The air smelled of damp and rust. Rope dug into my wrists, every shift scraping skin raw. My head pounded, ribs ached. I sat on a chair, hands tied behind me. The last thing I remembered was the van, fighting, kicking, then a fist too fast to dodge, then darkness.
A voice startled me. “Good to see you again, Lucy.”
Gage slid from the corner into the weak light of a single buzzing bulb. His face looked hollow, lines deeper, eyes worse than angry, they were empty.
“You should’ve gone home after Caleb’s funeral. Should’ve stopped asking questions.” His words came slow, deliberate, like a knife dragged across skin.
I forced my throat open. “Why are you doing this?”
He circled, scars catching the light, like a predator testing the cage.
“You shouldn’t have gone digging,” he said. “Not everything’s your business, princess.”
The venom under the calm made my stomach twist. My voice came out small but steady. “You’re going to regret this.”
That drew a dark chuckle. “Funny thing, you made it too easy. Someone gave me a little… nudge.”
Ice slid through my veins. “What do you mean?”
“Somebody who didn’t like the competition. Somebody who wanted you gone.” He smirked.
The pieces snapped together. “Gabby.”
The chuckle deepened. “She lit the fire herself. Figured if you disappeared, Reaper would be hers. Guess she doesn’t know him like she thinks.”
Rage clawed up my throat, hot enough to burn through the fear. My thoughts fled to one person.
Jay.
I hated that in the freezing dark, tied and trembling, it was him I clung to. Because if he was out there, and I knew he was, I wasn’t lost yet.
Gage crouched, elbows on his knees. Casual, as if I wasn’t bound and shivering.
“You know the thing about brothers?” he asked softly. “They all lie, even Caleb.”
My brother’s name hit like a blade. My wrists jerked, useless. “Don’t.”
“He told you he’d protect you, but he couldn’t protect himself. Couldn’t even protect his club.”
“Shut up.”
“You’re here because of him,” Gage pressed. “Chasing his ghost. But ghosts drag you down.”
Tears burned behind my eyes. I blinked them back.
“And Reaper?” His tone sharpened. “You think he’s different? He’ll leave you the second it gets too heavy. You’re another chain around his neck.” He gripped my chin, fingers bruising. “You really think the President of the Dead Knights is gonna choose you over blood? Over survival?” His grin was jagged. “You’ll be the nail in his coffin.”
I wanted to spit in his face, but the rope bit deeper, the cold pressed harder, and all I could do was breathe through the panic.
“You don’t get it,” Gage said, finally letting go. “You’re bait. That’s the only reason you’re breathing.”
“You’re scared of him,” I said. My voice was low but sure. “That’s why you need me alive. Because you know if he finds me dead, he won’t stop until there’s nothing left of you.”
For a moment, Gage’s grin slipped. Just a flicker, but I saw it.
The door opened and heavy boots followed, but it wasn’t Gage.
“Lucy.”
