Chapter 30
CARRIE
Night settles deep around the outbuilding, wrapping everything in heavy silence. I pace the floor, nerves strung tight, listening for any sign of the boys’ return. My mind churns with worry, and the quiet only makes it worse.
I slip into the tiny bathroom, leaving the door ajar so I can still hear Marcy.
She sits at the old kitchen table, staring into space, her fingers tapping an anxious rhythm.
She hardly looks up when I try to ask how she’s feeling.
Her eyes keep darting to the window, worry lines pinched tight across her forehead.
When I finish, I call out to her as I step back into the main room, but the space is empty. Her blanket lies in a heap on the couch. Her phone is still charging by the wall, untouched.
A chill slides down my spine. “Marcy?” I move through the small building, checking every corner.
I find the kitchen chair knocked over, one of her shoes left by the door.
The back screen creaks on its hinges, left wide open.
Muddy footprints trail across the linoleum and out onto the damp grass, vanishing into the blackness beyond the porch.
My heart kicks hard against my ribs. I swallow, forcing myself to follow the trail. At the edge of the porch, I spot a hair tie, a small glint of gold, and something that looks like a scuffle in the dirt—scraped leaves, a smear of fresh mud.
Fear washes over me. I raise my voice, calling her name into the night. “Marcy!”
No answer—just the wind in the trees and the distant sound of a car somewhere on the main road. The woods beyond the backyard are thick, shadows pressed between every trunk, the path barely visible in the faint light.
But I can’t stand still. I run, pushing through the brush, branches clawing at my arms, feet slipping on wet leaves.
I push deeper into the woods, my breath coming quick and shaky. Branches whip across my arms, leaves crunching underfoot. Every few steps I call Marcy’s name, my voice breaking the heavy quiet.
Just when I think I’ve lost the trail, I see a faint light up ahead—a patch where the moon spills through the branches, silvering the ground. Something moves beyond the edge of the clearing.
I stumble forward, heart pounding, and then freeze. A figure steps out from behind a thick old pine, shoulders broad, head ducked low. For a moment, I can’t move. I recognize the walk, the tilt of his head, even before he looks up.
Jinn.
He steps into the moonlight, close enough that I can see the familiar lines of his face, that crooked smile I’ve tried to forget. My chest seizes up. My mind can’t catch up—this isn’t possible.
My knees go weak, and I blink hard, sure this has to be a dream, a nightmare spun out of fear and exhaustion. But he stands there, real as ever, watching me with that unreadable look.
My eyes finally drop to the ground behind Jinn, and my heart nearly stops. Marcy is lying in the grass, half-curled, her hair tangled, face streaked with dirt and tears. She’s breathing, but barely moving. I want to run to her, but I’m rooted to the spot.
Jinn steps closer, his voice low and mocking. “So, it’s true. I heard you’re pregnant with my baby.”
Confusion crashes through me. How could he know? I shake my head, struggling to speak. “How do you—?”
He laughs, cold and mean. “Marcy. She’s always been a stupid, emotional fool. Soon as she found out, she texted me. Begged me to meet her, told me everything.”
He glances at Marcy, curled and helpless in the dirt, then looks back at me, a twisted smile spreading across his face. “I just had to come and see it for myself.”
Anger, fear, and heartbreak tangle in my chest as I stare at him, this man I once thought I loved, now standing between me and my sister, as dangerous as ever.
I force my voice out, shaky but defiant. “Let her go, Jinn. Whatever you want, it’s between you and me.”
He just laughs again, the sound echoing off the trees. “When she called me, I almost didn’t believe it. I knew I’d been careful. I don’t make mistakes. But I just had to come and see. But it’s not true, is it? The baby isn’t even mine.”
My throat dries. “She wasn’t supposed to say anything.”
“Stupid, stupid girl,” he sneers.
He circles me like a predator, a cruel smile twisting his mouth.
I see the glint of metal in his hand and swallow hard.
He has a knife. “I just wanted to see how far you’d go, Carrie.
You always said you hated lies, but you’re the biggest liar of all, aren’t you?
You told me you loved me, then you spread your legs for every man in that clubhouse.
Was it just for the thrill? Or do you like being passed around? ”
“Fuck you,” I say. “You cheated on me. And you broke the trust of the men who followed you blindly.”
“I used to dream you’d stay loyal, Carrie. That you’d be the only one who didn’t want something from me. But look at you now. You’re just as selfish as the rest. You think I don’t know what you’ve been up to with those guys?” He spits the last word, anger bleeding into every syllable.
I try to stand tall, but he’s close, and I can feel the shift in the air. He glances over at Marcy, motionless in the grass, then back to me, a sneer curling his lips.
His words sting, but I refuse to look away. I swallow my shame, standing my ground. “I don’t love you, Jinn. Not anymore. I love Nico, Jace, and Levi. You don’t mean anything to me now.”
For a second, his expression goes blank. Something cold and dangerous flickers in his eyes. Then he lunges, grabbing my wrist hard enough to make me wince.
His voice is cold. “You think you’re done with me? You think you can just trade up for the next man stupid enough to believe your act? You’re not going anywhere, Carrie. Not without a price.”
Tears blur my vision, fear and fury tangling in my chest. I’ve never seen Jinn this cruel, this empty. All the love I ever felt for him is gone.
He yanks me closer, his breath sour and sharp. He puts the knife against my cheek and slowly drags it down. I resist the urge to whimper. “You’re not special, Carrie. You’re just another loose end. And I don’t leave loose ends behind.”
My chest goes tight with fear. I never thought Jinn would hurt me. Not like this. His face is a mask, all warmth gone, replaced with something I barely recognize. My heart hammers, panic clawing up my throat as I realize how wrong I was about him—and how much danger I’m really in.
I barely have time to react before something crashes through the brush behind us.
A blur slams into Jinn, knocking him off-balance and sending him sprawling to the ground.
I stumble backward, heart pounding, watching in shock as Jace lands on top of Jinn, fists flying.
The sound of flesh on flesh echoes through the trees.
Jinn tries to fight back, but Jace is relentless, his anger boiling over. Each punch lands harder than the last. Jinn only laughs through bloodied lips. “I win, and you’ll lose. You always lose.”
“Jace!” I scream, my voice shrill and desperate. “You’ll kill him! Stop!”
Jace doesn’t even seem to hear me at first, eyes wild, jaw clenched with fury. I run to his side, grabbing his arm. “Jace, please. We need him alive. Please!”
He finally looks at me, his expression blank and lost for a heartbeat. But something in my face must get through, because he lets out a harsh breath, then grabs Jinn by the collar, hauling him upright.
“You’re coming with me,” Jace growls, voice shaking with rage.
Jinn tries to sneer, but the next punch knocks the fight right out of him. His eyes roll back, and he slumps, unconscious. Jace lets him drop, chest heaving, hands still curled into fists.
I stare at them both, my breath ragged, the danger not yet gone but shifted. The woods are suddenly silent except for the sound of my heart racing and Jace breathing hard beside me.
Within seconds, Jace is already on his feet, grabbing a length of cord from his pocket and tying Jinn’s hands behind his back. He’s all business, jaw clenched tight, not looking at me.
“We need to go,” he says, voice flat.
I drop to my knees beside Marcy, feeling for her pulse. It’s there, weak but steady. Relief sweeps through me, but panic follows right after. “We can’t leave her behind, Jace. She’s my sister.”
Jace keeps his eyes on Jinn, ignoring me. “Marcy is not my concern. She made her own decisions.”
I look up, voice breaking. “Wait…you knew she was talking to him?”
He glances at me, his face unreadable. “I assumed. The way she acted—always hiding her phone, always looking guilty. She was jealous, insecure, desperate for attention. Didn’t take a genius to figure it out.”
My heart sinks as everything clicks into place. “You planned it, didn’t you? You knew she’d lead him here. You used her to get to Jinn.”
He doesn’t say anything.
My eyes blur with tears. “What about me? Did you even think about me?”
His head whips toward me. “Carrie, you weren’t supposed to be here. I knew Marcy would sneak out eventually. I put one of the club’s trackers on her. I never meant…” He trails off.
He meets my gaze, eyes burning with something dark and sad. “I want to kill him, Carrie. That’s always been my plan. But you’re right—we need him alive.”
He bends down, hauls Jinn up by the shoulders, and starts to drag him toward the edge of the woods. For a moment, I can only kneel beside Marcy.
Jace drags Jinn’s limp body up, not sparing Marcy a second glance. “We need to go now,” he says, voice sharp. “I’ll call 911 for her. Let her be, Carrie.”
I stare at him, torn, my hand still pressed to Marcy’s neck. She’s breathing, but she looks so fragile—so lost.
Jace is already pulling out his phone, typing in the emergency number, eyes cold and focused. “She’ll get help. We have to move, now.”
I can’t bring myself to move. My legs feel glued to the ground, every instinct screaming to stay by Marcy’s side. Jace is already a few steps away, phone to his ear, cold and focused.
My own phone vibrates in my pocket, jolting me. I fumble to answer, Levi’s voice bursting through, raw with anger. “Carrie, where the hell are you? Jace left us. He just took off!”
I glance at Jace, heart pounding, but I can’t find the words to ask what he’s done.
“What happened?” I whisper, my breath shaky.
Levi’s voice is rough, each word clipped. “Nico’s been arrested. Cops swarmed the lot right after Jace bailed. We barely got out. Where are you?”
The news hits me like a punch to the chest. I look down at Marcy, then back at Jace, whose face is blank as stone. The world feels like it’s collapsing in on all sides, the woods closing around me.
We make it back to the clubhouse, dragging Jinn between us, his wrists still bound and head slumped. As soon as we push through the door, Levi storms across the room, ready to tear into Jace. His eyes are wild, chest heaving. “You left us. You left Nico,” he snaps.
Jace is about to answer, but I move between them, pressing a hand to Levi’s chest. “Wait—Jace caught Jinn. That’s why he left. He set a trap. He didn’t just run.”
Levi glares at Jace, jaw tight. “Well, that’s for nothing now. Rodriguez has Nico. God knows what he’s doing to my brother.”
Jace shakes his head, voice flat but certain. “He can’t hurt him.”
Levi lets out a bitter laugh. “That’s just wishful thinking.” He turns away, frustration radiating off him.
I reach for Levi’s hand, holding it tight, forcing him to meet my eyes. “Please. Give me a chance to fix this. I won’t let anything happen to Nico.”
Levi doesn’t answer, but he doesn’t pull away. The pain in his eyes cuts through me, deeper than anything Jinn could ever do.
Jace turns to Whale, who’s been standing watch by the window. “What happened out there? How did Rodriguez pull this off?”
Whale sighs, crossing his arms. “Rodriguez must’ve had backup. Cops came in from both sides. As soon as you took off, he went right for Nico.”
I refuse to let the silence swallow us whole. “Did Nico manage to get anything on tape?” I ask, desperate for even a sliver of hope.
Whale shakes his head. “We’ve got no way of knowing. Rodriguez isn’t about to let us talk to him, not now. I doubt he even got a chance. It’s over, for good.”
I shake my head, refusing to let his words land. Something fierce stirs in me, burning through the exhaustion and fear. I reach for my phone, my hands steady, even though my heart pounds in my chest.
“No,” I say, my voice growing stronger with every word. “It’s not over yet.”
Everyone looks at me, surprise and worry flickering in their eyes, but I don’t look away. I know what I have to do. No matter how scared I am, I can’t let Nico down. Not after everything.
I squeeze Levi’s hand once, drawing on all the courage I have left. “I’m going to save him. Whatever it takes.”
And I mean it. This fight isn’t finished. Not while any of us are left standing. With that, I make a final phone call.