The walk feels longer than it should, every step echoing like a warning. When I finally stop in front of Ghost’s door, the keypad glows green, its numbers waiting for me like a dare.
My stomach lurches with nausea.This is it.This is the line I can’t uncross.
I hover, my palms sweating, my heart battering my ribs. If I open this door and someone catches me, Ghost, Sin, hell, any of them, there’s no talking my way out of it.
I’ll be done.
Worse than done.
I squeeze my eyes shut, Marcus’ face flashing through my mind. His laugh. His stubborn streak. The empty space he left behind.
You came here for me. Don’t you dare back out now.
But then Sin’s face rises to meet his, Sin the man, not the president. Sin with soot-streaked skin and eyes that soften when he looks at me. Sin, who kisses me like I matter. My throat closes, guilt gnawing deep.
How can I betrayhimlike this?
How can I betrayallof them?
I take a step back, shaking my head.
Maybe Ican’tdo this.Maybe this istoo far?
My hand presses against my chest, trying to steady the frantic beat. One more breath. One more chance to walk away.
I glance at the clubhouse doors to make sure Liam is nowhere to be seen, and then, I force myself forward.
With fingers trembling, I press the first number.
5
My breath shudders out.
2
My hand falters, hovering over the next button. This is insane. I should stop. I should.But I don’t.I finish the sequence, each number like a hammer pounding a nail into my coffin.
7-8-9-1
For a terrifying moment, nothing happens. My knees nearly buckle from the sheer relief of failure.
Then the lock clicks.
And I’m in.
“Fuck,” I whisper for fear of Liam hearing me. I freeze, my hand still on the keypad, lungs burning like I’ve forgotten how to breathe.
This is it.
One more step and there’s no pretending I just‘wandered in.’
No way to claim ignorance.
This is undeniable, one hundred percent, blind betrayal.
I draw in a shaky breath, hold it, then slowly push the door open. The quiet hiss of the hinges feels loud enough to wake the dead.
The air on the other side is cooler, sharper, carrying that sterile tang of electronics and expensive tech. My heart slams against my ribs, equal parts adrenaline and guilt. Marcus’ voice echoes in my head, urging me forward, while the memory of Sin’s rough hands and hungry kiss drags me back. The thought of his eyes, dark, dangerous, and betrayed, makes my stomach twist. Sin trusts me enough to let me in this far, and I’m about to burn that trust to ash.
