5. Stone
Chapter 5
Stone
T he alley stinks of piss and rotting garbage. Not the kind of place I’d expect Ren to know, let alone navigate like a second home.
He moves ahead of us, shoulders tense beneath his ruined suit, the bloodstains from Finn’s wounds now dried to rust-brown streaks. Three sharp raps on the unmarked door. Pause. Two more. Pause. One final knock. A code?
What the hell are we doing here?
I glance at Jax. His jaw is clenched tight, but he gives me the slightest nod. Stay cool.
The door creaks open. A mountain of a beta glowers down at us, his nose crooked from too many breaks. His gaze slides past Ren to land on me and Jax.
“They’re with me,” Ren says, voice flat.
The bouncer hesitates, then steps aside just enough to let Ren pass—but blocks us again with an outstretched arm. A growl rumbles in my throat immediately.
Ren turns slowly. There’s something dangerous in the way his eyes glint under the flickering light of the narrow corridor. “I said. They’re. With me.”
The beta’s throat bobs. He drops his arm.
Jax and I exchange another look as we follow Ren inside. Since when does Ren Ironwood make backdoor deals in…what the fuck is this…a strip club?
The air is thick with sweat and pheromones. Strobe lights pulse over writhing bodies—omegas on stages, alphas at private tables, bets changing hands as drinks spill onto sticky floors. It’s a different kind of hunt here, one where the prey pretends to want the chase.
Ren keeps to the edges of the room, heading for a black door at the back. No one stops us. No one even looks at us. Like we’re ghosts.
Or like they know better.
The private room is smaller than I expected. Velvet couches. A mirrored ceiling. The cloying scent of omega arousal still clings to the upholstery.
I’m on Ren the second the door shuts. “What the fuck is this?” My voice comes out too loud in the confined space. “Finn’s alone in the hospital. Hailey’s Goddess-knows-where, and you’re playing fucking games?—”
Ren drops into a chair like his strings have been cut. “We have to wait.”
“Wait for what?” I’m inches from his face now, instincts surging. “Every second we waste?—”
“Stone.” Jax’s hand lands on my shoulder.
I shake him off, but step back. Jax isn’t crowding me—he’s studying Ren, his gaze sharp as a scalpel.
This is all new. This. Everything Ren said on the drive here. I…fuck.
Ren rubs his temples. “It won’t be long.”
Silence stretches. The bass from the club vibrates through the walls. Ten minutes? Twenty? Time slips like sand through my fists.
Then—
The door opens.
Four figures step inside, their scents cutting through the cheap perfume: gunpowder, whiskey, old blood, and something feral beneath the cologne.
Pack Ashgrave.
The scarred alpha from the gala takes the lead. His silver viper cufflinks catch the light as he folds his arms. “Ironwood.”
Ren doesn’t stand. Doesn’t flinch. Just lifts his chin and says, “You’re late.”
The alpha’s lips twitch. “Had to clean up your mess.” He jerks his head toward Jax and me. “They know?”
“Everything.” Ren eases back.
A beat. Then Ashgrave’s leader nods to the rest of his pack. They drop a file on the table between us.
“Coordinates,” he says. “Security schematics. Shift changes.” His smile is all teeth. “Heath left the gala shortly after you did. We’ve got a tail on her, but she’s headed home.”
Ren eases forward, eyes on the file on the table. “So what’s this, then?”
The scarred alpha raises a brow, only slightly. He smiles again. “You aren’t the only one who has a bone to pick with these high-profile pricks. We have eyes on her estate. Unmarked vehicle left shortly after she arrived. Looked suspicious. Figured she was in it. Had it followed.” He jerks his chin at the file on the table. “Best bet…this is where your omega is being held.”
My stomach turns. Veyra Heath is with Hailey right now.
Ren’s on his feet in an instant, already reaching for the file?—
Ashgrave slams a hand down on it. “Price went up.”
Ren freezes. “We agreed?—”
“That was before you brought witnesses.” The alpha’s gaze flicks to me and Jax. “Now it’s personal.”
The air in the room curdles. Jax shifts subtly, putting himself between me and Ashgrave.
Ren exhales through his nose. “Name it.”
Ashgrave leans in. The smile on his lips changes. There’s no mirth in it now. It’s pure ice and blood. “The one you call…Father.”
Fuck. What? Even Jax stiffens.
Ren doesn’t blink. “Done.”
Ashgrave tilts his head. “You’re not even gonna negotiate?”
“No.” Ren’s voice is steel wrapped in silk. “Because you’re going to give me one more thing.”
A raised brow. “Oh?”
Ren steps closer until they’re nose to nose. “The name of the alpha who paid for Hailey.”
The room holds its breath.
Ashgrave laughs—a low, ugly sound. “You don’t wanna know that, pretty boy.”
“Try me.”
For the first time, something like respect flickers in the alpha’s eyes. He murmurs a name.
Ren pales. “Not him,” he whispers. “He was at the gala.”
Jax grabs his arm. “Ren?—”
But Ren’s already turning toward the door, the file clutched in his bloodstained hands. “Let’s go.”
Ashgrave calls after us, “You’re gonna get them all killed, Ironwood.”
Ren doesn’t look back.