Chapter 20 - Ry
"Find them," I snap, already moving toward the hidden staircase that leads to the security room. "Now."
Hudson follows close behind, his body a solid wall between me and the panicked crowd as we navigate through the darkness. The music continues to play, the spotlight still focused on Malik's performance—a distraction, I now realize. A deliberate one.
We burst into the security room to find it empty. The bank of monitors shows nothing but static, the communications system dead. Hudson tries the backup generator switch—nothing.
"This was planned," he growls, slamming his fist against the console. "Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing."
He pulls out his radio, trying to reach Camden. "Camden, do you copy? Camden!" Nothing but static. He tries again with the same result before hurling the useless device against the wall.
"Our radios are being jammed," he says, running a hand through his hair. "We're blind and deaf."
I reach for my phone, a cold calm settling over me as adrenaline clears the fog of panic from my mind. "Not completely."
Hudson watches as I unlock my phone and open an app that looks like a simple game. When I enter a specific code, it transforms into a tracking system.
"After what happened to us years ago," I explain, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside, "I made sure there was never a moment when I couldn't find them. The first thing I did after we took over was to get trackers."
I wave a hand in his direction, the rings on my fingers catching what little light filters into the room.
"Do you think I always wear jewelry for appearances?
Most serve a purpose." I twist one of the rings, revealing a hidden compartment.
"I even have a tiny amount of poison in one. Hell, my bracelet is a garrote."
Understanding dawns on his face as I tap the screen, activating the tracking on the twins' rings. Two blinking dots appear, moving rapidly away from our location.
"They're heading east," I say, already moving toward the door. "Toward the industrial district."
Hudson grabs my arm. "Wait. We need backup."
I wrench free of his grip. "We don't have time. Whoever took them isn't going to wait while we round up people we can trust—which, by the way, seems to be a shrinking list." I head for the exit, not bothering to look back. "You can come with me or not, but I'm going after them."
I hear his muttered curse, then his footsteps following me. Good. I could use the backup, though I'd never admit it.
We slip out through a service entrance, avoiding the chaos of the main floor.
The night air hits my face, cool against my flushed skin.
Hudson's SUV is parked in the reserved section at the back of the club.
I climb into the passenger seat without a word, eyes fixed on my phone as the dots continue to move across the city map.
Hudson slides behind the wheel, starting the engine with a low growl that matches his expression. "Where are they headed?"
"Keep going east," I direct, watching as the dots finally slow. "They've stopped. Some kind of warehouse on the waterfront."
Hudson drives like a man possessed, taking corners at speeds that would terrify anyone with a normal sense of self-preservation. I grip the door handle, not out of fear but impatience—even this breakneck pace feels too slow when the twins are in danger.
"Slow down," I say as we approach the warehouse district. "We need to be smart about this."
He eases off the accelerator, navigating the maze of abandoned buildings and storage facilities until we're a block away from the tracking signal. We park in the shadow of a derelict factory, weapons ready as we exit the vehicle.
"Four guards that I can see," Hudson murmurs, peering around the corner at our target. "Two at the main entrance, two patrolling the perimeter."
I nod, already calculating angles and approaches. "Take the perimeter guards. I'll handle the door."
We move in perfect sync, years of working together making words unnecessary. Hudson disappears into the shadows to circle around while I advance on the main entrance. The guards are masked but sloppy—too confident, too relaxed. Their first mistake.
I approach from their blind spot, knife in hand.
The first guard doesn't even have time to turn before my blade slices across his throat, cutting off any sound he might have made.
The second reaches for his weapon, but I'm faster, driving my knife up under his ribs and into his heart. He crumples without a sound.
Hudson reappears moments later, blood on his knuckles but otherwise untouched. "Clear," he says simply.
We enter the warehouse cautiously, staying low and using the stacks of crates for cover. The space is cavernous, most of it shrouded in darkness, but a pool of light at the center reveals a scene that makes my blood freeze in my veins.
Rev and Kai are bound to metal chairs, their faces bloody and bruised. Rev's right eye is swollen shut, blood trickling from a cut above his brow. Kai's lip is split, his normally perfect hair matted with crimson. They're conscious but dazed, heads lolling as they struggle to focus.
And pacing in front of them, a gun held casually in one hand, is Camden.
"—years of loyal service," he's saying, his voice echoing in the cavernous space. "Years of following orders, of doing your dirty work, and for what? To be treated like a fucking errand boy?"
He stops pacing to lean in close to Rev's face. "You never even saw me, did you? Never gave me a chance to prove what I could really do."
I signal to Hudson, pointing to a path that will circle around behind Camden. He nods, slipping away while I work my way closer, using the shadows and stacked crates for cover.
"I watched him play lapdog to a little girl," Camden continues, gesturing with the gun toward Kai. "Hudson—a fucking war hero—reduced to babysitting some skinny bitch with daddy issues because you two said so."
I clench my jaw so hard my teeth ache, but I force myself to stay focused, to keep moving silently toward my target.
"We could have ruled this city like kings," Camden rants, his voice rising with fervor. "Created real chaos, real power. Instead, you imposed order. Rules. Boundaries." He spits the last word like it's poison. "You tamed what should have been wild."
I'm close enough now to see the twins' eyes, to catch the moment they spot me moving in the shadows. Neither gives any sign, their expressions remaining carefully blank despite the recognition I see flicker across their faces.
"You have no idea what real power looks like," Camden continues, oblivious to my approach. "What it means to truly control a city. You're just playing at being devils, while I—"
"Oh my God, just shut up already," I say, driving my knife between his shoulder blades.
Camden howls, whirling with surprising speed despite the blade buried in his back. His gun comes up, but Hudson emerges from the shadows, tackling him to the ground.
"You treacherous bastard," Hudson snarls, his fist connecting with Camden's jaw with a sickening crunch. "I trusted you!"
I leave them grappling on the floor and rush to the twins, pulling another knife from my boot to cut their bindings.
"Hey, gorgeous," Kai mumbles, his voice thick with pain. "Took you long enough."
"Save your breath," I reply, sawing through the zip ties around his wrists. "Can you stand?"
He nods weakly as the restraints fall away. I move to Rev, whose eyes track me with slightly more clarity.
"You okay?" I ask, freeing his hands.
"Been better," he admits, wincing as he flexes his fingers to restore circulation. "Watch your back."
I turn just in time to see Camden throw Hudson off, scrambling for the gun that skittered across the floor during their struggle. Hudson lunges after him, but Camden reaches it first, swinging around with the weapon raised.
Time slows as I see his finger tighten on the trigger, the barrel aimed directly at my chest. I'm too close to dodge, too exposed to take cover. In that frozen moment, I have the absurd thought that at least I'll die with the twins free.
Then Hudson is there, throwing himself between me and the gun as Camden fires.
The sound is deafening in the enclosed space. Hudson jerks with the impact, stumbling back a step but somehow staying on his feet. For a heartbeat, I think maybe the bullet missed—but then I see the dark stain spreading across his shirt, and my world narrows to that single point of crimson.
"No!" The scream tears from my throat as Hudson drops to one knee, pressing a hand to his abdomen.
The twins move with synchronized precision despite their injuries. Kai lunges for Camden while Rev grabs the gun, twisting it from his grip with brutal efficiency. Camden fights back, but he's outnumbered and outmatched, even against injured opponents.
I rush to Hudson, catching him as he slumps further. My hands press against the wound, blood seeping between my fingers, hot and slick. "Stay with me," I order, my voice breaking. "Don't you dare die on me, old man."
He coughs, a thin line of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Not planning on it," he manages, his eyes meeting mine with surprising clarity. "Just a flesh wound."
"Shut up," I snap, tears blurring my vision as I apply more pressure to the wound. "Just shut up and focus on breathing."
Behind me, I hear the sounds of the fight winding down—a grunt of pain, a thud of bodies hitting concrete, then silence. Footsteps approach, and Rev kneels beside me, his face grim as he assesses Hudson's injury.
"How bad?" he asks, already pulling off his shirt to create a makeshift pressure bandage.
"Bad enough," I reply, trying to keep my voice steady. "But he'll live if we get him help soon."
Rev nods, taking over the pressure on the wound while I pull out my phone to call for medical assistance. As I dial, Kai drags Camden over, the traitor's face bloody and swollen but still conscious.
"You want to finish him?" Kai asks, his voice cold with fury.
I look at Camden, at the man who betrayed us, who shot Hudson, who thought he could take what's ours. Rage boils up inside me, hot and demanding. I hand my phone to Rev and stand, drawing another knife from my boot.
Camden's eyes widen with fear, but then something shifts in his expression. I drive my blade into his chest, twisting it with a savage jerk. His scream echoes through the warehouse as I withdraw the knife, only to plunge it into his shoulder next. Blood sprays across my face, warm and metallic.
"It doesn't matter," he laughs maniacally through the pain, blood bubbling between his teeth, body twitching in spasms. "I'm not—I'm not the leader.
Silas is the true devil. You think killing me ends this?
" His eyes roll wildly, unfocused. "Silas will burn everything you love. You have no idea what's coming."