“Tell me,” I asked, “if this whole mess had blown up in the media before I made a single move, would you be standing here asking me to step down? Would you have shown up at all?”
More silence.
“I didn’t think so.”
I reached for my belt and unclipped my badge. Held it for a moment. It had weight, not just the metal, but also the years, the choices, and the pride that came before the rot.
Then I handed it over.
“Maybe it’s not just my department that needs to be cleaned out.”
I didn’t wait for a reply.
I turned and walked out.
CHAPTER 60
AVA - FORCE OF NATURE
The silence in the SUV wasn’t peaceful.
It was heavy, claustrophobic even, like we were all waiting for something to break. Jack gripped the steering wheel like it might run off the road if he eased up even a fraction. Gray sat behind him, laptop open, a sidearm within easy reach. His eyes flicked constantly between his screen and the road, tapping keys with focused precision.
I sat in the passenger seat, fists clenched in my lap, watching the familiar streets blur past us as I was filled with a sense of dread. These past few weeks... months... maybe even years had been heavy, weighted... like trying to dance through a field filled with mines that you didn't know where they were.
We hadn’t had much time, maybe fifteen minutes tops, just enough to grab what we needed and run. I’d grabbed the files we kept off-books, the copies of every client statement, photograph, and signed consent form. The things I had tried to reorganize after the raid. I grabbed my laptop from under my bed, heart in my throat the whole time, afraid someone would storm in before we got out.
I didn’t even pack properly. Just shoved a few changes of clothes into my overnight bag and took one long, final look at the space where I’d spent years with Remi... talking about our future... a future that looked nothing like our present...
Then I closed the door behind me and ran.
I caught Jack watching me, giving me sideways glances periodically. Not like he was suspicious, just… worried. Probably about all of us.
“You think she’s, okay?” he asked softly. “Remi?”
I swallowed hard. “I don’t know.”
“Those guys seemed solid. Right? For an MC.”
“Yeah,” I said. “But Remi’s not the same. Not since Erin pulled that raid and everything else cracked open.”
Gray didn’t look up. “She’ll be fine. Girl’s a goddamn force of nature.”
Jack nodded slowly, but I didn’t miss the glance we shared, silent, unspoken, still unsure if letting her go had been the right call. What choice did we really have?
Gray scoffed, "Seriously, how do you two know her so well and not see it. She will likely have reformed the club or be patched in by the time this is all over."
Then he shrugged, as if either would be acceptable, and went back to his laptop.
We drove in silence again for a few more miles before Jack pulled into a run-down little motel. I turned to Gray, confused. “What are we doing here?”
“My place,” he said casually. “Need to grab my things.”
Gray disappeared inside one of the rooms and re-emerged three minutes later with three duffel bags so large they could’ve doubled as body bags. He tossed them effortlessly into the back of the SUV.
“Jesus,” I muttered, stepping out to help.
One strap slipped off the seat, and I reached for it, only to nearly fall backward when it didn’t budge. “What the hell is in here?!”
