Page 115 of Fallen Flame

Real fear. The kind I’d never seen on her face before.

That frightened me almost as much as the video.

If Alice believed the threat... so did everyone else.

The silence shattered as Jude slammed both hands onto the table hard enough to rattle the monitor. “Son of a bitch!”

“They knew exactly where that camera was,” Nickel growled.

“They wanted us to watch it,” Pipe said quietly.

Arlo started pacing. “Let’s find the bastards.”

“They’re sitting out there making videos now?” Scout snapped.

Kingston swore under his breath. “They’re playing games.”

“They’re threatening our families,” Ever whispered.

The room fell quiet again.

Our families.

Not just the club.

Everyone.

Lark moved to me and pressed herself tight against my side, and I held her without thinking.

That message hadn’t been meant for Wrecker alone. It had been meant for every single person standing in that room.

Wrecker finally stepped forward. No one had to be told to quiet down. They simply did.

He looked around at every face that made this club more than a motorcycle club. Then he turned toward the frozen image on the monitor.

“They wanted us scared.” His voice stayed low. Steady. “They wanted us looking over our shoulders.” His jaw tightened. “They wanted us wondering when they’re coming.” He slowly faced the room. “Good.”

Several heads lifted.

“Because they just made this personal.” He let those words settle. “I don’t care how long this takes. I don’t care where they hide. I don’t care how many of them there are.” He pointed toward the monitor. “This...” His voice hardened. “...ends.”

The room was silent.

“If it’s the last fucking thing this club does...” His eyes swept over every brother. Then every woman. Then back to the frozen image. “We’re ending the Northbound Reapers.” He nodded once. “They came after the wrong family.”

No one questioned him.

Looking around the room, I realized every single person there had reached the same conclusion. This wasn’t a mystery anymore.

This was war now.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Lark

The clubhouse had finally settled down.

Not because anyone felt better, but because everyone was exhausted.