"None taken," Damon says.
We all gather around as Shiver dials.
The tension in the room is thick enough to cut.
Every Reapers Rejects brother in here knows what this call means.
What's riding on it.
The phone rings once. Twice. Three times.
"Shiver."
Phantom's voice.
Rough, familiar, carrying the weight of command I remember so well.
And fuck if it doesn't hit me harder than I expected.
I haven't heard his voice since he kicked me out.
Since he told me I was done, finished, no longer a brother.
"Dad," Shiver says, putting the phone on speaker so we can all hear. "We got a situation."
"What kind of situation?" Phantom's voice is cautious. Guarded. He knows something's wrong.
"Copperhead Kings followed Shadow, Banshee, and Grace to Vegas. Flint's been watching them. Called Grace directly today. Threatened to cage her like an animal. There's a meet scheduled for tomorrow night. Neutral ground outside the city."
Silence on the line.
Long enough that I think maybe the call dropped.
Then Phantom's voice, tight with fury, "He threatened my daughter?"
"Yeah."
"Whatexactlydid he say?"
Shiver glances at me.
I step forward, closer to the phone.
"He said he's putting her in a cage," I say, my voice hard. "Said she belongs to his family because of the money Bronco paid. Said the marriage and the tattoos don't change anything."
When Phantom speaks again, his voice is different. Colder. More controlled.
"You married her," Phantom says. It's not a question.
"Yes."
"For real. Not just the lie you told at the meet."
"For real. Yesterday. Elvis officiant in Vegas. Shiver and Banshee were there. It's legal. Official."
"And now Copperhead Kings are coming for her."
"I'm handling it," I say, even though I know how that's going to land.
