42. Brick
42
brICK
“East entrance clear!” The report crackles through my earpiece as another explosion rocks the warehouse. “Moving to sector three.”
I duck behind the forklift, checking my ammo. Four rounds left, one spare clip. Enough for what comes next.
“Copy that,” I respond, signaling to Teller across the warehouse floor. “Drive them toward the loading bay. Ryder, status?”
“Upper floor secured,” my brother’s voice comes through. “Cypher’s down but alive. Rowan’s work.”
Pride surges through me at those words. Rowan took down her own father. The woman never stops surprising me.
Through the smoke, I spot Clay and Kip flanking the north entrance, cutting off the last escape route. The remaining Vipers are being funneled exactly where we want them—trapped between the loading bay doors and our closing forces.
Five years at Cerberus taught us how to plan for contingencies. Four months with Rowan taught us what we’re willing to fight for.
A Viper rushes my position, desperation making him reckless. I sidestep his attack, using his momentum to slam him into the concrete pillar. He crumples without a sound.
“Brick!” Maddox’s voice cuts through the din. “Over here!”
I spot him through the chaos, and my heart stutters. Rowan stands beside him, bloodied but upright, a gun held with familiar confidence in her hands. She moves like someone born to violence, each step precise, each shot deliberate.
She’s magnificent.
“Clear a path to the south exit,” I order through the comms. “We’re bringing her out.”
Three Black Wolves members immediately adjust position, creating a corridor through the fighting. I make my way to Maddox and Rowan, taking down another Viper who tries to intercept me.
“You okay?” I ask when I reach them, eyes scanning Rowan for serious injuries.
“Better than them,” she answers, a fierce grin lighting her face despite the blood streaking her cheek. “Where’s Ryder?”
“Upper floor, mopping up.” I check her bloody forehead, relieved to find only a shallow cut. “Let’s get you out of here.”
“Not yet.” She grabs my arm, stopping me. “My father?—”
“Is no longer your concern,” I tell her firmly. “Teller’s men will handle him.”
Her eyes flash with determination. “I need to finish this.”
“Together,” Maddox says, exchanging a look with me over her head. “We finish this together.”
The radio at my hip squawks. “Brick, we’ve got trouble.” Teller’s voice, tense. “Cypher’s men outside are using the girl as a shield.”
My blood runs cold. “What girl? I thought Rose had Emma.”
“Not Emma. Younger. Maybe sixteen. Says she’s another daughter.”
Rowan freezes. “Penny,” she whispers, horror dawning on her face. “He wouldn’t.”
“Who’s Penny?” Maddox demands.
“Half-sister. Not Dad’s, though. Penny’s his new wife’s daughter. Dad adopted her. We’re not close, so I haven’t been in touch with her since I ran off. They don’t even live in San Francisco. Why would he bring her here?”
I grab her arm as she starts to move toward the exit. “It could be a trap.”
“I don’t care.” The look in her eyes brooks no argument. “She’s innocent. I’m not leaving her with him.”
Another explosion rocks the building, this one closer to the main support beams. Dust and debris rain down from the ceiling.
“This place won’t hold much longer,” Maddox warns.
Decision time. Get Rowan to safety, or trust her to help save her sister. The old me—Cerberus operative, cold strategist—would’ve chosen the sure bet. But loving Rowan has changed me.
“Ryder,” I call into the comms. “North entrance. Cypher’s using another hostage. Rowan’s sister.”
“On it,” comes the immediate response.
I turn to Rowan. “We do this smart. No heroics.”
She nods. “I know how he thinks. Let me talk to him first.”
The north entrance is a standoff when we arrive. Six Vipers with guns trained on Teller’s men, who have them surrounded in turn. At the center stands a bald giant—the same one from the diner—holding a terrified teenage girl in front of him like a shield. Behind them, a black SUV idles, ready for escape.
No sign of Cypher himself. Wounded or not, the snake knows when to slither away.
Rowan steps forward, putting herself between both sides. “Stop!” Her voice carries across the lot, authority ringing in every syllable. “Let her go, Scratch. This isn’t her fight.”
The bald man—Scratch, apparently—hesitates. “Leona?”
“It’s over,” she continues, taking another step forward. “Dad’s wounded. The warehouse is falling. Cut your losses.”
Scratch’s grip on the girl tightens. “Boss says no one leaves until he does.”
“Boss is lying in his own blood upstairs,” Rowan counters. “And half your crew is already down.”
I scan rooftops and shadows as they talk, spotting Ryder on the warehouse’s north corner, rifle ready. Our eyes meet briefly. He has the shot if needed.
The girl—Penny—stares at Rowan with wide eyes. “Leo?” she whispers. “They said you were dead.”
“Not yet,” Rowan says softly. “Let her go, Scratch. Or I swear to god, I’ll put a bullet in your knee like I did to my father.”
Scratch’s eyes widen at that. “You shot Cypher?”
“And I’ll shoot you too if you don’t release my sister in the next five seconds.”
I’ve never seen this side of Rowan—cold and commanding. It’s like watching a different woman step into her skin.
Four Vipers exchange nervous glances. Their loyalty is fracturing without Cypher’s direct presence.
“You heard her,” I add, stepping up beside Rowan. “It’s over. Walk away now, everyone lives.”
“Teller won’t let us just leave,” one Viper argues.
“He will if I tell him to,” I counter. “One-time offer. Take it or join your friends inside.”
Another explosion punctuates my words, the warehouse’s west wall partially collapsing. The distraction is all we need.
Ryder’s shot takes out the back tire of the SUV, eliminating their escape. Simultaneously, Maddox rushes Scratch from the blind side, tackling him away from Penny. I grab the girl, pulling her clear of the fighting as Teller’s men surge forward.
The remaining Vipers, seeing their advantage lost, drop their weapons one by one.
“You okay?” I ask Penny, keeping her behind me as the Black Wolves secure the surrendering men.
She nods, shell-shocked but unharmed. “Where’s my dad?”
Before I can answer, a shot rings out from the tree line beyond the lot. I spin, pushing Penny down.
Cypher emerges from the shadows, limping but upright, gun raised. Blood soaks his pant leg where Rowan shot him, but determination burns in his eyes.
“Leona!” he shouts. “Get in the truck. Now!”
For a heartbeat, the entire scene freezes. Rowan stands in the open.
“No.” The word is simple but definitive. “It’s over, Dad.”
“It’s never over,” he snarls, adjusting his aim toward me. “Not while they live.”
“Drop it, Cypher.” Rose’s voice cuts through the tension as she steps from the shadows behind him, gun pressed to the back of his head. “Game’s done.”
Cypher stiffens but doesn’t lower his weapon. “FBI bitch. Should’ve known you’d show up.”
“Been here all along,” Rose replies coolly. “You’re just not as good as you think you are.”
“How’d you find us?” Cypher demands, still focused on Rowan.
“We’ve been tracking you for weeks,” I explain, keeping Penny safely behind me. “Since Matthews warned us you were coming.”
“But Emma?—”
“Was never in danger,” Rose finishes. “She’s been under our protection since your men showed up on her campus. Your phone call to Rowan was just what we needed to bring you into the open.”
Cypher’s face contorts with rage and disbelief. “You set me up. My own daughter set me up.”
“No, Dad.” Rowan steps forward, standing tall despite the blood and dirt covering her. “You set yourself up the moment you tried to own me.”
Several black SUVs pull into the lot. Cerberus, right on schedule. Matthews steps from the lead vehicle, surveying the scene with clinical detachment.
“Cypher.” He nods like they’re meeting for coffee. “Been looking for you.”
“Fuck you,” Cypher spits, but his defeat is evident in the slump of his shoulders.
Cerberus agents surround him, taking his weapon and securing his hands behind his back. Throughout it all, his eyes never leave Rowan.
“You think you’re free now?” he calls to her as they lead him away. “You’ll never be free of what you are. What I made you.”
Rowan straightens, squaring her shoulders. “You’re right. I am what you made me,” she agrees. “Strong enough to walk away. Smart enough to find something better. And ruthless enough to put you down when you threaten what’s mine, you psychopath!”
Pride swells in my chest at her words.
Matthews approaches us as the Cerberus agents secure the remaining Vipers. “You boys know how to throw a party,” he comments dryly. “Half the warehouse district is in flames. An interstate MC war. Quite the spectacle.”
“Just doing our civic duty,” Maddox replies with a grin that doesn’t reach his eyes.
Matthews snorts. “We’ll take it from here. Cypher will be enjoying federal hospitality for the foreseeable future.” He glances at Rowan, something like respect in his gaze. “You did good, Ms. Callahan. Or should I say, Ms. Cypher?”“
“It’s Kane,” I correct him. “She’s with us now.”
Rowan’s startled look shifts into a smile that warms me from the inside out.
“So I see.” Matthews nods. “Our business is concluded, then. Cerberus thanks you for your service.”
“Keep your thanks,” Ryder says, appearing at my side. “Just keep your word. We’re done. Permanently.”
“Agreed.” Matthews extends his hand. “No more calls. No more missions. You boys have earned your retirement.”
I shake his hand, feeling the weight of five years lifting from my shoulders. “Make sure he never sees daylight again.”
“Count on it.” With that, Matthews turns back to his team, barking orders about prisoner transport and evidence collection.
Penny steps forward hesitantly. “What happens to me now? Mom passed a month after you and Emma ran off.”
Rowan pulls her into a hug. “You’re coming home with us. With Emma. We’re family, and family sticks together.”
Over Rowan’s shoulder, Penny’s eyes meet mine, uncertain and hopeful. I nod reassuringly. There’s room in our lives for her too.
As Cerberus cleans up our mess, we gather our people. The Black Wolves suffered no fatalities, though several have injuries that need attention. The diner is shot to hell, and the warehouse district is partially in flames. But Wolf Pike still stands, and so do we.
“Let’s go home,” I tell my brothers and the woman who’s become the center of our world.