“We’ve got the club,” I said.“Twister.The guys.Everyone in that building… they’re in this just as deep as we are.”I brushed my thumb under her eye, catching the faintest hint of moisture before it could fall.“And me,” I added, quieter.“You’ve got me.”
Her breath hitched just enough for me to feel it.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said.“Not now.Not when shit’s hard.Not ever.”
Something in her expression shifted, like a piece of the fear loosened its grip.
She nodded once, slow.“Okay,” she whispered.
I leaned down and pressed another kiss to her forehead, letting it linger this time.“Okay,” I echoed.
Behind us, the clubhouse buzzed back to life—boots moving, voices rising, the guys already working the problem.
Because that’s what we did.
We didn’t run.
We didn’t fold.
We stood our ground and figured it out.
Together.
I kept my arm around her as we turned back toward the clubhouse, already knowing one thing for damn sure: The Ledger just took one step too far.
This wasn’t over.
Not even close.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Goldie
I didn’t look back.
Not because I didn’t want to, but because I couldn’t afford to.I had been driving for hours, and I still could feel them hunting me.
The road stretched out in front of me, dark and endless.The yellow lines blurred as I pushed the speed higher than I should’ve.My hands were tight on the steering wheel, but if I loosened my grip, even a little, I was afraid I’d lose it completely.
Lose control.Lose focus.Lose the only shot I had at getting out of this alive.
The envelope was gone.That part was done, but that didn’t mean I was safe.Not even close.
My chest rose and fell too fast, my breath catching in uneven pulls as I forced my eyes to stay on the road.Trees lined both sides, thick and black, swallowing up any light that wasn’t coming from my headlights.
My fingers trembled, just slightly, and I tightened them again around the wheel until the shaking stopped.I shouldn’t have gone there.The thought hit me like it had a hundred times already.
I shouldn’t have walked up to that door.Shouldn’t have handed it over.Shouldn’t have said a damn word.
But I did, and now I just had to survive long enough for it to mean something.
The engine hummed beneath me, steady, but I could hear every little sound like it was amplified.The tires on the road, the slight rattle from the dashboard, and the rush of wind against the car.
Every noise made me flinch.Every shadow made my heart slam harder.They were going to come.
I knew it.
I flicked my eyes up to the rearview mirror.Nothing.
