My blood freezes.
“Where did you get this?” My voice is low, lethal.
Her face is pale, eyes wide. “Shepard sent it to me. Just now.”
Everything inside me tilts. The accelerant canister. The fires. Sadie’s ex-pack. Shepard’s bloodied face.
It all clicks.
“Oh, Christ.” The words tear out of me as I drag my helmet off and wipe at my mouth with the back of my hand.
This isn’t random. It’s them. It’s her past. They came here. And Shepard… fuck.
I pull my phone from my pocket, fingers trembling as I dial. Boone answers on the first ring.
“What the fuck’s going on, Gabe?” His voice is sharp, already wound tight.
“Shepard’s been attacked,” I grind out. “It’s Sadie’s old pack. They’ve got her.”
Silence. Then Boone swears, vicious and low. “We need to shut the highway. They’ll be taking her out of town.”
“Do it.” My voice is rough. “Send someone to check on Shepard. I don’t know if he’s alive.”
“And you?” Boone asks.
I look back at the fire, at the chaos swallowing Driftwood whole. The rookies yelling for direction. Reporters filming. Civilians hauling water. Declan and Rhys in the thick of it, passing buckets like lifelines.
This is my job. My town. My responsibility.
But if I lose her, I lose everything anyway.
I draw in a ragged breath, decision tearing me in half. “I can’t be in two places.”
“Then you know what you have to do,” Boone says. His voice is steady. No hesitation.
I swallow hard, then glance across the blaze to my lieutenant. A quiet man, dependable, one I’d trust with my life.
“Maddox!” I shout.
He jogs over, visor up, soot smeared across his cheeks. “Captain?”
“You’re in charge now.” My throat feels raw as I grip his shoulder. “Contain it. Keep the crew safe. Evacuate if the wind turns.”
His eyes widen, but he nods. “Yes, sir.”
I squeeze his arm once. Then I turn and run.
The flames scream behind me. The town howls. My men call my name. But I don’t stop.
Because she’s out there. And if I don’t get to her, if I don’t tear through whatever bastards laid their hands on her, I’ll never forgive myself.
And Shepard—God help me, Shepard’s blood is already on my hands.
The smoke fades as I push farther from the fire, boots pounding the asphalt. My chest burns. My mind is a riot.
I’m coming for her.
Nothing else matters.
