But even that felt wrong. Off in a way I couldn’t quite name. That entire night was wrapped in smoke and mirrors—details out of place, memories full of holes, coincidences lining up too perfectly to be accidental.
I’ve gone over it a thousand times, and none of it adds up.
Something else happened that night. Something we haven’t been told, and I’ll tear through every lie, every half-truth,and every ghost story they fed us to get to the truth—because I never stopped believing in her.
Not for a second.
Suddenly, it hits me—hard and sharp, like a lightning bolt straight to the base of my skull.
The reason Berk always understood me so well... was because beneath all that soft innocence and sunshine, there was something dark in her too. Something twisted and quiet and familiar. She was never just the girl who smiled sweetly and patched us up when we bled. No—underneath it all, she was like me. Wired differently. Coiled tight. Just waiting for the right reason to snap.
And now I think she finally has it.
If this latest associate owned a string of dealerships around the city, used them to help Dean and Bryce move their dirty products, then it’s only a matter of time before those lots become the next targets. If they haven’t already.
I pull out my phone, fingers flying, pulse thudding in my throat. Quick search. Three locations. All under the same name: AutoHalo. Sleek, modern, glass towers that sell cars like candy from a vending machine. Flashy as hell. Perfect cover for moving things nobody’s supposed to see.
If it were me pulling the strings—and let’s be honest, that’s not a stretch—I’d hit them all at once. Clean sweep. Let it burn in stereo. But this doesn’t feel like a coordinated strike by some hired crew.
This feelspersonal.
If it’s her, she wouldn’t light the match and leave. She’d need to see it, breathe it in, let it sink into her bones.
I pull up the map, scanning the three AutoHalo locations. My hearts hammering when I see one of them is just a few miles from The Underground. Too close to be a coincidence.
If it’s really her, then she left the ring after the fight, collected her payout without missing a beat, and had just enough time to get into position. First to take out Stanley, then head straight for the business to stand in the shadows and watch it all go up in flames.
My brain kicks into overdrive. There’s no hesitation. No more spiraling. Just instinct. I grab my shit, toss it into the passenger seat, slam the door, and tear out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell. Tires scream. Gravel flies.
I’m headed straight for AutoHalo.
And if I’m right... I’ll see her there. And maybe—just maybe—I’ll finally get some fucking answers.
Chapter Nine
Rowen
My brother drifts a little further every week—mentally, emotionally, whatever the hell you want to call it. His mind’s been unraveling thread by thread, and the worst part? Itpleasesour father. Dean watches Ronan spiral with a sick sense of pride, like watching a wild dog become feral is some kind of achievement. Like his madness makes him more Calder-blooded.
Dean just called, frothing at the mouth over another associate being taken out—house torched with the guy still inside, cooked down to bone and smoke. He’s on damage control now, trying to scrub our hands clean while pretending those men were not connected to us. But they were. Deeply. He can scream “independent contractor” all he wants, but we know better. They were cogs in the machine—ourmachine. Just another part of the dirty engine Dean and Bryce have been building for decades.
Then, of course, he flipped the conversation and lit into me about Ronan. Said I should’ve kept him on a leash. That letting him fight solo tonight was reckless.
I knew it would be. I’m notstupid. But I needed the break.
Berk’s been creeping into my head more than usual lately—relentless, like a ghost with perfect timing. No matterhow many years pass, how many women I bury myself in, or how long I spend beating the shit out of a punching bag, she’s always there. Just beneath the surface. One breath away from taking over my thoughts.
It’s infuriating, because Ireadthat letter.
Reign’s handwriting. Her voice. Her pain. All of it poured into a confession that painted Berk as a traitor who slept with her boyfriend. And even though it gutted me—destroyedme—I believed it. Still do. Because if I let myself question it, even for a second, I’ll fall apart all over again.
But the ache hasn’t gone away. Not even close. I feel it under my skin like an itch I can’t scratch. A vibration, low and constant, threatening to blow wide open. If I don’t step back into the ring soon, I’m going to lose my shit.
Which means I’ll have to talk Ronan into letting me take his next fight.
IfI can find him.
Because surprise, surprise—he’s not answering his phone. I’ve already tried six damn times, and with another hit lighting up a piece of the business, I’m wondering what he’s hiding. I’d never even heard of this Stanley—the so-called dealership king—but maybe Ronan had. And maybe that’s exactly where he went.
