By midnight, the tavern was empty and locked down.
Sheriff Tate had quietly posted one of his most trusted deputies outside—not in uniform, not obvious. Ace watched the street from the roofline. Beast monitored the cameras and feed we’d set up around the property. Havoc did a perimeter sweep every twenty minutes, like a predator patrolling his territory.
Saint came back upstairs with his phone pressed to his ear, speaking in a low voice.
“Yeah,” he said. “It’s Thorn. That Thorn. No, we haven’t engaged. We’re containing. Sheriff’s involved. We need the right people, not the loud people.”
He ended the call and looked at me. “State contact confirms he’s dirty. But he’s slippery. They’ve never been able to make anything stick.”
Rylie sat curled on the couch in Nora’s blanket, her knees pulled up. She looked smaller than she should.
But her eyes were still sharp.
Still Rylie.
“Slippery doesn’t mean untouchable,” I said.
Saint rubbed his jaw. “It does when he’s got cartel muscle doing his wet work.”
Sheriff Tate stepped in from the hallway, face set. “My contact says a black SUV was seen circling the edge of town. Same one you described.”
Rylie’s shoulders tensed.
I moved without thinking, setting my hand on the back of the couch behind her. Not touching her. Just letting her feel I was there.
Her breathing eased by a fraction.
“Where?” I asked.
“Near the river access road,” Sheriff Tate said. “Not close enough to spook people. Close enough to watch.”
Havoc cursed quietly. “They’re testing.”
Ace’s voice crackled from the radio. “Movement. Headlights. Two blocks out. Slow roll.”
Everyone went still.
Sheriff Tate’s gaze snapped to me. “What do we do?”
I kept my eyes on the window.
“We don’t panic,” I said. “We let them think we’re just a tavern with a few guys in it.”
Saint snorted. “We’re very convincing.”
I glanced at Rylie.
She was watching me, as if trying to read my thoughts.
I leaned down. “You stay here. No windows.”
Her voice trembled. “Trigger—”
“I’ll be right back,” I promised. “I’m just looking.”
I moved to the window, peering through a sliver of curtain.
A black SUV rolled down the street as if it belonged there.
