out from the shadows by the entrance. Razor. Cigarette tucked behind his ear, arms folded.
“Where the fuck you been?” he calls.
I shoot him a look. “Handling it.”
“Handling it?” he scoffs. “You’ve got two shipments gone, a dead dealer, and now this.”
“Now what?” I snap, stepping toward him.
Link is at my side, helmet under one arm, already tense.
Razor exhales hard. “Link, you didn’t tell him yet?”
Link swears under his breath. “Didn’t get the chance.”
“Tell me what?”
Link turns to me, serious now. “It was a warning. After Janks didn’t show, I went to his last drop point. Took one step into that alley and got jumped. Two guys. One held me, the other said—” He pauses, looking at me dead in the eye. “They said if you don’t pay up, he’ll make you pay in blood. And he’s starting with her.”
My stomach drops. “Her?”
Link nods. “Blair.”
A muscle jumps in my jaw.
“They saw you with her. At the motel. Said she looked just like the last one.”
The last one.
Brynn.
My chest tightens, rage rising. Before I can react, my phone buzzes.
Unknown number.
I answer. “Yeah?”
