Page 68 of Grim

He kissed her, slow and deep and lingering, a kiss that tasted like fear and love and the promise he’d come back. Pulling away felt wrong. His jaw locked, eyes burning.

“Prospects,” he growled, voice low and dangerous. “If anyone gets near that door—”

“We’ll die before they touch her,” Ghost said.

Switchblade stepped forward then, not crowding Grim, just close enough to make sure Grim saw him. Their eyes met, steady and unflinching. He just nodded once, solid as bedrock.

“We got her,” Switchblade said quietly. “I won’t let anything happen to her.”

Something in Grim’s chest eased — barely, but enough to breathe. Switchblade wasn’t just saying it. He meant it. Grim could see it in the set of his shoulders, the way he planted his feet like he was already bracing for a fight.

Stone nodded once. “Switchblade and Vandal at the gate. Brick and Ghost in the hallway. No one in or out.”

The prospects moved instantly, peeling off to their posts.

Grim walked Sophia down the hall. He checked his room first, corners and closet and bathroom, before letting her step inside.

Sophia turned to him. “Go.”

He hesitated. She smiled softly. “I’ll be right here when you’re done.”

Grim swallowed hard, then kissed her one more time, a kiss that said everything he didn’t have words for. Leaving her felt wrong, like stepping away from the only thing keeping him steady.

He lingered for a heartbeat, his forehead brushing hers, fighting every instinct that told him to stay.

The prospects took their positions, Switchblade and Vandal heading for the gate and Brick and Ghost locking down the hallway, while the patched members disappeared into Church.

The heavy wooden door shut behind Grim as he entered Church. The room was dim, lit only by the overhead bulbs and the glow of Ledger’s laptop. The table was already full, Stone at the head with Havoc and Rook flanking him, the rest of the patched members taking their seats. Fish sat near the end, half in shadow, posture still and eyes sharp.

Stone didn’t waste time. “Ledger. Show us what we’re dealing with.”

Ledger enlarged the photo of the shipping manifest from Reyes’s phone. The image sharpened, revealing more detail than before.

“Reyes got this right before he was attacked,” Ledger said. “It’s a manifest for a transport route. Dates, weights, coded initials, and a route number.”

He zoomed in further.

Route 16-B.

Departure: 02:00

Location: County Road 187

Rook leaned forward, tapping the screen with two fingers. “That’s not just tonight. That’s an old handoff route.”

Havoc cursed under his breath. “They’re moving another shipment.”

Stone’s jaw tightened. “Women.”

Ledger nodded grimly. “Based on the weight and the number of cages in the first photo… probably eight to ten.”

Stone lifted a hand, stopping the flow of conversation for a moment. “Before we move, I’m calling Dawson.”

Havoc’s head snapped up. “We’re bringing the Sheriff into club business?”

Rook’s jaw tightened. “This is our fight.”

Stone’s gaze swept the table, calm and steady and unshakable. “We still have rules. And those women need somewhere safe to land when we pull them out of that truck.”