“Then your son is mine.”
“You’re bluffing,” Rowan snarled. “I know you. I know about your tidy little rules. You’re soft. You won’t hurt Kellan. You’re bluffing.”
Grim’s jaw flexed. Fuse muttered, “Oh, he wants to die.”
“Believe what you want,” I said. “But look at your house, Rowan. Your security failed. Your guards failed. You failed. And now your kid is sleeping in my bed.”
Rowan’s breath came through the speaker, raw and dangerous.
“You give me my son back,” he hissed, “or I put it out to every club on the East Coast that Crimson Havoc steals omegas.”
“Do it,” I said. “And I’ll tell them your men attack their own brothers for protecting one. Clubs don’t forget that kind of stain, Rowan. They’ll decide which sin they hate more.”
Another silence.
“You touch him,” Rowan said quietly, “and I will tear your club apart piece by piece.”
“You know what to do if you want to see your son again,” I said simply.
Then I hung up.
The quiet that followed was a physical thing.
Fuse blew out a long breath. “Jesus. That’s… done, then.”
Grim spoke for the first time, voice low. “You know he won’t take this lying down.”
I shrugged. “Make sure everyone’s on alert. No one should ride solo.”
My pulse was still hammering, adrenaline coursing through my veins, but beneath it was something I couldn’t put my fingers on.
The line was drawn. The clock had started.
“He’s not taking the deal,” Fuse said.
“He will.”
Wraith tipped his head. “And you’re sure of that why?”
I stared down the hallway toward my room. “Because he doesn’t have a choice.”
Wraith exhaled slowly. “I’ll double the perimeter and rotate shifts. If Rowan moves, we’ll know before he hits the county line.”
“Good,” I said. “No one outside alone. Grim, lock down the interior routes. Fuse, monitor every channel.”
They nodded and peeled off to work.
Leaving me alone.
I went back to my room and opened the door quietly.
The world went small again.
Kellan was fast asleep, curled on my bed, his breathing steady, his hair falling across his forehead. With my blanket tucked around him.
It did something to me knowing he was wrapped in my scent and his was already starting to mix with mine, turning the whole room into something that felt too much like a claim.
And all I could think was:
