Chapter Ten
H aze
I love you. Both of you.
Nova's words hit me like a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs.
For a moment, I couldn't move, couldn’t do anything but hear those six words echoing in my head.
I love you. Both of you.
My eyes locked with Kane's over Nova's head, seeing my own shock mirrored in his expression. We'd known this was coming, hell, Nova's face gave her every emotion away. And truth be told, we'd both been falling for her since the beginning.
But hearing her say that she loved us damn near knocked us both on our asses.
As the silence lingered a beat too long, Nova's face fell, and uncertainty started to creep across her beautiful face.
No.
That wouldn't do.
I cupped her face in my hands, my thumbs stroking her flushed cheeks. “Love you too, baby.” I meant every word.
Kane pressed against her back, his arms wrapping around her waist. “Same here, Kitten. More than you know.”
Nova's smile could have lit up the whole damn city. She turned her head, pressing a kiss to my palm before leaning back against Kane's chest.
The sight of her between us, trusting us completely, was everything we’d always wanted.
“Home,” I added with a smirk of my own, ready to get Nova back to the brownstone so we could continue celebrating.
Nova went to smooth down her dress when Kane pushed her hands away. “I’ll get that,” he rumbled, taking hold of the material scrunched up around her waist and pushing it down to cover her.
My hands landed on her hips as she smoothed her hair. Even with her clothes wrinkled and looking freshly fucked, she was flawless. Like a fallen angel who was the answer to the Devil's dream.
“Let's get out of here,” Kane said, pressing a kiss to her temple.
I nodded, reaching for the door. But as I pulled it open and stepped out into the hallway, movement in my peripheral vision caught my attention. I glanced over, catching sight of a man as he rounded the corner towards the back exit.
Flashes of the night I’d been jumped behind the flower shop strobed through my mind.
Everything. I remembered everything, and my blood felt like it was starting to boil.
He was the fucking Fed we’d been looking for.
Everything else faded away—Nova's soft smile, Kane's victory high, all of it disappeared as rage flooded my system.
Without a word, I took off after him, shouldering through the crowd.
I was closing the distance when he looked back over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing when they locked onto mine.
That’s right, motherfucker.
He picked up the pace, bolting through the door with the flashing EXIT sign above it.
Big fucking mistake.
As I burst through the door into the alley, there he was, trying to disappear into the shadows like the rat he was.
Not this time, motherfucker.
Closing the gap between us, I grabbed onto the back of his jacket and slammed him face-first into the concrete wall. The impact made a satisfying crunch as his nose connected with the unforgiving surface.
“Remember me?” I growled, twisting his arm behind his back until he grunted in pain.
The alley door burst open behind me as the club poured out, drawn by the commotion.
I could hear Nova's sharp intake of breath, but I couldn't look at her. Couldn't see the fear that I knew would be reflected in her eyes.
“Get the van,” Banner ordered. His voice appeared calm, but we all knew that tone. The Butcher would soon be coming out to play.
“Grab his wallet,” Ghost instructed, probably more ready than any of us to finally know who the asshole that’d been fucking with us for far too long was.
Link slid in beside us and fished out the leather bifold from his pocket. Flipping it open, he pulled out a license. “It says here, his name is Tony Jones.”
Ghost ripped the ID from Link's hands. “9476 Fremont Street. And looky here.” Ghost held out a family photo. “Tony has a wife and kids. Maybe we should pay them a visit?” he sneered, his face furious.
“Leave them out of this!” Tony spewed, bucking against my hold.
“Oh, now families are off-fucking-limits? You didn’t give a fuck about my woman and kid when you came into my fucking house,” Ghost roared as I slammed Tony into the wall again, harder this time. Blood streamed from his broken nose, painting the concrete.
“Not so tough without your badge, are you?” I punctuated each word with hard pressure on his arm until something popped.
His scream echoed off the alley walls.
“Haze,” Banner growled. “We don’t want to draw any more fucking attention.”
I barely heard him over the roar of blood in my ears. All I could feel was the rage that had been building since the day I’d been jumped.
My fist connected with his kidney. Once. Twice. Three times. Each hit fueled by months of pent-up fury.
Nova whimpered, and I glanced over at her, hating the sight of her pale face.
“Dragon,” I barked. “Get her the fuck out of here. Now!”
The words came out harsh, cruel even, and I saw her flinch, hurt flashing across her features. I needed her out of here. I didn’t want her to see this side of me.
“Come on, little girl. Your man wants you out of here.” Dragon guided her away just as Hunter pulled up with the van. Ghost and Kane moved in, pulling me back so they could secure Tony.
“He's not getting away this time,” Ghost promised, his own eyes dark. He was ready for revenge like the rest of us.
I nodded. We had Tony now, and he was about to pay the Devil for all his sins.
“You’re going to have to fix that, you know.” I turned to look at Kane, my brows furrowing.
“What?”
“Nova. You’re going to have to fix that. And, brother, don’t fucking speak to her like that ever again.”
A pit started to form in the bottom of my stomach. Fuck. He was right. I’d really cocked it up this time.
“She’ll forgive you. You heard her. She loves us.”
“You all know what to do!” Banner shouted before I could tell Kane that I’d make it right.
Heading around the side of the building, we hopped on our bikes and made it back to the compound in record time.
My mind was racing with a million different things when I parked in front of Banner’s workshop and climbed off my bike.
“Get him inside,” Banner ordered, motioning to the van that was backing up to the doors.
Tony wasn't leaving the warehouse alive.
Stepping inside, Banner's workshop was exactly what you'd expect from someone known as The Butcher. Concrete floors with drains, steel tables, meat hooks hanging from the ceiling, and an array of tools that belonged in a horror flick.
Ghost and Kane dragged Tony into the room, making quick work of cutting off his clothes and hanging him up by his bound hands, while Banner laid out his favorite toys.
Tony pointed his toes, trying to take some of the pressure off his hands and wrists, but his effort was pointless.
“Oh, Tony, Tony, Tony,” Ghost sing-songed, stepping up to him. “I spent six months in Rikers because of you. Missed months with my daughter. Took beatings from the guards, courtesy of you. Let's see how you like being someone's punching bag.”
I leaned back against the tiled wall, watching as Ghost worked him over, each punch calculated to cause maximum pain with minimal damage. This wasn't about killing him quickly. We needed answers, explanations. What was so important about the warehouse Sophia’s mom had left her before she died? Why was this dirty Fed willing to sacrifice so much for a building that was falling apart? No matter how deep down the rabbit hole Dragon had gone, nothing made sense.
Ghost stepped back, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Your turn, brother.”
Without hesitation, I moved in, my knuckles were already split from earlier, but I barely felt a thing as I started throwing blow after blow. Each hit was made with purpose. For Nova, who’d been chased by Ivan and his men thanks to this prick. For the club, for every brother who'd suffered because of this corrupt piece of shit.
“Enough.” Banner's command cut through the haze I’d begun to slip into.
He approached slowly, the daggers in his hands glinting in the fluorescent lights. “You should have walked away,” he said, his voice conversational as he traced the blade down Tony’s chest, leaving a thin line of red.
“Fuck you,” Tony spat, blood staining his teeth.
Banner smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. “Wrong answer.” The next cut was deeper, drawing a hiss of pain. “You know, I’ve wondered for months what the fuck could be so special about that warehouse that you’d risk everything. And now look at you. You’re going to die, and for what? A worthless building that’s falling in around itself.”
The Fed's eyes darted between us, probably calculating his odds. There were none. He would die soon.
“You really want to die without confessing your sins?” Banner continued, making another precise cut. “That's not very Catholic of you.”
Something broke in Tony’s eyes. “The money,” he gasped. “It's under the concrete floors.”
Banner paused. “What money?”
“Federal Reserve... ten years ago.” Each word seemed to cost him. “My team... we hid it...”
The pieces clicked into place. The building wasn't just valuable real estate—it was a fucking treasure chest.
Banner nodded slowly. “See? Was that so hard?” His blade flashed once more, opening Tony’s throat in a clean arc.
“Fuck, Ban. Could have at least warned me you were going to do that,” Ghost snapped, his eyes narrow as he watched, seemingly mesmerized by the gaping opening in Tony’s neck that was spilling blood out onto the floor.
Banner shook his head at his brother.
I wasn’t really sure why he seemed so surprised. Ghost had been counting down the days until we finally found the prick.
Ignoring their back and forth, I turned back to Tony, watching as he bled out.
“Ghost,” Banner called out. “Get the cleanup crew in here. Haze.” He turned to me. “Walk with me.”
I followed him through the warehouse and out into the cold night air, my knuckles throbbing, and blood drying on my shirt. The anger I’d felt had subsided, and all that remained was exhaustion. I was fucking tired.
“You good?” Banner asked, lighting a cigarette.
I nodded, accepting one when he offered. “Nova...” I started, remembering her face when I shouted at her.
“Will understand,” Banner finished.
I took a long drag, letting the smoke fill my lungs.
Banner was right. Nova would understand. That was the kind of woman she was.
“Go get cleaned up,” Banner added, nodding toward my chest. I glanced down and sure enough, my shirt was covered in Tony’s blood. I’d lost my shit once I got my hands on him. “Go find your girl and apologize for being a prick.” He pinned me with a knowing look.
I grunted, taking another drag as the image of Nova's hurt expression flashed through my mind again.
I had to make things right.
After taking a quick shower at the clubhouse, I hopped on my bike and headed to the brownstone. Even before I opened the door, I could hear Nova's soft voice and Kane's deeper rumble. When I stepped through the door, they both looked up from their spot on the couch. Nova was curled into Kane’s side while he was stroking her hair. I stood there with my heart in my throat at the sight of Nova's red-rimmed eyes.
Fuck.
I’d done that.
“Baby,” I said, my voice rougher than I’d ever heard it. “I'm sor?—”
“Shut up,” she interrupted, launching herself off the couch and straight into my arms.
Dropping my face into the crown of her hair, I breathed her in.
“I was so scared. Not of you,” she added quickly. “ For you.”
Kane moved behind her, his hand settling on my shoulder. “It's done now.”
Nova pulled back enough to look at my face, her fingers ghosting over my cheeks. “I love you,” she said firmly. “All of you. Even the parts you try to hide from me.”
I grunted.
Fuck .
“Love you too, baby.”