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He points to a few scars on his pale skin, and rage boils in my gut.

I won’t deny I punched him. In fact, I’m damn proud of it. But only one of those scars on his face is a mark I gave him. The other one on his cheek had nothing to do with me. I remember noticing it the first day I met him, long before our altercation in the alley.

“Yeah, because you couldn’t take fucking no for an answer,” Elias says, stepping forward. He’s holding himself back, but I can tell he wants to get in Cliff’s face. “What about the part where you cornered her and tried to rape her? She beat the shit out of you in self-defense and you know it. Just because your daddy made sure that didn’t end up in the police report, that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.”

Neither Alan nor Cliff says a word in response, although Cliff’s eyes flash with anger and Alan’s jaw tightens.

“We’re sorry again for the intrusion,” Detective Banning says, herding us toward the door before the situation can grow even more tense. “Thank you for your time.”

As soon as we’re outside, I storm toward Gray’s car, ignoring the pissed off looks from Banning and his men. Of course they think I’ve just wasted everyone’s time. Why won’t they fucking believe me? I’m an eyewitness—I led them to a fucking hidden bunker they never would’ve found without my help, and I have the bruises and cuts on my body and face to prove to them that someone attacked me.

Do they think I did this to myself? For attention?

The thought nearly makes me lose my shit in the driveway, but I manage to make it to the car, sucking in deep breaths and trying to calm my nerves. My entire body feels like it’s on fire, burning with hatred toward Alan and his family.

The doors slam shut as the Sinners all pile into the car too, and a brooding silence hangs over us as Gray turns the key in the ignition.

The last thing I see as we pull down the driveway is Alan and Cliff, watching us from behind a clear, sun-reflecting window. At the sight of the two of them standing side-by-side, a united front against us, a chill goes down my spine, breaking through the hot waves of anger.

This isn’t over.

Not by a long shot.

8

The silence in the car lasts only until we turn out of the driveway. The squad cars drive off back toward the station, and we turn in the other direction.

We’re less than half a block away from the Montgomerys’ mansion when Gray, Declan, and Elias each let loose a stream of curses. The guys and Max are pissed as fuck, almost just as pissed as I am. Gray slams his hand against the steering wheel, and Declan punches the door beside him. By some unspoken agreement, both he and Elias ended up sitting in the back with me—almost like bodyguards. Max is up front, her fingers twisting in her lap with anxious energy.

“The police aren’t going to do shit,” Elias growls. “That’s clear enough. Either Detective Banning is in Alan’s pocket, or everyone is just unwilling to believe that someone as respected and well-connected as a Montgomery could do something like this. Bullshit.”

I hate that he’s right, but I know that’s at least part of why today went the way it did. What if I was accusing someone poor and unconnected, just a normal person with a normal job and a normal life? Would the cops take my case seriously then?

Gray’s hands tense and flex on the steering wheel as he keeps his gaze set on the road ahead. “Even if Alan doesn’t have that cop in his pocket, people are still scared to go against him. They risk their jobs, their livelihoods. Alan has so much goddamn power, he’s created a network where he can influence almost anyone around him—for good or for bad. So of course these assholes aren’t going to risk pissing him off.”

“There has to be something we can do,” I say, chewing my lip in frustration. I knew the police might not be much help, but I didn’t think they would be no help. “If the cops won’t even pursue the case, then that’s a fucking dead end. We’re on our own in this. Just us against Alan.” My jaw clenches. “Fuck.”

I’m not one to give up easily. I’m not one to back down. But when the problem seems as vast and wide and unsolvable as this? It feels like we’re losing the war before we’ve even had a chance to fight.

I know that Gray, Declan, and Elias each come from money. They’re all wealthier and more connected than I am. But even their families don’t wield the same kind of influence Alan does. Going up against him is as dangerous for them as it is for me.

But we can’t let that stop us.

“The only way we stop Alan is to take him down entirely.” Declan nods decisively, as if he’s read my thoughts. “We take down Alan and his entire fucking empire. We take down Cliff with him and end that threat against Soph. This goes beyond just looking for some shit on Cliff to hold him off Sophie’s ass. Don’t you get it? This is war now. We need to tear him down completely. Not just for a little bit. Forever.”

His words send a chill over my skin.

War.

That was the last fucking thing I planned on when I came to Hawthorne, but I don’t see another way out of this. The only other option I have is to run, and I have the horrible feeling that if I start doing that, I’ll never stop. I’ll just keep running and running until the past I’m just starting to remember catches up with me.

I won’t do that. I’d rather die than do that.

And for the first time in my life, I’m not alone. I have the Sinners fighting at my side, protecting me, ready to fuck up anyone who tries to harm me.

“Going to the police wasn’t a complete waste of time,” Declan continues, nodding as he thinks. “There’s some protection in it, if only a little. At least it’s on record now that Sophie called the cops on Alan and they looked into it, even if it came to nothing. A police report exists that includes Sophie’s testimony saying Alan abducted her. So if he comes after her right away—tries to hurt her or kill her—it’ll draw unwanted attention to him. Their names are connected now, on paper.”

“So that means he probably won’t try to abduct you again. At least not right away,” Elias adds, shooting a glance at me. Then he looks over my shoulder to catch Declan’s gaze. “That doesn’t mean she’s safe, though.”

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