Shaking. Broken.
But alive.
And that matters more than anything.
The clubhouse is prepped by the time we roll in.
Ava and Sage meet us at the door with clean clothes, warm food, and bandages. Nya’s already got cots set up in the rec room. The women don’t ask questions. They don’t flinch. They’ve done this before.
The girls are taken inside. The light in their eyes is flickering, but it’s there.
I hand the ledger to Ghost. “We’ve got enough here to bury Malice.”
He nods, flipping through the pages. “This is war.”
“No,” Havoc says, cracking his knuckles. “This is justice.”
I scrub a hand over my face, blood still drying under my nails. My ribs ache. My knuckles are raw. I haven’t slept in over a day.
But I don’t care.
Because we got them out.
And because Grace is safe.
I need to see her. Now.
I take my bike up the mountain like the devil’s on my heels.
The sun is barely up, gold bleeding through the trees. The cabin comes into view, quiet and untouched. I kill the engine and take the steps two at a time.
She’s still in bed, tangled in sheets, hair a mess. When I close the door behind me, her eyes blink open.
“Diesel?”
“I’m here,” I say, kicking off my boots before crossing the room, then sinking to my knees beside her. “It’s done.”
She sits up slowly, reaching for me. I bury my face in her stomach, wrapping my arms around her waist.
“We got them out,” I say into her skin. “All of them.”
Her fingers slide into my hair, trembling.
“I knew you would.”
But her voice cracks.
And I realize she didn’t believe it until now.
She holds me while I breathe her in. Her warmth. Her strength. The way she never gave up even when she was breaking.
“What about Malice? My brother John?” she asks, her voice small now.
Fear flickers across her face.
“They weren’t there.”
Her lips part. Panic rises, quick and sharp.
