Bella nods. “I know.”
“I’m not resting,” I say flatly. “I’m not staying still. And I’m not letting this go.”
“Blade,” Mason says calmly.
“I don’t care what you said,” I cut in. “I don’t care how long it takes or who I have to bleed to get there.”
I brace myself, pain screaming as I sit up fully.
“I want every name,” I snarl. “Every face. Every place they’ve ever touched.”
Mason meets my gaze. “Then tell us what happened.”
I laugh, harsh and broken. “You think I wouldn’t already be up tearing this place apart if I could?”
Rev steps forward. “All we found was wreckage.”
Bella lifts her head, eyes red and pleading. “Please. Just tell us what you remember.”
I close my eyes remembering the headlights. “They rammed us,” I say finally. “SUV. Dark. No plates. Rode my ass for a mile before they clipped the back tire.”
Hawk curses under his breath.
“It wasn’t random,” I continue. “Not even a little. They waited until we were isolated, no traffic, no witnesses. They wanted us down.”
Switch nods slowly. “That tracks.”
“They didn’t kill us on impact,” I say. “That was intentional too. They wanted us alive.”
Bella’s fingers curl into the fabric of her jeans.
“I could barely move. Ribs were already fucked. Leg too. Bri was hurt, but she was conscious. I got her helmet off, checked her over. She was bleeding, but she was with me.” My voice cracks just slightly at that. “She fought,” I say. “Harder than anyone gives her credit for.”
Bella lets out a broken sound.
“He came out of the SUV with a gun,” I continue. “Calm as hell. Not some kid. Not some dumbass trying to prove himself.” I open my eyes and look straight at Mason. “I recognized him.”
He stiffens. “From where?”
“The warehouse we’ve been watching,” I say. “He was there when we were tailing those assholes. Not one of the college kids.”
Switch’s jaw tightens. “So higher-up.”
“Yeah,” I confirm. “Not the boss. But close enough to know everything.”
Bella wipes at her face. “Did he say anything?”
“He knew we have been watching them,” I answer. “Knew how long. Knew where. He said they clocked us days ago. Said Perdition wasn’t just a message, it was leverage. Pressure. They wanted Mason to react.”
Hawk’s mouth tightens into a hard line. “Son of a bitch.”
“He wanted Bri,” I say quietly. The room goes dead silent.
“Not as collateral,” I add. “Not as bait. He’d been watching her. Said she wasn’t supposed to be on the bike that night, which means she was already on his radar.”
Bella’s face drains of color.
“He talked like he already owned her,” I growl. “Like taking an Iron Reapers woman was the whole fucking point. They wanted to prove they could take what’s ours for themselves. This isn’t just retaliation on the club for whatever their upset about, these people want to destroy us and make sure the Iron Reapers can never be in charge.”
