We don’t have long to catch up before another figure approaches from the edge of the crowd. Billy. My father. Victor to the rest of the world, but Billy Hawthorne to us. He walks with the same confident stride I remember from childhood, though there are more lines around his eyes now and his hair is more salt than pepper.
Crewe clears his throat, taking charge the way he always does. "We fan out. While the music plays and the crowd is distracted, we spread through the pavilion. Look for anyone who seems out of place. Anyone watching too closely or talking into earpieces. Vanguard Helix will be here. If we can spot them without them spotting us, we can follow them back to wherever they’re holding Nash and Sin. Then we move as one."
I nod, my hand tightening around Sadie's. She’s been quiet, listening to everything, but I can feel the tension in her body. She’s part of this now, whether she planned for it or not. And I want her safe. But I also want her by my side.
"Stay close to me," I say quietly to her as my brothers start to move. "We’ll cover the left side near the stage. Keep an eye out for anything unusual. And if things go sideways, you get out. No arguments.” I glance at my brothers. “Also, we’ve got Sloane on standby. He’s got lots of men protecting other clients here tonight.”
Banks and Colt nod in unison, and Mack slaps me on the shoulder, saying, “Got it.”
Sadie looks up at me, her eyes serious but steady. "I’m not going anywhere. We do this together."
The music swells from the stage as Gia Golding takes her place, her voice carrying over the crowd in the first notes of her opening song. The lights shift, colorful beams sweeping across the pavilion. People cheer and settle in, the energy rising. My brothers fan out into the crowd, disappearing into the sea of faces and blankets. Billy stays near the tree for a moment longer, his eyes meeting mine with a nod of understanding. Then he moves too, blending into the night like he’s done for years.
22
Sadie
The music swells from the stage at High Tide Pavilion, and I feel the vibration of it through the soles of my shoes as Gia Golding's voice carries over the crowd in the opening notes of her set. The lights shift in colorful beams that sweep across the sea of people, turning faces into glowing masks of excitement. I’m still holding Jace's hand, his fingers laced tight through mine like an anchor in the middle of all this chaos. The Hawthorne brothers have fanned out like they planned, disappearing into the thickening crowd while the music plays. Crewe headed toward the left side near the food trucks. Colt slipped into the middle section with that easy grin still on his face. Banks and Mack moved toward the back near the oak tree where we had met. Billy stayed close for a moment longer before blending into the night. And Jace stayed right beside me, his hand never leaving mine as we started to weave through the people near the stage.
I’m trying to focus on the plan. Look for anyone who seems out of place. Anyone watching too closely. Vanguard Helix is here, but it’s not like they’re holding up a sign that says… ‘Look at me.’ My heart races for more reasons than the danger. It all feels soreal. And now, with the music playing and the plan in motion, I want to believe we can actually pull this off. Get his brothers back. Take down the people who’ve been hunting his family for years. Give Billy a chance at a normal life. Give us a chance at something more than surviving the next few days.
Gia Golding pauses between songs, her voice warm and bright as she addresses the crowd. "Thank you all for being here tonight under these beautiful summer stars. I have a special surprise for you. Please welcome to the stage my dear friend and fellow artist, Silver Langford. We’re going to sing together, just for you."
The crowd erupts in cheers and applause, the sound rolling over me like a wave. People press closer to the stage, the already thick crowd becoming even denser as everyone moves forward to get a better view. The lights dim for a moment before flaring back up in soft blues and golds. I feel Jace's hand tighten around mine as we try to stay together, but the press of bodies is overwhelming. Someone bumps into my shoulder from behind, and I stumble slightly. His grip slips for a split second, and then the crowd surges again as the first notes of the song start playing.
I lose his hand.
Panic flares sharp and sudden in my chest. I turn, trying to spot him in the sea of faces lit by the stage lights, but the music is loud now, Silver Langford's voice blending with Gia's in a harmony that fills the entire pavilion. People are singing along, swaying, and the movement makes it impossible to see more than a few feet in any direction. I call his name, but my voice is swallowed by the sound of the crowd and the music. My heart pounds harder. This wasn’t part of the plan. We’re supposed to stay together, to fan out but keep each other in sight. The brothers are out there somewhere, searching for Vanguard Helix, andnow I’m alone in the middle of all these people with no idea where Jace went.
I push forward, trying to move toward where I think he might’ve gone, but the crowd is like a living thing, pressing in from all sides. Someone steps on my foot.Ow.Another person bumps my arm hard enough to make me drop the small clutch I was holding. I bend to pick it up, and when I straighten the lights seem brighter, the music louder, and I can’t see Jace anywhere. My breath comes faster. This isn’t the excitement of the concert anymore. This is fear. Real fear. The kind that makes my skin prickle and my thoughts race with everything that could go wrong.
That’s when I spot him. The man from the beach. The man with the camera.
I try to turn around, but he gets closer and grabs me. I cling to him as he covers my mouth with a cloth. There’s a chemical smell stinging my nose. I try to scream, but the sound dies in my throat before it can form. My body goes heavy almost instantly, my legs buckling as strong arms catch me and pull me backward through the crowd. I try to fight it, to kick or claw or do anything, but my limbs feel disconnected from my brain. The music fades into a distant hum. The lights blur into streaks of color. I catch one last glimpse of the stage where Gia and Silver are singing together, their voices beautiful and unaware of what’s happening a few rows back in the crowd.
Then everything goes dark.
23
Jace
The music from the stage is loud. I push through the crowd near the left side of the pavilion, my eyes scanning every face lit by the colorful stage lights. The crowd thickened when the song started, people pressing forward to get closer to the performance, and somewhere in the surge I lost Sadie's hand. One second she was right beside me, her fingers laced through mine like they’ve been all night, and the next the bodies closed in and she was gone. My heart pounds hard enough that I can feel it in my throat. This wasn’t supposed to fucking happen.
I pull out my cell phone, my fingers moving fast over the screen as I call Crewe. The line rings once before he picks up, his voice urgent.
"Jace. I saw someone take her. A guy in a dark jacket grabbed her from behind while the crowd was moving. I tried to intercept but there were too many people in the way. He pulled her toward the back edge of the pavilion near the dunes. I lost visual but I’m heading to your location now. Stay put."
What the fuck? Someone took her. Right here in the middle of the concert. Vanguard Helix. It has to be them. They are onto us, onto Billy, and now they’ve got Sadie. My grip on the phone tightens until my knuckles ache. I scan the crowd again, looking for any sign of her pink dress or the way her hair falls when she moves, but there’s nothing. Just faces and lights and the steady beat of the music.
"Got it," I hang up and immediately dial Sloane. He picks up on the second ring, his voice calm but sharp like always.
"Sloane here. What’s the situation?"
"Sloane, it’s Jace. Put a lockdown on the whole event right now. Sadie's been kidnapped. Someone grabbed her in the crowd during the performance. We need every exit covered and every bodyguard on alert."
There’s a brief pause, then Sloane's voice comes back steady and professional. "Understood. I’ll send out an 808 text to all the bodyguards working the event. Full lockdown protocol. No one in or out without clearance. We’ll coordinate from the command post near the main entrance. Where are you?"
"Back left near the oak tree. I’m meeting up with my brothers and father now. We’ll set up a small base at the end of the pavilion to locate her. Send your team there."
