All Chapters of The Phoenix Heiress: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

I closed Wolf’s office door behind me, the click sharper than it should’ve been. My boots hit the hallway floor like punctuation marks—short, clipped, angry. I didn’t say goodbye. Didn’t look back. I couldn’t. Not with Jace still standing there, chin high like he was grown.He’s fifteen. Fifteen. And Wolf was letting him go to the shed.I get it. I do. Closure. Power. Healing. All the things Wolf said. But I still see Jace as the kid who flinched when someone raised their voice. The one who sleeps with the light on. The one who shouldn’t have to face Boris again.I turned the corner into the common room and stopped short. Koda was curled up on the couch, his little feet tucked under Mama Red’s thigh. My mom sat beside them, her knitting needles paused mid-stitch. The room smelled like cinnamon and lavender—safe things. Soft things. Things that didn’t belong in the same world as steel sheds and blood-soaked revenge.Mama Red looked up first. “Hey, baby girl.”I nodded, trying to swallo

The clubhouse was quiet in that eerie, post-storm kind of way. No shouting, no laughter, just the low hum of the fridge and the occasional creak of old wood settling. I padded barefoot down the hall, coffee in hand, hair still damp from the shower I’d taken.I found him in the common room, curled into the corner of the couch like he was trying to disappear into the cushions. The TV was on, volume low, some old cartoon flickering across the screen. He wasn’t watching it. Not really.I stood in the doorway for a second, debating. He hadn’t seen me yet. Or maybe he had and just didn’t want to deal with whatever he thought I was bringing.I walked in anyway.He glanced up, then looked away fast. Like I was a storm cloud he didn’t want to track.“Hey,” I said, keeping my voice light.“Hey,” he mumbled, eyes on the screen.I sat down on the other end of the couch. Not close, but not far. Just enough space to make it clear I wasn’t here to corner him.“You think I’m mad,” I said.He didn’t a

Wolf’s office was too quiet. The kind of quiet that made you feel like you were already in trouble, even if you weren’t sure why. I sat stiff in the chair across from him, arms crossed, trying to keep my voice steady.“You want to know what happened?” I said. “Fine. But I’m not sorry.”He didn’t flinch. "You don't owe me or anyone an apology."“It started normal. I was in the rec room with Jace and Koda. We were playing cards—well, Jace and I were. Koda was mostly stacking them into a little tower and giggling every time it fell over. He kept calling the Queen of Hearts ‘the princess’ and giving her to me like it was some kind of treasure.”I smiled, just for a second. Then it faded.“Then Tiffany showed up. Like she she owned the place loud and dragging some guy behind her. I didn’t know him. Still don’t. He looked older, maybe late twenties early thirthies, with this smug look like he thought he was too good for the room. She didn’t introduce him. Didn’t even look at us. Just floppe

The video call connected with a flicker. Grim’s face came into view first, lit by the neon buzz of the motel sign behind him. Ripper leaned in beside him, arms crossed, eyes sharp.“Talk,” I said.Grim didn’t waste time. “We followed the guy Tiffany brought to the clubhouse. No idea who he is, but she rode in with him.”Ripper added, “Dropped her off at her place. Didn’t linger. Then he drove straight to a motel off 71. Parked, went inside, came out twenty minutes later with a duffel. Packed up and left.”“Alone?” I asked.Grim nodded. “Yeah. But before he left, we saw him talking to someone in the room. Couldn’t see who.”Ripper’s jaw flexed. “We stayed. Something felt off.”“Good call,” I said.“Hour later, Tiffany shows up,” Grim continued. “Knocks on the same door. Liam opens it.”My stomach turned, but I kept my face blank. “She go inside?”“Yes, but she had to sweet talk her way in,” Ripper said. “No hesitation.”I leaned forward. “Did you hear anything?”Ripper nodded. “I got c

I could see the disappointment in Kat's eyes when I told her I couldn't go with them on Friday. She tried to play it off as understanding about club business. I know I'll make it up to her by surprising her on Saturday, after we finally have Liam in the shed. When Mama Red told us they were heading up Friday instead of Saturday, I knew right away it was for the best. It would keep Kat and the boys out of danger. I walked over to Luca and Matteo, who were sitting across the room having a drink."Hey, can we talk? I think we need to change the game plan for Saturday," I said as I sat down next to them."I was thinking the same thing. With them going up a day early, this will work better for us. As long as we keep it under wraps and let Tiffany and Liam think they're still leaving Saturday," Luca replied as he poured me a drink. By the time he finished, Ripper, Grim, and Salvatore had joined us."So, I guess everyone else had the same idea we did. Saturday morning, we bait and trap the b