The interior was a typical corporate layout—sterile hallways lined with closed office doors, their interiors darkened by the late hour. The faint hum of fluorescent lights overhead and the distant sound of voices guided us deeper into the building. Wizard’s fingers flew across the portable tablet he’d brought with him, silencing any security alerts we triggered along the way.
We followed the murmurs to a conference room tucked at the end of a long corridor. Through the half-closed blinds, I recognized the two assholes who’d approached Poppy. Seated with them was Marcus Lennox, the senior analyst at BAM Financial Intelligence who Wizard and I had thoroughly vettedjust a few days ago. The man sat comfortably, his arrogance clear even through the glass as he casually discussed plans with his lackeys.
I slipped my phone from my pocket, snapping a photo of Marcus. Wizard glanced at the image on my screen and gave a grim nod of confirmation. We had more than enough evidence already, but Marcus himself was the final piece to the puzzle. The head we needed to sever to ensure this would never happen again.
Fallon melted away to swiftly clear the rest of the building, while Rebel silently assessed the office’s security measures. Blaze stayed near the door, his eyes gleaming in anticipation of trouble. Cross’s expression was as lethal as I’d ever seen it, his muscles coiled, ready to react to whatever unfolded next.
I pushed open the conference room door without warning, my gaze locked on Marcus. His head jerked up in startled confusion as silence fell heavy and sudden.
“Who the hell are you?” Marcus demanded sharply, his voice edged with irritation at the interruption.
I didn’t answer, just took a step forward, my posture deceptively relaxed despite the storm of rage boiling inside me. Marcus’s two lackeys immediately recognized me, their faces draining of color as they scrambled back in their chairs.
Marcus eyed his associates warily, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his expression. “What’s going on here?”
I gave him a tight, dark smile. “You used the wrong person when you decided to target me and mine, Lennox.”
One of his men jumped to his feet, foolishly trying to dash for the door. Cross grabbed him before he could take two steps, effortlessly forcing him back into the chair and pinning him there with a steel grip on his shoulder. The second man stayed frozen in his seat, eyes wide with terror, knowing better than to move as Rebel stepped menacingly closer to him.
Marcus looked between us, his mouth tightening into a hard line. Then his gaze flicked toward the others and back to me, trying to maintain a confident facade. “I don’t know what you think is happening?—”
“Don’t insult my intelligence, Lennox.” I stepped forward, deliberately invading his personal space. “You fucked with my club, targeted our systems. You made a very serious fucking mistake.”
Lennox flinched at the controlled fury in my voice and shot a desperate look at the door. Blaze took a single step forward, and Lennox shrank back. “I don’t know?—”
“It’s my turn to talk, motherfucker. As I was saying…what’s even worse, you sent these assholes after my woman,” I cut him off coldly. “Scared her. Used her. And if that wasn’t fucking enough, you made the grave mistake of thinking we wouldn’t trace it back to you.”
“You have no proof,” Marcus tried to bluff, but the sweat beading on his forehead told me he knew exactly how fucked he was.
Wizard stepped forward, his voice laced with deadly certainty. “You left digital fingerprints all over your hacks. Your security protocols were pathetic. For someone who deals in financial intel, your organization is fucking amateur.”
Marcus paled further, visibly rattled now. “We can negotiate?—”
I was done listening. My fist connected with his jaw with a sickening crack, snapping his head sideways. Marcus crashed to the floor, blood welling from a split lip as he stared up at me in shock.
“You’re not negotiating shit,” I growled, crouching down and grabbing him roughly by the throat to hold him in place. “You chose the wrong fucking target. You threatened the Hounds, and you threatened my woman. Now it’s time for consequences.”
Fear flashed in his eyes, and he opened his mouth as though to plead, but I squeezed tighter, cutting off his air supply. His eyes bulged, panic setting in as he clawed futilely at my wrist.
“Understand me clearly, Marcus.” My voice was deceptively quiet as I leaned closer, my gaze locked onto his terrified face. I cocked my head in the direction of his lackeys. “You already had one warning, and I don’t do threats. I make promises. You fucked around, and now you’re going to find out exactly what happens when someone messes with what’s mine.”
Just before he lost consciousness, I released him roughly, letting him slump to the floor, gasping and coughing desperately as he tried to suck air into his lungs.
Straightening, I glanced at Wizard, whose eyes had gone dangerously flat. “How long will it take?”
Wizard glanced briefly at his tablet, then met my stare again. “About four hours, give or take thirty minutes. Once I’m in, I’ll erase every trace of them and drain every account connected to BAM and anyone else they worked with.”
“Good,” I replied with quiet satisfaction. “Get started.”
“And after we drain their pockets?” Blaze asked.
I turned toward him, the last threads of my fury finally snapping into place. “Then we burn their fucking empire down. No loose ends.”
His mouth curved into a predatory grin. “My specialty.”
“Cross, Fallon—tie these assholes up,” I ordered, gesturing to the other two men. “Lock them in a storage closet.”
My club brothers nodded, dragging the other two men roughly to their feet, both of them crying and begging. Marcus looked up at me, his expression twisted in hatred and fear as he met my unyielding stare.
