MasukCHAPTER 67.BLADE POV.The rush of panic flooding through my veins as I couldn't find Sophia in the Alcove was maddening. My head felt full as my mind went into full panic. I breathed deeply as the gunshot threatened to bring me under. I had to find her quickly.I followed the sound of her gunshots through the dark. Trailing the blood on the floor. I found the bodies of Disciples on the floor.I didn't think, and I didn't care about the sharp, burning fire tearing through my left shoulder where Venom's bullet had clipped me. I just moved. Blood was running down my sleeve, warm and heavy against my skin, but my fingers held the gun with a white-knuckled grip. I circled the outer area of the compound fast, my boots cutting through the gravel, my eyes scanning every shadow, every corner, every piece of cover.I found her through pure instinct.I rounded the corner of the brick wall near the rear service entrance and pulled up short, my back slamming hard against the cold wall.Sophia was
CHAPTER 66.SOPHIA POV.She moved because she had to.Through the thick, bitter haze of gunsmoke and dust, I saw what Blade couldn't see from his angle near the entryway. Three of Venom's men had broken past Razor’s defensive line on the east fence. They were slipping through the long shadows cast along the outer wall, their weapon barrels raised and ready, heading directly for the weak point of the main compound door. If they reached that part, Blade was going to take a dozen high-velocity rounds in his back while trying to cover me.I couldn't let that happen. I refused to let him die for me.I stepped out of the alcove, light on my feet, keeping low to the floor. FBI field training combined with five years of deep, controlled fury made for an extraordinarily effective combination.The first shooter didn't even hear me come around the corner of the heavy tire stack. I brought my gun up in a smooth, fluid motion, aligning the front sight with his chest, and fired twice into his cente
CHAPTER 65.BLADE POV.The first shot took out the compound's gate light, putting the compound into a twilight of flashes and blinding high beams.Sparks rained down over the heavy iron bars as a torrent of automatic fire chewed through the posts. In that split second, everything narrowed down to pure operational instinct. I reached out, my heavy hand grabbing the front of Sophia’s jacket, and yanked her violently backward into the dark recess of the corridor. I threw my body squarely between her and the iron gate, using my frame as a human shield right as a dozen rounds fired where her head had been a second before."Falling back!" I roared over the deafening racket, my voice cutting through the ringing in my ears.The club went to work with a controlled, terrifying ferocity. They weren't panicking. They had trained for a breach, and they moved through the darkness like ghosts who knew every inch of the layout."Razor! East wall! Keep them off the fence!" I yelled into the communicat
CHAPTER 64. SOPHIA POV. Venom's demand cut across the compound with all eyes turning to Blade.I made a move only to feel his hand on my arm. I turned to him. "You can't stop me, Blade." "I'm not trying to stop you, Sophia, you're your own person," he said. I felt grateful he didn't trust him to stop me. I didn't want to seem weak among the Iron wolves. His next words brought me a sense of peace: "But nothing is stopping me from coming with you". I nodded as we made our way to the gate. I had a copy of the evidence in my jacket pocket. The dust outside the iron gate tasted like dry ash and cold sand. I walked straight out to the front gate myself. My heavy boots made a sound against the hard floor, every single step completely grounded, and free of any hesitation. Blade walked two steps behind me like a solid wall. He was a broad, silent shadow holding his gun, his presence radiating a fierce, protective heat that I could feel straight through the thick leather of my jacket. He d
CHAPTER 63.BLADE POV.There were thirty bikes, maybe more.They did not rush the gate in a chaotic frenzy, nor did they switch on their engines in an attempt to scare us with sheer noise. Instead, they parked in a loose manner around the edge of the compound, moving with a kind of organized, terrifying patience that made the blood in my veins run cold. The low, guttural rumble of their V-twin engines vibrated through the cracked floor beneath my boots.Through the grainy, black-and-white feed of the main gate camera, I stood in the dim light of the tech room and watched them dismount. The harsh glare of their headlights cut lines through the rising desert dust, illuminating the heavy leather jackets and vests of the Devil's Disciples. This was not a street gang looking to settle a minor dispute with a quick drive-by shooting. This was a highly coordinated unit, funded by federal black money, settling into a position of total destruction.I leaned closer to the monitor, my eyes narrow
CHAPTER 62.SOPHIA POV.Tonight, not tomorrow.The words landed like a heavy iron weight crashing through me. My mind instantly went into overdrive, spinning through the math, the maps, and the variables. Everything we had spent days building was dissolving in real time. The news crew wasn't in position yet, they were still out on their job. The digital evidence packages hadn't fully linked across all the safe locations. Worse, Morrison was already at the Disciples' compound, probably riding in Venom’s lead vehicle right now.We were out of time, out of options, and completely helpless.Blade and I exchanged a single, sharp look across the workshop. No speeches, no panic, no wasted motion. When a plan dissolves into chaos, you don't freeze, and you don't sit around moping. You adapt, and you move faster than the threat coming down your throat.I pulled the burner phone from my pocket and dialed James’s private line. He picked up on the very first ring, his voice clipped, tense, and ec







