Early the following morning,I stood outside with Savannah and a couple of the other old ladies as the men prepared to ride out. Before he left, Soren found me one last time in the small crowd. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me, claiming my mouth deeply in front of everyone before he swung his leg over his bike.
“Try not to worry too much, angel. I have too much to live for not to come back to you.”
I watched him ride away with the others, my heart lodged in my throat. The women around me didn’t cry or panic. They stood strong and steady, waving at their men with quiet faith and fierce love shining in their eyes.
The depth of loyalty between these women and their men was impossible to miss. They trusted this life. Built families here. And they loved hard, even knowing the dangers that came with it. Their strength was rooted deep and seemed unbreakable.
At that moment, the last of the wall my fear had caused tumbled down.
If these women could trust this world enough to love their men so completely and raise families here, then maybe I could too. The realization released some of my tension.
Savannah stepped closer and slipped her arm through mine, noticing the emotions playing across my face. “We’ve all been where you are. Scared. Wondering if we’re strong enough for this life. But you’re not alone, Delaney. None of us are. We take care of each other. And our families. Saying that it takes a village is an understatement with the Kings. You’ll never have to do this by yourself.”
I felt the truth in her words, the sisterhood that existed here beyond blood, right along with the brotherhood that was the backbone of the club.
As the last taillight disappeared down the road, I stood a little taller. My heart was still full of hope mixed with lingering fear, but I was no longer running from the future Soren wanted.
I was finally starting to believe I could be brave enough to choose this life with Soren. He just needed to come back to me safe and sound first.
17
REV
The ride into Virginia had been long, and the final approach took even longer because nobody was willing to rush the last piece. I rode point, with Edge and Kane flanking me. Drift took up the rear as tail gunner, while Axle followed in an SUV so ordinary it disappeared into traffic the second you looked away.
The darkness had fully settled, the shadows draping over the deserted road as we moved into position. The location we’d tracked Magnus to was isolated enough to offer concealment, but close enough to the city to provide easy access to the resources he depended on.
Magnus definitely had a type when it came to buildings. He preferred places that felt abandoned but weren’t truly. Structures with history embedded in the walls.
We spent nearly an hour watching.
Lights flickered occasionally behind covered windows, a side door opened once, and a shadow moved across an upstairs room.
Magnus was there. The bastard hadn’t run far enough.
I’d studied the blueprints of this building thoroughly, and they had become familiar enough that I could practically walkthem blindfolded. Combined with everything I’d learned about Magnus, I had built a probable layout in my head before we ever arrived.
When the breach finally happened, it unfolded exactly the way I expected. Magnus didn’t panic or grab a weapon and start shooting. And he didn’t go charging to the nearest exit. That wasn’t who he was. Organized offenders rarely chose chaos when they could choose control. They followed plans and relied on preparation in all things, not just their killing rituals. They trusted systems.
And Magnus depended on his—which meant I knew where he was headed.
When we entered the building, I peeled away from the others and headed toward the eastern corridor. Not because I knew where Magnus was, but because I had figured out where Magnus thought he was going.
The hallway stretched long and dark ahead of me, and I heard footsteps. They were measured, like he was trying very hard not to sound hurried. A grim smile touched my mouth.
Got you, motherfucker.
I rounded the corner just as Magnus stepped through the emergency access doorway carrying a hard-sided archival case. He stopped cold when he spotted me ahead of him. Genuine fear flashed across his face. And recognition.
Yeah, the bastard knew exactly who I was. And he understood why I stood there.
The case slipped from his fingers and hit the floor.
For several seconds, neither of us moved, and then he actually sighed. Like this was an inconvenience. “Detective work is remarkably inefficient compared to proper scholarship.”
I just stared at him.
“You don’t understand what you’re interrupting.”
