General leaned forward.“Roth breached your home.Threatened to take you as payment.Now you’re here.We won’t ignore that.”
A chill ran down my spine.“What exactly does this mean?”
“You’ve walked into a den of wolves.”Ace’s voice came out mild yet sharp underneath.“We decide whether you walk back out alone or under our protection.”
Fear surged fast, thick in my throat.“He’ll find me if you send me away.”
Atilla narrowed his eyes.“We know.”
Panic drove me to talk.“I won’t try to trap you.I’ll leave when you tell me to.I needed one final option before giving up.”
Atilla remained motionless.“Are you prepared for what comes with our protection?”
“I don’t understand your meaning.”
Spade reopened his laptop.Screen glow washed over his face.“Men such as Roth never back off from polite requests.He escalates until someone stops him permanently or he decides the cost outweighs his benefit.You sitting under our roof draws a line in the sand.”
A hard swallow scraped down my throat.
“No halfway,” Spade added.“No pretending this ends through polite conversation.”
My voice came rough.“He kicked my door down and called me his.I think he already drew that line.”
Spade’s mouth tightened.“Fair.”
Atilla drummed his fingers once, then stilled them.His gaze returned to Kane before switching to me.“We could throw you out.Pretend you never walked through our door.You’d probably die, or worse.Roth would see us as cowards or indifferent.He’d grow bolder.He’d target another woman next time.”
My stomach rolled.His words sickened me, but I understood the truth.Predators such as Roth never stopped with one victim.Only consequences halted their hunt.
Atilla’s gaze stayed steady.“Or we make your problem our problem.”
Hope surged so hard my knees threatened to buckle.
“I won’t pretend we do this out of kindness alone,” Atilla continued.“Roth needs to be taught a lesson.He doesn’t get to carve pieces out of this town without bleeding.You sit at the center of the mess, Jade.But you deserve to wake up without fear running your day.”His eyes narrowed a fraction.“Question is whether you understand what you’d be agreeing to.”
My fingers went numb.“What would I agree to?”
General’s voice stayed calm and blunt.“We don’t protect random civilians for free.We protect our own.”The word snagged in my chest.Ace leaned forward a fraction.“We protect family.Our women.”
Heat flared in my face.“What does that mean exactly?I need clarity.”
General nodded once, accepting the correction.“Old ladies.Women tied to the club in a real way.Protection.Respect.Rules.They get told what keeps them alive whether they like it or not.”
My mouth dried.“So… girlfriends.Wives.”
“Sometimes,” Ace said.“But in this club, yeah, that’s what it typically means.You’d get a property patch.”
My stomach turned.“So you only help me if I become somebody’s property.”
“You belong to yourself,” Atilla continued.“Always.But yes, you’d be someone’s property as well.Meaning, that man takes responsibility for you and your actions.Anything you do or say blows back on the club, he’s the one who takes the hit.But it also means you’re protected.When our club marks a woman as claimed, consequences follow.”
Spade cut in, brisk.“Has Roth seen you near Kane before?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted.“He might have.Kane followed me home once.I didn’t think anyone noticed.”
Spade nodded.“If Roth has eyes, he might already connect you to Kane.Every time you were seen near each other adds to the story in his head.”
My breath caught.
