Hollywood grimaced first. “Shit, man. This is a bad idea.”
Dagger shook his head, cursing under his breath. “There are too many unknown variables.”
Rebel nodded slowly. “It’s all of that,” he agreed. “But it might be the best shot we have of ending this before Steel City becomes a fucking war zone with the cartel.”
Slate cleared his throat to break up the conversation. “Diego landed at a private airport just after four o’clock this morning before he checked into a suite at The Lazarus.” The twinkle in his eyes faded slightly. “He has teams of four running around the city looking for Macy. My guess is that they’ll all end up here before the day is over. If we don’t do something.”
Heavy silence settled around the room. We knew what this meant.
We needed to act, and fast.
We sketched out a plan quickly. It might not be the best plan, but it was the best plan we could come up with on such short notice. We spent hours going over every possible contingency, making sure there were no loose ends. “I’ll keep going over everything,” Slate promised. “Make sure it’s watertight.”
Diesel’s gaze connected with mine, a hint of sympathy and understanding in them. “Bring Macy in,” he ordered. “She needs as much lead time as possible to be ready for this.”
I stood and made my way to the door. Bringing her in made all this shit real.
It was real and it was happening.
And now there was no going back.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Macy
When Drew stepped out of the office and his gaze landed on me, I knew. This was it. Either I was going to confront Diego today, or I was going to die.
He gave me one short nod. Nothing dramatic or especially reassuring. Just truth. And it was that silent command that had me on my feet and moving across the room, closing the distance between us until his scent and his heat enveloped me. My heart was beating so fast it drowned out everything else.
“So?” I asked, even though I already knew.
“Come inside.”
I gave a short nod and followed him on wooden legs into the office. Drew kept his hand in the middle of my back the whole time, steady and comforting, as though he was afraid I might float away if he wasn’t touching me. The room was packed full of Steel Demons and the moment I stepped inside, all eyes were on me. They wore serious expressions but there was no pity to be found.
To me, that mattered.
I listened and absorbed while they laid out the plan. I didn’t interrupt. I couldn’t, not yet. I was partially frozen with fear, my throat was too dry to speak so I just listened.
When they finished, I let out a shaky breath I didn’t remember taking. “That sounds fucking crazy.” My heartthundered in my chest as each detail played on repeat inside my mind.
A few deep laughs sounded around the room, and that seemed to relax me. Only a fraction but it felt like enough.
“But if they’re watching,” I added, forcing my voice to stay steady, “it’ll work.”
“Theyarewatching,” Slate offered without hesitation.
That settled it. “Okay,” I said. “I’ll do it.” Not that I had much of a choice, but this was it. This was the end game.
One way or another.
I dressed carefully. Not because my outfit was anything special, just jeans and a sweater, but because everything about this felt final. Like I was stepping into a moment I couldn’t take back. I packed my lone duffel bag slowly and deliberately. My hands were steady even though my chest was clenched tight. I felt like I was leaving and I would never come back.
Drew picked up the bag, zipped it shut and dropped it by the door before he turned to me. “It’ll be okay,” he said, his voice rough. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Mace. I fucking swear it.” He cradled my face in his big hands, and the look in his eyes nearly broke me. It was a mix of love and fear and rage, all tangled together in beautiful gray eyes.
“I know,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.
The plan went into motion, starting with a loud display of bike engines roaring to life before they peeled out of the parking lot, two by two. Some went left and others went right, to keep the watchers confused about what was going on.
