Chapter 14
ACE
By Friday afternoon, I had names, addresses, and enough proof to confirm the two suits who’d cornered Poppy in the lobby weren’t random compliance auditors doing their jobs. They were connected to this shit—just not obviously, at least not in any way a normal financial background check would catch.
Once we knew their names, Wizard and I spent the past four days meticulously peeling apart their lives, diving deep enough that the patterns were finally bleeding through the cracks. Someone was testing the Hounds’ defenses.
The tension in my shoulders had been building since Poppy told me about those men approaching her at work.
For her sake, I’d kept my reaction calm at the time.
But internally, I’d been consumed with fury.
My thoughts had been filled with the image of bullets tearing through bone, exacting violent justice for daring to come near my woman.
I shoved open the door to King’s office, barely holding on to my composure.
My jaw was locked, and my pulse thundered in my ears as I stepped inside.
King sat behind his broad oak desk, his dark eyes immediately flicking up from his laptop to meet mine.
Blaze stood near the window, his arms crossed and expression neutral but observant.
Kevlar was reclining on the sofa in the small sitting area.
He raised an eyebrow when he caught the barely restrained anger radiating off me. “You look like you’re about three seconds from ruining someone’s day. Any particular reason?”
King leaned back in his chair, studying me with that sharp, assessing gaze that saw straight through to a man’s bones. He noted every bit of tension in my shoulders and line of frustration etched into my expression. “You’ve got something.”
It wasn’t a question, just a statement of fact. He knew me well enough to get I wouldn’t come to him without solid information.
“Wizard and I tracked down the identities of the two assholes who showed up at Poppy’s work.” I was barely managing to keep a lid on my rage, but my prez needed information, not fury. I went on to explain everything we’d discovered about the men and the place that tied them together.
King’s expression hardened, his eyes narrowing. His gaze shifted to Blaze, and they seemed to have a silent conversation before our prez looked back at me. He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the desk. “We know who they’re working for?”
“Not yet,” I ground out, the frustration slipping into my voice despite my efforts. “But it’s connected to the probes. Need to move before they try something else. They’re clearly escalating. And Poppy—”
King raised a hand, cutting me off gently but firmly.
He didn’t need me to spell it out. He knew exactly where my head was at.
“I get it, Ace. I know her safety is your priority. As it fucking should be. But my job is to protect this club, and I can’t do that without you.
We can’t make a big, obvious move until we have the full picture. ”
My fists tightened at my sides, the leather of my cut creaking softly with the tension in my shoulders.
I knew King was right. Acting too soon, moving without complete intel, could leave us vulnerable in ways we couldn’t afford.
But the thought of letting those fuckers walk around untouched another second made my blood boil.
Every instinct I had wanted immediate action.
King must’ve seen the fierce internal struggle in my eyes, because after a long moment, he finally leaned back again, his voice dropping to a more dangerous tone. “Doesn’t mean you can’t send a message.”
My head snapped up, my gaze sharpening on his. A wicked gleam had replaced the calculating coldness in his eyes, the barest hint of a smirk twitching at the corner of his mouth.
“Take a couple of brothers and pay them a visit,” King suggested in a lethal tone.
Kevlar perked up, obviously liking what he was hearing. His grin was his way of volunteering for the job.
“Have a conversation,” Blaze murmured. “Make sure they understand exactly who they’re fucking with and give them a warning to take back to whoever they answer to.”
A dark smile curved my lips as anticipation surged through me, satisfied at the thought of delivering the kind of message these assholes would never forget. “I can do that.”
The place Wizard had traced the two assholes back to was nondescript—a brick office tucked away from prying eyes behind a row of dense shrubs.
It looked like just another forgettable building, intentionally designed to blend into the background, perfect for conducting business that required discretion.
Kevlar and Cross flanked me as we approached, our movements silent and coordinated, each of us perfectly attuned to the others.
Kevlar’s expression was carefully neutral, though the rigid line of his jaw and the cold calculation in his gaze told me he was ready to dismantle anything he found.
Cross moved with the fluid grace of a panther, quiet and deadly, the picture of lethal patience.
We found a service door around the side, and Kevlar picked the lock with practiced ease before we slipped inside.
The air was cooler than in the parking lot, where the late afternoon sun had beat down on us.
Faded blue carpet lined a dim hallway, the walls painted the kind of bland beige that always screamed corporate anonymity.
Muted voices filtered from behind a mostly closed office door at the far end of the hall, muffled enough that I couldn’t make out the words.
Cross jerked his head silently toward the voices and whispered in a barely audible voice, “I’ll clear the rest of the interior. Make sure we don’t have company.”
Kevlar gave me a pointed look, then jerked his chin back toward the door we’d entered through. “I’ll check the structure and perimeter. Figure out what we’ll need to take this place down if it becomes necessary later.”
My lips twitched in a grim smile. Kevlar’s brand of reassurance might not have soothed anyone else, but knowing he was already planning contingencies put me at ease. “Get it done.”
They both moved off silently, Kevlar toward the exterior and Cross down the opposite hallway, leaving me alone near the closed office door.
I inched closer, the voices growing clearer.
Pressing my back against the wall beside the doorframe, I carefully angled myself so I could peer through the crack without alerting the occupants.
My pulse ticked up as I caught sight of the two bastards who’d approached Poppy at work—one older, glasses perched on his thin nose, and the other younger, tense and watchful.
They were facing a third man whose posture radiated authority, his charcoal suit impeccable and expensive.
He had the kind of bland handsomeness that allowed a man to blend into boardrooms as effortlessly as a shark gliding through murky waters.
As quietly as possible, I slid my phone from my pocket, snapped a clear photo of the third man’s face, then sent the image to Wizard.
Me
Run facial recognition. Need an ID ASAP.
Wizard’s reply was almost instant, and I could practically hear the dry tone of his voice through the text.
Wizard
You want it sometime this year? Narrow it the fuck down, or you’ll be waiting forever.
I rolled my eyes, quickly typing a reply.
Me
Cross-reference corporate finance, financial compliance, and regulatory consulting. Within the US.
Wizard
Was that so fucking hard? Give me a sec. I'm good, but Hogwarts didn't cover miracles.
Shaking my head in annoyance and a little amusement, I tucked my phone away, turning my focus back to the conversation in the room.
The older man’s voice was tight with tension. “We got the probes cleared exactly how you instructed. All low risk. But now someone is looking deeper. This was supposed to stay quiet.”
“Of course someone’s looking,” the man in the charcoal suit replied, cold irritation threading through his voice. “That was the entire point—to test how deeply they monitor their perimeter.”
My jaw clenched. Perimeter. That confirmed everything I’d suspected and more.
They weren’t after the money. This was strategic—mapping our financial boundaries, gauging our response times, and pinpointing vulnerabilities.
Rage simmered beneath my skin, dangerously close to boiling over.
And these fuckers had put Poppy right in the middle.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I glanced quickly at the screen.
Wizard
Marcus Lennox, senior analyst at BAM Financial Intelligence—a private contractor.
It all clicked, puzzle pieces snapping neatly into place. BAM was well-known in certain circles for supplying strategic financial intel—mapping financial networks and pressure-testing compliance systems to find weaknesses for their clients. This wasn’t petty theft or even a direct attack.
It was reconnaissance. And it was aimed at the Hounds of Hellfire.
I shoved my phone back into my pocket, my heart pounding heavily in my chest, anger burning hot and fierce in my veins. These bastards had turned our territory into their personal chessboard, using Poppy as a pawn to test our defenses. Now I knew exactly who was behind this bullshit.
And I was done fucking around.
I met up with Kevlar and Cross outside, and we moved to a spot where we could see the building and parking lot but remained out of sight.
As we waited for the meeting to end, the tension in my veins stretched almost to a breaking point.
Finally, we watched the contractor stride toward his black sedan, completely unaware of our presence.
We stayed hidden in the shadows of the building until his taillights disappeared around the corner, leaving behind the two lackeys in need of a lesson.
They had followed him out and stood near their cars, having a quiet conversation. Cross and Kevlar stayed on my six as we stepped out of the shadows, silent and lethal. My voice was dangerously calm when I spoke, carrying clearly across the parking lot. “You used the wrong woman.”
They both spun around, surprise flashing across their faces before quickly shifting to carefully constructed masks of neutrality.
But the initial shock had told me enough—they recognized us.
Or at least, they recognized the patch on our cuts.
My finger twitched with the urge to put a bullet in each of their skulls.
The only thing holding me back was the promise I’d made to King.
And maybe the understanding that keeping these fuckers alive for now was the only way to flush out their boss.
The younger and cockier one forced a laugh, stepping toward his car. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, man. Got the wrong guys.”
The older guy tried to move, but Kevlar was behind him before I even had to say a word, grabbing him roughly by the collar and jerking him back. “Stay put.”
I stepped toward the smug little shit and grabbed his wrist in a swift, controlled motion. My expression was bored as my grip tightened mercilessly until I felt bone give beneath my fingers. He let out a sharp cry, dropping his keys with a metallic clang to the pavement.
“You put my woman in danger,” I growled, my voice low and vicious, still barely above a whisper. Cross stepped forward and grabbed hold of the injured asshole before he could scramble away, his blubbering pleas falling on deaf ears.
Kevlar held the older one firmly in place, as I silently approached him. My gaze was icy calm and deadly. “That is unacceptable.”
Before he could form a word, I delivered a swift kick to his knee, feeling the satisfying crunch as his leg buckled and gave way.
A strangled scream broke from his lips, and I smiled coldly.
With a flick of my eyes, Kevlar let go of the jackass crying like a little pussy.
He started to collapse, but I caught him by the throat and yanked him up before he hit the pavement.
My fingers tightened, squeezing his windpipe until his eyes bulged.
“Tell your boss to back the fuck off,” I warned, every word laced with barely controlled rage. “Trust me, they don’t want the Hounds of Hellfire coming after them.”
His eyes widened further, panic flaring as his hands clawed weakly at my fingers.
I leaned closer, my voice dropping even lower. “And they really don’t want me coming after them if they even think about threatening my woman again.”
His face turned a mottled shade of red, and I felt him begin to lose consciousness. Finally, I loosened my grip just enough to let him gasp for air before his eyes rolled back and he sagged into oblivion. I dropped him like the garbage he was, letting his body crumple to the ground.
I turned back to the young one, his face pale and sweat beading on his forehead as Cross kept a firm grip on his arm. His eyes darted between Kevlar and me, clearly terrified. Good. He fucking should be.
Pulling my pistol from the waistband of my jeans, I racked it, then pressed the cold barrel against his forehead.
His eyes widened in panic, tears streaming down his face as he began to beg, his voice shaking uncontrollably. “Please, man. Don’t. We just—”
“Stay the fuck out of my perimeter,” I growled, cutting him off as I pressed the barrel harder into his skin. Before he could blink, I clocked him with the butt of my pistol, knocking him out cold. Cross released his grip, letting the guy drop to the pavement in a limp heap.
For a long moment, none of us moved or spoke. The silence was deafening, filled only by the harsh sound of our breathing. Kevlar finally broke the tension, nudging the younger guy’s body with his boot before he looked up at me.
“Think they’ll deliver your message?”
“They better.” My voice was tight, fury still simmering beneath the surface. “Otherwise, next time we won’t leave them breathing.”
Cross grunted his agreement, a humorless smirk twisting his lips. “I’m sure you’ll get the chance to feed them a bullet eventually.”
I shot him a dry look. “I’m counting on it.”
Kevlar snorted, glancing around at the deserted parking lot. “Gonna tell Echo to keep an eye on the building, just in case they decide to fuck around again.”
“Thanks.” I slipped my gun back into the waistband of my jeans, flexing my fingers slowly, the satisfaction of retribution not nearly enough to quell my rage completely. “Let’s get the fuck outta here.”
As we headed toward our bikes, adrenaline still coursed through my veins.
But when my thoughts shifted to Poppy, the sharp edges to my emotions softened a little.
She was safe—for now—but the threat was still there, lingering at the edges of my consciousness.
And I wouldn’t rest until every last trace of it had been destroyed.