MasukRYLAN'S POVThe old highway stretched before us, dark and abandoned. Perfect.I crouched behind a rusted shipping container with Kai and Ash, our weapons ready, adrenaline pumping through our veins. Twenty Vipers were positioned strategically along the curve…some on high ground near the refinery, others hidden behind debris and abandoned vehicles.Ray's plan had been executed perfectly. We'd set up the kill box exactly as he'd outlined, blocking the access roads, positioning our shooters for maximum coverage.Now we just had to wait."I can see movement," Tiny's voice crackled through the radio. "Three trucks. With heavy escort. Two minutes out."My heart rate spiked. This was it."Everyone hold position," I ordered quietly into my radio. "Wait for my signal."The sound of engines grew louder. Headlights appeared in the distance, cutting through the darkness.Three semi-trucks, just like Tiny's contact had said. Two SUVs flanking them…front and rear protection.The convoy slowed as i
KNOX’S POVThe lodge was quiet when we arrived, most of the Vipers dispersing to gather weapons and equipment for tonight’s assault. I had maybe an hour before we had to leave…an hour to prepare, to arm up, to get my head in the right space for what was coming.But all I could think about was that Elara was upstairs.Right now. Close enough to touch for the first time in two weeks.Rylan was in his office with Tiny, going over last-minute logistics. Ray had gone with Ash to check perimeter security. The lodge was as empty as it was going to get.This was my chance. Maybe my only chance.I moved through the house like a ghost, silent and purposeful, every sense alert for anyone who might see me heading upstairs. But the hallway was empty, the doors closed.I stopped outside Elara’s room, my heart hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat.This was stupid. Reckless. If Rylan found out…I didn’t care.I knocked once, soft and quick, then opened the door and slipped inside before sh
KNOX’S POVThe warehouse at the docks was chaos incarnate.Twenty Vipers surrounded a makeshift table…an old shipping crate with a map spread across, both old and new members…while Rylan stood at the head, his face grim in the dim lighting.I’d arrived ten minutes ago, still smelling like rain and road, and immediately been pulled into this emergency council.“Marcus is moving product tonight,” Rylan was saying, pointing to a marked location on the map. “Heavy shipment. Weapons, drugs, cash…everything. Tiny’s contact says it’s their biggest move in months.”“It’s a trap,” I said immediately. Everyone turned to look at me. “Has to be. The Skulls have been quiet for weeks. Now suddenly they’re moving everything at once? In our territory? They want us to hit them.”“Or they’re desperate,” Kai countered. “We’ve been cutting off their supply lines. Maybe this is a last-ditch effort to consolidate.”“Doesn’t matter if it’s a trap or desperation,” Tiny added. “If we let them move that much p
ELARA’S POVRay was telling me a story about his recovery from the accident…something about physical therapy and a particularly sadistic therapist…and I was trying to pay attention. Really trying.But all I could think about was the fact that Rylan hadn’t spoken to me in two weeks.Two weeks of living in the same house, seeing each other at meals, passing in hallways, existing in the same space while maintaining perfect, absolute silence.I’d tried. The first few days, I’d approached him multiple times, tried to start conversations, demanded explanations for why he’d reassigned Knox.He’d ignored me. Walked away mid-sentence. Looked through me like I was invisible.It hurt more than I’d expected. Rylan and I fought…that was normal. We’d been fighting since we were kids, pushing each other’s buttons, driving each other crazy.But we’d never been distant like this. Never gone days without speaking. Never treated each other like strangers.I didn’t understand what I’d done wrong. I wish
KNOX’S POVTwo weeks.Fourteen days of patrolling empty territories, checking warehouse after warehouse for Skulls activity that didn’t exist, sleeping in shitty motels with stained sheets and broken heaters.Fourteen days without seeing her. Without touching her. Without hearing her voice except in my head, replaying conversations we’d had before everything went to shit.Fourteen days of going slowly insane.I sat in my truck outside another abandoned building, rain drumming against the windshield, and stared at nothing. The radio crackled with Kai’s voice giving coordinates for the next checkpoint, but I barely heard it.All I could think about was Elara.Was she safe? Was Ray doing his job properly? Was she thinking about me the way I couldn’t stop thinking about her?Did she hate me for not fighting harder? For accepting Rylan’s decision without arguing?My hands clenched on the steering wheel. I’d thought about running. About saying fuck it to the club, to the rules, to everythi
CHLOE’S POVThe morgue was cold. This place had seen too many deaths. I wondered if it could ever be warm again.I stood in front of the viewing window, staring at what remained of my stepbrother.Jason.Or what used to be Jason.They’d found him in pieces. Literally. In a warehouse on the east side, dumped like garbage, his body broken beyond recognition in places. The medical examiner said he’d been tortured before he died. Extensively.I’d vomited when they first told me. I couldn’t help it. The image of Jason…my Jason…being hurt like that was too much.“Ms. Hartley?” The detective’s voice behind me. “We need to ask you some more questions.”I turned away from the window, my eyes burning with unshed tears. “I already told you everything I know.”“You said you suspected Elara Stark was involved in your brother’s disappearance.” Detective Morrison…no relation to Ray, apparently…flipped open his notebook. “Can you explain why?”“Because Jason went to LA to try to get her back. He call







