Chapter 28
The whole club was dead quiet, only the faint green glow of the screens lighting the room. All the boys had headed to bed hours ago, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I leaned back in the big leather chair, boots propped up on the desk edge, a cold mug of black coffee sitting untouched beside me.
My mind kept drifting back to dinner.
I couldn’t shake the way she’d looked up at me across the tables. How when I’d brushed that strand of red hair behind her ear, she hadn’t flinched. Hadn’t pulled away. She’d stepped that little bit closer, eyes locked on mine, and said soft and clear:
“I’m not angry anymore, Rage. I’m here. I’m staying.”
Those words were still ringing in my head, twisting something deep and fierce in my chest. She wasn’t just some girl passing through anymore.
She’d walked right into the heart of us, and now the beast inside me that was born to protect was tearing me apart, desperate to make sure nothing ever touched her.
Then a sharp crackle cut right through the quiet.
The radio on the desk flared to life. I didn’t hesitate – boots hit the floor hard enough to rattle it, and I grabbed the receiver before the second burst of static had even faded.
“Rage,” Swift’s voice came through, breathless and sharp, adrenaline thick in every word. “They bit. Trap just got sprung.”
Every muscle in my body locked tight as iron. The warm soft feeling of Danika was gone, replaced instantly by that cold dark part of me that lived for this – a sharp, vicious grin pulling at my mouth.
“Talk,” I rumbled into the handset, voice low and dangerous.
“Silver Merc just pulled up in her lane,” Swift said. “It’s parked up behind the hedge, just watching the cottage. The P.I.’s sat up front. Thinks he’s got us fooled. Thinks no one’s watching.”
My blood turned to ice. They weren’t here to ask questions.
Her family hadn’t sent someone to politely talk her into coming home.
They’d sent goons to break down her door, drag her back to London like she was just some piece of property.
If I hadn’t got her out… if Thorn hadn’t stepped in…
she’d be waking up to a nightmare right now. Thank fuck I made her leave that job.
Fury roared hot and wild through my veins, my knuckles going white where I gripped the radio.
“Hold your positions,” I said, voice dropping so low it was almost a growl. “Let him sit there a while longer. Let him think he’s got the upper hand. Keep your eyes glued. The second they make a move – take ‘em down, drag ‘em straight to the basement. No mistakes. You copy?”
“Copy that, Enforcer,” Swift came back, before his line went dead.
I dropped the radio back on the desk, chest heaving. No fear left in me – just the hunger of a predator who’d caught the scent of something coming for what was his. I stepped soft down the hall, stopping right outside Danika’s door.
I pressed my forehead to the wood for a second, listening. Slow, steady breathing. She was safe. Fast asleep, wrapped up warm, with no clue that just down the road men were coming to try and tear her world apart. And no clue they were walking straight into hell.
“Sleep tight, sweetheart,” I whispered against the grain. Fisted my hand tight. “I’ve got you.”
I turned on my heel and headed straight for Pres’s door.
Knocked once, hard and steady – the signal that something was going down.
He opened it almost before my knuckles left the wood, already pulling his cut over his shoulders, face hard as stone.
Didn’t need to ask what was wrong. Just looked at me and knew.
“The P.I.’s there,” I said, jaw tight. “They’re parked up at the cottage. Swift and Gears are watching ‘em.”
Pres’s jaw set sharp, that cold hard look crossing his face. He nodded once.
“About time,” he rumbled. “Looks like these pricks think they can play games on our patch. Wake Bear and Shadow. Tell ‘em to get the basement ready. Make sure they know not to be gentle.”
“Already on it,” I said, and that cold, satisfied feeling settled right deep in my gut.
Pres turned back to grab his boots, and I headed further down the hall, out into the main common area. The place was dark, shadows stretching long over the sofas and pillars, but when I stepped towards the bar to get the landline, a light was already on.
I stopped dead.
Hacker’s door was standing half open, the glow of a dozen screens spilling out into the dark. Before I could even move closer, his voice cut through the quiet.
“Save yourself the walk, Enforcer. I’ve got it covered.”
I grunted, pushed the door open all the way and stepped inside. Smell of ozone, warm electronics and stale energy drinks hit me. Hacker was sat in his chair, fingers flying across the keyboard, eyes glued to the wall of feeds showing every inch of this town.
“How’d you know I was coming?” I asked, leaning against the frame.
“Got eyes everywhere, mate,” he said, a little dry smirk tugging at his mouth. “You think you’re the only one pulling night shifts? The second you brought her through those gates, I rerouted everything. Got the main road cams, side streets, every little camera pointed right at her cottage.”
He turned his chair and pointed at the biggest screen.
“Swift’s good,” he said, “but he only sees what’s right in front of his face. Take a look at feed four.”
I stepped closer. The screen showed the lane leading to Danika’s place, three hundred yards back from the cottage. Parked up in the shadows was a big plain white van, windows taped over, plates covered up.
“That thing’s been circling for twenty minutes,” Hacker said, tapping away. “Lights off, hanging way back. Waiting for the signal.”
He hit a key, and the screen split – one half the Merc, one half the van.
“The second that Merc flashes its break lights twice,” he said, “that van moves in searching to see if anyone is around. They’re working together. The P.I. is just the bait. Those five in the van are the ones coming to do the dirty work.”
A fresh wave of fury burned right through me. This wasn’t just some guy showing up alone. They’d sent a whole crew to take her.
“They’ve got no fucking clue who they’re messing with,” I growled, a dark smile spreading across my face as I unclipped my gun from my belt.
“Nope,” Hacker grinned, pulling up another feed and sending it straight to Pres’s phone. “They’re about to learn real quick. Go get ‘em. Let these stuck-up pricks know what happens when you step on Iron Angels ground.”
I turned and marched back out into the hall. The shadows didn’t feel cold anymore – they felt like armour. The trap was set. The net was ready to drop. And by sunrise, the streets of this town would run red with anyone stupid enough to touch what’s mine.