Will glances at me, fear etched in his features. “Fuck, I know. It’s just… it’s Millie…” he hesitates, his nostrils flaring, then he turns back to face the road, his tone deflated.
Weakly smiling, I nod. “As I said, I haven’t been here long, but from what Ihaveseen, I know that Sin is going to do everything he can to get her back, and in one piece.”
Will lets out a long exhale. “Finally, we’re here,” he mumbles, totally ignoring what I just said.
The bikes pull into a parking lot, and Will moves in behind them.
The brothers dismount, Sin’s expression unreadable, while Will and I exit the SUV.
Sin gathers everyone together, keeping his voice low. “Remember, no hero shit.” He turns to Will, glaring at him. “I mean it, Will. I need you to keep your shit together. If you can’t… stay the fuck out of here!”
Will nods. Rolling his shoulders. “I’m okay, Pres. I swear.”
Sin spins, his gorgeous eyes locking on mine. “Stay by me, donotwander off,” he warns, his voice low but firm.
“Sure thing, bossm—”
“I mean it, Elizabeth. This isn’t a fucking joke. You shouldn’t even be here.” The clear aggravation in his tone tells me he’s serious. The way the other brothers are staring at me like I am a liability hits me harder than I thought it would.
Shit.
Maybe I shouldn’t be here.
What the fuck are you doing?
“Maybe I should—”
“Let’s go!” Sin orders before I can even get my words out, his arm around me, pulling me with him, guarding me, protecting me.
The rest of the club surrounds us as we enter the bustling casino. The bright lights and chatter mask the tension simmering beneath the surface. Sin strides in as if he owns the place, the rest of the club members following closely behind. I walk beside him, trying to keep my nerves in check, though it feels as if a rollercoaster is wreaking havoc on my insides. It’s not hard to see the way the crowd parts for us and the wary looks people give Sin and his men. It’s clear that Defiance has a reputation and not just within their own circles.
“Ghost, track her cell,” Sin orders.
Ghost pulls out his cell, opens an app, and a pin flashes on his screen. He glances up, looking across the vast room, and then he points to a bathroom. “She’s in there.”
Will instantly exhales, his shoulders sagging that Millie is still in the bathroom while the corner of Sin’s lips turns up. “Will, Deek, Koa… head on in and bring her out. We’ll stand outside and keep watch.”
Will doesn’t hesitate, taking off before the other two brothers have a second to match his pace. But they are quickly by his side when the three men enter the female bathroom.
I glance up at Sin while his eyes scan the casino floor. His posture shifts, his shoulders squaring as if waiting for an imminent attack. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?” I whisper.
His nostrils flare as he shifts me farther behind him. “We’ve been spotted. I need those fuckers in there tohurry the hell up. Ghost, send Koa a message to get their asses out here ASAP. We gotta go.”
Ghost nods, sending the text as I follow Sin’s line of sight to where a group of men are watching us from across the casino floor. I swallow hard, feeling the tension around me rise as the men in crisp black suits start to cross the floor toward us.
“Fuck… brothers, get ready. Here they come. Wildcat, stay behind me,” Sin urges, pushing me behind him again, his large frame completely sheltering me from the men stalking toward us.
Sin throws his hand out for them to shake, a gesture of goodwill.
The leader of the group, a tall man with a scar running down his cheek, steps forward, a smirk playing on his lips as he completely ignores Sin’s hand. “You lost something, Sin? Maybe the treaty guidelines on where you should andshouldn’tbe? Need my consigliere to email you another copy? Maybe pin it to the clubhouse door so you can read it on your way out.”
Sin lets out a snort, withdrawing his unshaken hand. “No need. Apologies for not notifying you of our arrival. We’re just here to take what’s ours,” Sin replies, his voice steady, an edge to his tone that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention.
The two men stare each other down, the room seeming to grow quieter around us—the hostility in the air, the unspoken threat hanging between them. I stand just behind Sin, my heart pounding, not knowing how this is going to play out.
The man narrows his eyes on Sin. “And what on earth is here, on our turf, that couldpossiblybelong to you?”
As if on cue, the bathroom door opens, and Koa and Deek step out, their eyes wide, watching the standoff in front of them. A laughing Will and Millie walk out, arm in arm together, completely oblivious to the tension surrounding them.
