Page 54 of What They Say

She shifted slightly, trying to get a better angle to listen, and her boot scraped against the concrete.

The voices stopped.

Footsteps approached.

The tall one—the one with the scar across his cheek—pushed the door open and stepped inside. The shorter man stayed in the doorway, watching. The tall one crouched a few feet away, elbows on his knees, studying her like she was an interesting bug.

“You been awake long?” he asked, voice flat.

Kath gave a short, careful headshake, then immediately winced as fresh pain spiked through her skull.

The man’s mouth twitched. “Good. Means you’re not dead. Yet.” He tilted his head. “You know why you’re here?”

Kath shook her head again, smaller this time.

The tall one let out a bitter laugh. “Mason. That’s why. Fucking Mason and his precious little empire. We had a good thing going with the Diamante crew. Real money. Real power. Then he stuck his nose in where it didn’t belong, tore everything apart from the inside. Cost us years of work. Cost some of our brothers their lives.”

He leaned in closer, eyes cold.

“So now we’re taking something from him. Or someone close to him. Saw you riding out of Bear’s garage on one of their fancy custom bikes. Figured you had to matter to the club. Old lady. Sweetbutt. Something. Either way, you’re leverage.”

Kath’s mind spun.

They thought she was connected to the club through Bear. They had no idea she was with Chase—Mason’s son. If they found out...

She kept her face blank, heart hammering so hard she was sure they could hear it.

The tall one stood up, brushing dust off his jeans. “Sit tight. You behave, maybe you get to walk out of this. You don’t...” He shrugged. “Well. Mason’s got a lot to answer for.”

He turned and walked out, closing the door behind him. The lock clicked loudly, echoing in her head. The understanding that she wasn’t free, couldn’t run away, had to play whatever kind of surface game they forced on her.

Forced on me. Kath’s heart started pounding as she lay there, staring at the ceiling, head throbbing, fear clawing up her throat.

They didn’t know Chase was Mason’s son. Didn’t know they were connected.

But if they kept her long enough...they would.

And she had no idea what they’d do when they found out.

***

Chase

Chaos erupted the moment the Rebels arrived.

Bear’s truck had barely stopped when four more bikes and another car roared up behind it. Patched members poured into the house like a storm—Slate, Hurley, and three others Chase didn’t know well. Voices overlapped instantly, loud and commanding, all of them talking at once.

“Where was the bike parked? Was it in the usual place or somewhere different?” “When’s the last time you saw her?” “Show us her room. Now.” “Any security cameras? Ring doorbell? Anything?”

Chase stood in the middle of it, head spinning. The questions came too fast. Everyone wanted answers at the same time. He tried to respond, but his voice kept getting drowned out. The room felt too small, too loud, too much like the night they’d told him about his mother.

Then Bear’s voice cut through everything like a gunshot.

“Enough!”

The room went dead silent.

Bear stepped forwards, massive frame cutting through the cluster of men, and pulled Chase into a crushing hug. One big hand clamped on the back of his neck, holding him steady.