“I was never just a victim,” I said. “Not in that elevator. Not in that warehouse. And not here.”
Something in the air changed.
Not approval.
Respect.
Cap inclined his head. “Noted.”
It wasn’t dramatic. It didn’t need to be.
Ghost shifted then. Just slightly. His fingers curled on the edge of the table.
“They used names,” he said quietly.
The room refocused.
“Lists,” Ghost continued. “Faces. Patterns.”
Cap leaned back. “You’re sure.”
Ghost nodded. “Scout confirmed it.”
“They used my sister’s name,” Ghost added.
The words dropped like a stone into still water.
Scout looked down. Ranger swore under his breath.
“That’s not coincidence,” Cap said.
“No,” Ghost replied. “It’s leverage.”
I watched Ghost closely now. The way his expression stayed eerily calm. The way his eyes looked too sharp, too focused.
“They’re cataloging,” Ghost said. “Not just trafficking. Control.”
My stomach twisted.
“That means they’ll escalate,” Cap said.
“Yes,” Ghost agreed. “Soon.”
The meeting continued. Strategy. Containment. Long-term dismantling. Nothing rushed. Nothing reckless.
But underneath it all, I felt it.
The shift.
This wasn’t just about the club anymore.
It was personal.
When the bell rang to close church, no one moved right away.
Scout exhaled hard, tension finally bleeding from his shoulders. Ranger clapped his back carefully. Brutus muttered something about food. Doc was already halfway across the room, eyes locked on Scout like he planned to chain him to a cot.
Ghost stood last.
