He stared at her, a silent conversation being passed through their eyes.
Finally, Four exhaled. Slowly. Like deflating.
His hand unclenched.
He looked back at Jack, jaw tight. “You judged a book by its cover, and you judged it wrong. That hurt more than the accusation itself. But I’m still standing, and I’ve got more important shit to care about than holding onto old grudges.”
Jack opened his mouth, probably to put his foot in his mouth, but Remi held up a hand to stop him. “Not now,” she said quietly.
Four gave her a small, almost sad smile. “Still think you’d make a terrifying ol’ lady.”
Remi snorted. “You’re not the first person to say that.”
Someone from the back called, “And you won’t be the last!”
Laughter rippled. The room eased. Tension bled out of the walls like pressure from a tire.
Remi turned to us, arms crossing loosely over her chest. “You two want to tell me why you just stormed a biker clubhouse like you were auditioning for a soap opera?”
“You weren’t answering; you didn't check in... For five days, Remi.” I said, my voice still low with leftover adrenaline. “And there was chatter... enough to make it sound like trouble might’ve found you.”
From behind her, Clutch’s voice chimed in. “I took a corner too sharp. Spooked her. She lost her phone.”
Remi smacked his shoulder lightly. “Spooked me? I damn near strangled you right there on your bike.”
He grinned. “I like it when you unravel a little. You sure you don't want to stay a while longer... we can share a room...”
She rolled her eyes, then turned to face him more squarely. “You need to tell her why, Clutch. Tell her your heart. Stop hiding behind bravado, ego and all that macho MC bullshit. If you love her, say it. Stop pretending you’re not breakable.”
He looked down. “You think it would even matter?”
She hesitated. “I don’t know. But if you don’t say it, you’ll always wonder. She deserves to know... even if she chooses to stay away.”
The vulnerability hit him hard. You could see it, his breath caught, his throat worked. He nodded once and stepped back, disappearing into the quiet murmurs of the room.
Remi looked between me and Jack again, her eyes sharper this time. “Where’s Ava?”
“At my cabin,” I said. “With Gray. Locked down. We didn’t want her involved in case it was as bad as it sounded.”
Something flickered behind her eyes. Worry. Or maybe guilt.
She opened her mouth to respond...
And then it happened.
A low buzz from my pocket.
Perimeter breach.
Not just any perimeter...the cabin.
Gray’s homemade grid sensors weren’t digital. He'd repurposed dad's old hunting tech, pressure and wire, analog and crude. Which meant if they were going off... someone wasphysicallythere.
I answered the call. Static. Then a second buzz from another line, Kane.
I picked it up immediately. “Tell me you’ve got eyes.”
“Negative. The satellite passed ten minutes ago. I'll get back to you.”
