Chapter 16
CAGE
My phone shattered the quiet morning I was spending with my girl with a harsh vibration against the end table. She’d fallen asleep against me while reading a book, and I sat up carefully, trying not to wake her as one hand reached out to silence the intrusive sound.
When I saw Jax’s name flashing across the screen, every muscle in my body tightened, adrenaline hitting my veins. Instinct told me this wasn’t a friendly call or other club business.
“Yeah?” I growled, carefully slipping off the couch to avoid jostling Hadley too much. She was on her side, a throw blanket tangled around her hips. Just seeing her lying there, so damn beautiful, woke the possessive streak deep inside me even as Jax’s urgent voice filled my ear.
“We have a fucking problem, Cage.” A razor’s edge cut through his usually calm demeanor. “They noticed us digging. The network is reacting, scrambling hard. They know someone’s uncovered the truth, and Hadley is now their biggest threat.”
My chest constricted painfully. “Fuck. How bad?”
“They’re panicking. Their comms are blowing up, talking about eliminating any liabilities. Hadley’s name is coming up, brother. We need to get her somewhere safe, right fucking now.”
My blood ran cold, every protective instinct in me roaring to life. “Bringing her to the compound now. She’s going on fucking lockdown.”
Hadley stirred slightly at my raised voice, her eyes fluttering open in sleepy confusion as I ended the call abruptly and moved swiftly to her side.
My heart thudded heavily as I sank onto the edge of the couch, cupping her face gently in my palm, my thumb brushing the delicate curve of her cheekbone.
She blinked up at me, instantly alert at the tension she must’ve felt radiating from my body. “What’s wrong?”
I took a breath, forcing the icy rage simmering beneath my ribs into careful, controlled words. “We need to talk, Hadley.”
She sat up quickly, pulling the blanket around herself like a protective shield, her pretty eyes wide with alarm.
Her lips pressed together as she reached instinctively for my hand.
The fact that she immediately leaned into me, trusting me without thought, hit me harder than I expected.
I tightened my grip, grounding both of us for the truth I was about to lay out.
I didn’t sugarcoat a damn thing. I told her everything Jax had uncovered—he’d confirmed everything I’d told her before. Then I told her what his call had been about this morning. Each word was delivered carefully but unflinchingly, leaving no doubt about the stakes we were facing.
She listened silently, her face pale but composed, absorbing each revelation with the kind of quiet strength I’d come to recognize. When I finished, I watched her closely, waiting for her to pull back, to question me or crumble beneath the weight of it all.
Instead, she leaned toward me, her hands squeezing mine as she steadied herself.
“I trust you,” she whispered, her voice clear and unwavering despite the fear flickering in her gaze. “Whatever you think we need to do, I’ll do it. I know you’ll keep me safe.”
The raw vulnerability in her trust cracked something deep in my chest. I pulled her close, pressing my lips to her forehead, breathing her in and committing myself to never fucking letting her down. “Damn right I will.”
The following day, every nerve ending I had was on high alert, my muscles tight and ready.
The compound buzzed with tense energy, brothers moving with lethal purpose as we planned and prepared for the threat we knew was coming.
I’d barely stepped out of the war room when Jax’s call came through again, dark urgency threading his voice.
“They made a move,” he bit out sharply. “Intercepted comms—they’ve officially put out a hit on Hadley. They’ve hired someone. Cage, it’s no longer wait-and-see. We’ve got to act first.”
My vision darkened, the raw fury that surging through me was so intense it left me momentarily speechless. “Understood. I’ll handle it.”
I found Kane and Edge immediately, pulling them into the office and laying it out with ruthless efficiency.
We spoke quietly, strategizing in terse, clipped sentences.
The room vibrated with quiet intensity, the lethal precision of men who’d spent years facing down threats and always coming out on top.
There was no doubt or hesitation. Hadley was family now—she belonged to the Redline Kings as much as she belonged to me. And nobody fucked with what was ours.
“We hit first.” Kane’s gaze was cold. “Before they even think about touching her, we take out the hitman, then dismantle their network piece by fucking piece.”
Edge nodded, his expression dark and eyes a little wild. “Agreed. They chose the wrong family to threaten. Time to send a fucking message.”
I nodded, my jaw tight as I glanced toward the lounge where Hadley sat surrounded by the old ladies. “Gonna keep her here at the compound until we’ve eliminated the threat. Complete lockdown.”
Edge nodded. “You know it’s the safest place for her.”
I flicked my chin in acknowledgement then stalked out of Kane’s office and stepped into the nearest empty one to make another call. Hadley’s mother picked up on the third ring.
“This is Cage,” I told her gruffly.
Her voice was wary but perfectly polite as she greeted me. I wanted to roll my eyes. Even with all their disapproval and shit, she couldn’t help projecting that perfect image.
“Get your husband on the line. Not gonna say this twice.”
She was silent at first, probably debating whether to drop the act and tell me to go fuck myself, but then she murmured, “Just a moment.”
A few seconds later, Frederick’s deep voice came across the line. “What’s this about Duvall?”
“Listen carefully. We know the truth. I don’t care if it exposes you—I need every shred of information you have about the people who sold Hadley to you. Because those same motherfuckers now want her eliminated.”
Silence stretched taut, broken only by Danielle’s sharp intake of breath on the other end of the call. Then Frederick responded, his voice controlled but shaken. “We’ll send everything we have. Whatever it takes.”
“You damn well better,” I growled. “If anything happens to Hadley, there won’t be a hole deep enough for you to hide from me.”
I ended the call without waiting for a reply, turning back toward the lounge, every nerve locked into deadly focus. Hadley was mine to protect and avenge. I’d rain hell on anyone who dared threaten her again.
When my phone rang again later that evening, I was relieved to see Frederick calling. My jaw clenched as I answered, prepared for more empty platitudes or political maneuvering. But his voice was stripped of its usual careful polish as he began to speak.
“We’re sending you everything we have. Danielle and I used our contacts, called in every favor we had left.” His pause was punctuated by a weary sigh. “We have names, for you. Addresses. Details on the people who run the operation. The organization that provided Hadley to us.”
I’d demanded answers from them, but I’d expected pushback or evasion. Not cooperation, and certainly not sacrifice. “You realize what this means for you? For your reputation?”
There was a pause, long and weighted, before he answered, “Hadley is our daughter. Regardless of the mistakes we made, we won’t allow her to be harmed. Do what you must with the information. Keep her safe.”
The line clicked off, leaving me staring at the phone, a low ache spreading through my chest. Her parents had come through for her after all, when it truly mattered.
It wouldn’t erase the damage they’d caused, the truths they’d hidden, or their ongoing disappointment in Hadley’s choices.
But tonight, they’d shown a glimpse of something genuine beneath their carefully crafted veneer.
I tucked my phone back in my pocket and headed for the room we were using in the clubhouse. Hadley sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed, her hair still damp from the shower, dressed in only one of my T-shirts.
“Everything okay?” she asked, setting her e-reader aside, her eyes flickering with cautious curiosity. “You look intense.”
I sank onto the bed beside her, taking her hand and threading our fingers together. I took a deep breath, meeting her gaze steadily. “Your parents just called.”
Her brows knit together instantly, worry tightening her expression. “Did something happen?”
“They came through, Hadley.” My thumb stroked gently over her knuckles.
“I asked them to give me everything they had on the people who took you. I didn’t think they’d cooperate, but not only did they share everything about the organization behind it, they used their connections to track down names, locations, and key players.
They handed us exactly what we need to shut down the whole motherfucking operation. ”
Her lips parted softly in shock, her eyes wide and unblinking. “They really did that? Even knowing what it could cost them?”
“Yeah, they came through for you.” I leaned closer, cupping her cheek gently, forcing her to hold my gaze.
“It doesn’t fix what they did or how they raised you, Hadley.
But it proves there’s some small part of them capable of truly caring about your safety.
Even if they can’t accept the life you want to lead, they’re putting your life first, at least this once. ”
Hadley released a shaky breath, her eyes glistening, a storm of emotions swirling behind them. “I don’t know what to do with that. They bought me and raised me in a lie. How am I supposed to reconcile it?”
“You don’t have to forgive them, baby. Hell, you don’t even have to fully understand them.
” I brushed my thumb across her cheek, grounding her.
“But it’s okay to acknowledge that there’s some fragment of love beneath all the bullshit.
They showed that tonight. Doesn’t mean your relationship won’t always be strained, if you choose to have one with them going forward.
But they cared enough to do this, knowing it could ruin them. I thought you deserved to know.”
She nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I appreciate it. Really, I do. But it doesn’t change where I want to be, Thayer. I don’t belong with them. I never really did.”
I cupped her face gently between my palms, tilting her head back so her lips were lifted toward mine. “Where do you belong, baby?”
She smiled through her tears, her voice steady and certain as she reached up to hold my wrists, anchoring herself to me. “Right here. With you. Always with you.”
“Damn straight.” I leaned in and brushed a slow, possessive kiss over her lips, claiming her softly but completely. “You’re it for me, Hadley.”
She breathed a quiet laugh, the sound both relieved and tender as she whispered against my mouth, “Good. Because you’re it for me too. I love you, Thayer.”
My heart slammed against my ribs, emotion roaring through me like wildfire. I tightened my hold, dragging her flush against my chest and catching her mouth in a kiss that wasn’t gentle.
“I love you too,” I murmured roughly, my voice unyielding against her lips. “No matter what happens next, how many people try to interfere, or what truths we must face, nothing will change that. I won’t ever fucking let you go.”
She sank into me, her arms wrapping tightly around my neck, holding me as if she never intended to let go. Every part of me burned for her, and I knew without question—this woman was mine, now and forever. No lies, secrets, or outside threat would ever fucking change that.