LOGINAlina's POV
All three of them exchanged glances.“Honestly?” Ronan said. “I think the evidence is compelling but not conclusive. I think there’s a chance he’s being framed, but also a chance he’s just a good liar. We’ll know more after forty-eight hours of investigation.”“And if he’s guilty?” I pressed.“Then he dies,” Jaxon said simply. “And you’ll have to accept that, Alina. You can’t save everyone. Sometimes people need to face consequences for their choices.”“I know,” I whispered. “But not before we’re sure. That’s all I’m asking. Certainty before execution.”“Fair enough,” Maddox said. “But you should know—Tommy’s not wrong about everything. People are getting hurt because of you. Not your fault, not your intention, but it’s happening. And some people are going to blame you for that no matter how logical or fair or just you try to be.”“I can live with that,” I said, even though I wasn’t entirely sure I could.Alina’s POVThe silence was the worst part.I’d cried myself into exhaustion, my throat raw, my eyes swollen, my chest aching from the force of sobs that had torn through me like a storm. And when I finally stopped—when there were no more tears left, no more energy to sustain the breakdown—I waited.Waited for the knock on my door. For Jaxon’s gruff voice demanding I let him in. For Maddox’s gentle persuasion through the wood. For Ronan’s calm logic explaining why isolation wasn’t the answer.But nobody came.An hour passed. Then two. Then four.The compound settled into its nighttime rhythm around me—muffled conversations, footsteps in hallways, the distant sound of bikes in the garage. Life continuing like I hadn’t just shattered completely in front of the three men who claimed to love me.Maybe that was the problem. Maybe once you broke in front of people, showed them exactly how damaged you were, they realized you we
Alina's POVAll three of them exchanged glances.“Honestly?” Ronan said. “I think the evidence is compelling but not conclusive. I think there’s a chance he’s being framed, but also a chance he’s just a good liar. We’ll know more after forty-eight hours of investigation.”“And if he’s guilty?” I pressed.“Then he dies,” Jaxon said simply. “And you’ll have to accept that, Alina. You can’t save everyone. Sometimes people need to face consequences for their choices.”“I know,” I whispered. “But not before we’re sure. That’s all I’m asking. Certainty before execution.”“Fair enough,” Maddox said. “But you should know—Tommy’s not wrong about everything. People are getting hurt because of you. Not your fault, not your intention, but it’s happening. And some people are going to blame you for that no matter how logical or fair or just you try to be.”“I can live with that,” I said, even though I wasn’t entirely sure I could.
Alina's POVTommy stood at the center of the room, his expression serious, while several other Serpents including Ghost and Viper surrounded a man I recognized as Nick. He was a lower-ranking member responsible for logistics. “What’s going on?” I asked, feeling a sense of dread.“We found our leak,” Tommy said, his voice cold. “Nick here has been feeding information to Hart’s people. Bank records show payments, phone records show calls to known associates. He’s the one who planted your tracker, who told the Vultures where to find your car, who…”“No!” Nick interrupted desperately. “I swear, I didn’t—someone’s setting me up! Tommy, you know me, we worked together, I would never….”“The evidence is clear,” Tommy said flatly. “You betrayed us. Betrayed her.” He nodded toward me. “For what? Money? Some promise of protection?”“I didn’t do it!” Nick was crying now, hands bound behind him, looking terrified and trapped. “Please, you have to believe me. Someone’s f
We walked back inside together, my muscles aching in that satisfying way that said I’d actually worked. Patricia was waiting, ready to resume the torture of trial preparation, but I felt more centered now. More capable.Less like a victim and more like someone who could fight back.Two Days LaterI was reviewing deposition transcripts in the war room when I heard raised voices from Ronan’s office. Normally I’d ignore it—the Serpents argued constantly about operations and strategy—but something about the tone made me pause.“….can’t believe they got that close,” Ronan was saying, his voice trembling with anger.“She’s supposed to be safe here. That’s the whole goddamn point.”“We’re working on it,” Blade replied. “But the Vultures are getting desperate. They’re throwing everything at us trying to….”“Trying to get to Alina’s friend,” Ronan finished. “Trying to use Chloe as leverage. And they almost succeeded. Do you understand what that means? If they’d grabbed
Alina’s POVI stared at the tracker in my palm, its tiny red light blinking like a malevolent eye, and felt the world tilt sideways.Someone on the inside had been tracking me. Someone we trusted, someone with access to my belongings, someone who’d walked beside us through this nightmare while secretly feeding information to people who wanted me dead.“Ronan,” I called out, my voice surprisingly steady despite the panic clawing at my throat. “Ronan, I need you. Like now.”He appeared within seconds, Maddox right behind him. Both took one look at my face and went on high alert.“What happened?” Ronan demanded.I held up the tracker wordlessly. I watched their expressions shift from confusion to understanding to cold, lethal fury.“Where did you find that?” Ronan asked, his voice deadly calm.“My jacket. Someone texted me anonymously, told me to check the lining.&r
Alina’s POVRonan looked at me steadily. “I think we should ask what you want. This is your life, your risk. You should have a say in how we protect you.”“Oh, now you want her opinion,” Jaxon muttered. “After she’s almost been killed twice in three days.”“Better late than never,” I shot back. “And for the record, I don’t want to leave Chicago. I have testimony to prepare, depositions to give, a trial to testify at. Running away isn’t a good option, even if I wanted to.”“Then how about the secondary compound?” Maddox suggested. “It’s close enough for her to stay involved, but far enough to throw off any potential attackers.”“Unless the leak tells them where we’re going,” Jaxon argued. “Then we’ve just moved her somewhere with less backup and weaker defenses.”“So what, we do nothing?” Maddox demanded. “Just wait here for the next attack?”“We find the leak first,” Jaxon said. “Secure the compound properly. Then move her if we still think it’s necessary.”“And how long does that tak







