Kevin’s sobbing now. “There’s—there’s a basement level at the riverside property. Not on any blueprints. Jax keeps it for special interrogations.”
I twist the knife, causing him to howl.
“Continue,” I say, feeling nothing but cold purpose.
“Concrete cells, soundproofed. Military-grade security. You need a retinal scan and a six-digit code to access it.”
“The code?”
“Changes weekly. This week it’s 391844.”
I lean close to his ear. “If this information is incorrect, I’ll find you again. What I’m doing now will seem merciful compared to what comes next.”
I withdraw the knife from Kevin’s hand and wipe the blade on his shirt sleeve. His whimpers fade into the background as my mind races through the logistics of infiltrating Jax’s riverside property.
“Penn, call Blaze, and Grayson. Tell them to meet us at the southeast quadrant access point in thirty minutes. Full tactical gear.”
I turn to Kevin, who’s clutching his bleeding hand against his chest.
“You’re coming with us.”
“What? No, please—Jax will know I helped you?—”
I grab his neck, squeezing enough to silence him. “You think I care about your problems? Aurora has been in Jax’s hands for long enough. You’re our access key.”
Penn makes the calls while I force Kevin into a chair and have our medic patch his hand enough to keep him functional.
“What about Ari?” Penn asks when he returns. “Is he stable?”
“Barely. Whatever they injected him with was strong. Doctor says he’ll be out of action for at least six more hours.”
I check my weapons—two Glocks at my hips, tactical knife in my boot, garrote wire in my jacket pocket. The weight feels reassuring against my body.
“Ari stays under protection. When he’s conscious, have him join as backup if he’s able.”
Kevin watches. “You know what you’re doing is suicide, right? Jax has at least twenty men at that compound.”
I don’t bother answering. Numbers mean nothing. Strategy means everything.
“What about the girls?” Penn asks quietly. “Aurora and Olivia—what shape do you think they’re in?”
Something dark twists inside me at the thought of Aurora in that basement, frightened, possibly hurt. The primal part of me wants to tear through the city with my bare hands, ripping apart anyone between us.
Instead, I force ice into my veins. Emotions are a liability now. “Jax won’t harm them immediately. They’re leverage. But every hour increases the risk.” I check my watch again. Three hours, forty-seven minutes since Aurora vanished. “We leave in five minutes,” I announce. “If Jax wants war, I’ll give him extinction.”
Something unfamiliar burns in my chest, spreading through my body like wildfexcruire. This isn’t the usual detached calculation that I typically feel.
I close my eyes for a moment, seeing Aurora’s face behind my eyelids. Her defiance when we first met on that cliff. Her reluctance turned to passion in her father’s garden. Her vulnerability when I held her through the night.
My hands clench into fists, knuckles white with strain. This is beyond possession. Beyond obsession.
“Hunt, we need to move,” Penn says, breaking into my thoughts.
I nod, checking my weapons one last time, but my mind remains fixated on Aurora. I’ve been with countless women but never felt this excruciating sense of... fear.
“I’ll find you,” I whisper under my breath, the promise like a prayer. “Whatever it takes.”
The realization hits me with physical force, nearly staggering me where I stand. This isn’t just about reclaiming something that belongs to me. This isn’t about winning against Jax or proving my dominance.
