ログインRAINEThe cartel didn’t wait long.Emilio Vargas called exactly twelve hours after his visit. I took the call in the war room with Isla and three of my most trusted officers listening in on speaker.“You have thirty-six hours left,” Emilio said calmly. “I suggest you have a number ready.”I leaned forward, gripping the edge of the table hard. “Here’s my offer. We return thirty percent of the product value in cash within two weeks. In exchange, you give us protection on our southern routes for one year and cut all ties with Dahlia permanently.”Emilio laughed softly. “Cute. But we lost our product and our face. We want full repayment plus fifty percent interest. And we want it in seven days.”“Fifty percent?” I shot back. “That’s robbery. My father and Dahila started this mess, not me. You deal with me now. Take the thirty percent and the protection deal or risk losing everything in this territory. I’m not my father, and I certainly don’t bluff.”The line went quiet for several seconds
RAINEThe sun had barely risen when I called church.The table felt different with me at the head. The gavel sat heavy in my hand as the remaining officers and senior patches filed in. Some looked nervous, while others looked relieved. A few still carried that old loyalty to my father in their eyes.I didn’t waste time.“Trey was a rat,” I said flatly. “He fed information to Vex during the summit. He’s either dead or running away. Either way, anyone who was close to him needs to answer right now.”The room went dead silent.I looked each man in the eye. “Marcus. You rode with Trey for three years. Where do you stand?”Marcus shifted in his seat. Sweat beaded on his forehead. “I didn’t know, Raine. I swear it.”“Maybe not,” I said. “But you were drinking with him the night before the summit. You helped him move product last month. So here’s what’s happening. You and the other three who were tight with him are out and will be stripped off your patches. You get twenty-four hours to clear
RAINEThe burner phone felt heavy in my pocket as I walked back inside. The cartel’s message still burned in my mind. I pushed it down. One problem at a time.The main room was packed. Senior patches, road captains, and a handful of loyal prospects filled every chair and corner. The air was thick with cigarette smoke and tension. They had all come after hearing what happened at the summit. My father was alive but badly wounded. Dahlia was in chains. The club was bleeding from the inside.They needed a leader.And they were looking at me.Old Man Harris, the longest-serving member, cleared his throat. “We’ve got a situation. Vex is laid up and may not make it. Dahlia’s betrayal has split the club. We need to vote. Right now. Do we follow the bloodline… or do we find someone new?”All eyes turned to me.I stepped forward, heart hammering. Grief over Cole still sat like a stone in my chest, but I couldn’t let it show. Not here. Not now.“I’m not asking for your pity,” I said, voice stead
RAINEThe desert night swallowed us whole.I rode like a woman possessed, throttle pinned, my eyes burning from tears and dust. Isla stayed glued to my left side, her headlight cutting through the darkness. Every few seconds I glanced in my mirrors. The pursuing headlights were still back there. Although they were smaller now, they were not totally gone. They wanted blood. They wanted me.Cole was dead.The thought hit me again like a fresh bullet. I had left him bleeding out in the sand while I ran. The man who had taken bullets for me. The man who had finally confessed everything and told me he loved me. Gone. Just like that.My chest felt hollow, and every breath hurt.“Raine!” Isla shouted over the engines. “We need to lose them!”I nodded and took a sharp right onto a narrow game trail I remembered from years ago. The bikes bounced hard over rocks and ruts. My injured leg screamed with every jolt, but I didn’t slow down. Pain was good. Pain meant I was still alive. Pain meant I w
RAINECole’s hand went limp in mine.I stared at him, hot blood roaring in my ears louder than the gunfire. He had just shoved me down and taken another bullet meant for me. His body was heavy against the sand, eyes closed, chest barely moving. Too much blood. Way too much.“No,” I whispered. Then louder, “No!”Isla’s voice cut through the chaos. “Raine! We have to move now!”I couldn’t leave him. I grabbed his cut and tried to drag him, but he was dead weight and I was already exhausted. A bullet slammed into the rock inches from my head. I spun, knife in one hand, pistol in the other, and fired blindly into the dust.“Isla!” I screamed.She appeared through the haze, her face streaked with dirt and blood. She took one look at Cole and her expression shattered. “Oh God…”“Help me!” I begged.We each grabbed an arm and pulled. He was too heavy. Another wave of Serpents was closing in from below, and I heard Dahlia’s voice rising above the noise, shrill and furious.“Kill them! Kill al
COLEThe desert had turned into pure hell and chaos.Dust choked everything. Gunfire cracked from every direction. My side burned like someone had poured gasoline on it and lit a match, but I kept moving, my arms locked around Raine and Isla as we ran through the chaos. She was covered in blood, some hers, but mostly not. I did a good job by protecting her from it all. Isla stayed close on our left, firing back whenever anyone got too near.“Keep going!” I shouted, my voice raw.We dove behind a cluster of rocks near the base of the ridge. Bullets pinged off stone above our heads. I pressed my hand to my side and felt warm blood pouring between my fingers. It was really bad, but I couldn’t stop now.Raine’s eyes were wild as she reloaded. “Cole, you’re losing too much blood. We have to get you out of here.”“Not yet.” I grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer. The world was spinning a little, but I forced the words out. This might be the last chance I had. “Listen to me right now, Rai
Cole's POVI kept driving and driving and driving, my hands holding onto the wheel for dear life. The road blurred in front of me, headlights streaking past like bullets, and all I could think about was the gunfire and the screaming and the way everything had gone to hell in a matter of seconds."S
Cole's POVAmbrose stumbled backward, his hand clutching at his chest where the bullets had split through his skin. Blood bloomed across his shirt, spreading quickly, and he hit the table behind him before crashing to the floor. The sound echoed through the room, followed by a split second of stunn
Cole's POV"You're going to what?" Raine gasped.I turned away from the mirror and looked at her directly. "Look, you heard me. And you need to get your sister and leave this place immediately. What's about to happen in the next few hours is going to be brutal, and I don't want you anywhere near it
Raine's POVCole Maddox sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, before replying. "I need you to listen to me.""Get the fuck off me so I can leave!" I yelled, shoving at his chest.He didn't budge. "I don't want you to go."Something in his voice made me pause. It wasn't aggressive or demanding. I







