Chapter 28
CARRIE
Ican barely breathe. The words echo in my head, ringing out even as the room buzzes with voices and questions. Jinn, working with the ATF, his betrayal far more complex than a spider web, more than I could ever imagine.
I feel like the floor is shifting beneath me, nothing solid anymore.
I turn to Marcy, my voice trembling. “What do you mean he planned it for weeks?
Marcy meets my eyes, her face drawn and tired. “You remember those nights he’d disappear? The first time was when he was dealing that designer speed—alpha-PVP, or whatever the hell they called it. He got caught. Someone tipped off the cops.”
Jace shakes his head.
Marcy draws in a shaky breath, her fingers twisting in the blanket on her lap. “Jinn stole a lot of money from the locker,” she says quietly. “He knew it was only a matter of time before someone noticed, especially Jace. He was always the one keeping track, always asking questions.”
Jace stiffens but doesn’t interrupt. Marcy glances at him, then down at her hands. “He had to move fast. That’s why he set you up that night. He needed you out of the way before you could start digging or bring anyone else in.”
Levi mutters, “So it was all about covering his own ass.”
Marcy nods. “Exactly.” She sits close to me, knees tucked to her chest, her voice barely above a whisper. “That night, I was asleep on Jinn’s bed. I felt sick—guilty about what we’d done to you, Carrie. I never wanted to hurt you like that.”
I watch her, trying to hold back tears. Marcy looks smaller than I remember, worn down.
She swallows hard. “It was still dark when Jinn shook me awake. He said we had to move, and we had to do it now. We left before the sun was up. He wouldn’t tell me why, just kept saying we needed to be far away when it all went down.”
She wraps her arms tighter around herself. “We ended up crashing in this penthouse a few towns over. Fancy place, way above what we could ever afford. I asked him how he got it. That’s when he hit me for the first time.”
Her voice trembles, but she keeps going. “He started getting paranoid after that. I’d hear him whispering on the phone, never using names. He wouldn’t let me leave, barely let me eat. I knew something was wrong.”
She glances up at the guys, then at me. “A few weeks later, this man shows up at the apartment. Jinn was on edge, nervous in a way I’d never seen. I waited until he went down to meet the guy, then I followed him and took a picture.”
She fumbles with her phone, scrolling with shaking fingers, and finally holds it out for us to see.
The image is blurry, shot through a window and half-obscured by glare, but there’s no mistaking the scene.
Jinn stands beside a tall man, both out of range, and behind them, a dark sedan is parked at the curb.
I know that car. The last time I saw it was at the motel, idling just outside my room. The sight of it fills me with dread.
My voice is barely a breath. “Rodriguez.”
I look up at Marcy, at the guys, at the room suddenly gone still. “Jinn is working with Rodriguez.”
The moment the words leave my mouth, the room explodes. Jace, Levi, and Nico curse under their breath.
“Fuck,” Nico says. “That’s why the guy is so hell-bent on sending us away.”
I suck in a breath. It does make sense. How could I not see through his intentions?
Suddenly I feel dizzy, cold from the inside out. My hands go numb and the room tilts. I slump back against the couch but before I can fall, Jace catches me. His arms are strong around my waist, steadying me, but I can barely breathe.
Marcy is next to me, reaching for my face, worry etched across her bruises. “Carrie, are you okay?”
I want to answer her, to reassure everyone, but nothing comes out. I’m lost in the wave of guilt and betrayal, a thousand moments crashing down at once. I was close to Jinn. I trusted Marcy. I never saw any of it.
Jace answers for me, his voice gentler than I expect. “She’s pregnant. With Jinn’s kid.”
Marcy’s face crumples, eyes wide with pain and regret. “I’m so sorry, Carrie. I’m so, so sorry.”
That breaks whatever was holding me together. I press my hands to my face and sob, everything pouring out—fear, shame, grief, and a longing for a life that’s already slipped away. My sister’s arms close around me, and I let myself fall into her, finally letting the tears come.
All I can think is how I was working with the very man who set out to destroy the men I love. I helped him without even knowing. And I can’t take any of it back.
“It’s all my fault, all my fault. How could I be so blind?”
Levi kneels down beside me, his hand gentle on my shoulder. His voice is quiet but sure. “Carrie, this isn’t your fault. You got us out of there. None of us would even be alive if you hadn’t.”
I lift my head, tears streaking down my cheeks. He squeezes my arm, holding my gaze so I can’t look away. For a moment, the shame in my chest lightens just a little.
Jace stands behind him, a rare softness in his voice. “He’s right. And…I know I never apologized for the way I spoke to you that day in the library. I was angry, and I let my fear get the best of me. You didn’t deserve that.”
Whale moves across the room, peering through the dusty window blinds. “There’s something out there,” he mutters.
Levi straightens, alert. “What is it?”
Whale doesn’t take his eyes off the window. “Cops, maybe. Could be nothing.”
Nico comes up beside them, already tensed. “We can’t ignore it. Even if it’s a false alarm, it’s not safe to wait and see.”
Jace nods, urgency in his voice. “Let’s move. Take Carrie and Marcy out back—use the outbuilding. We can figure out what’s happening from there.”
The others start moving, gathering up whatever they need. Levi turns to me, eyes steady. “Come on, I’ll carry you.”
Heat floods my cheeks. “I can walk. You don’t have to—”
He just grins and scoops me up like it’s nothing. “I can barely feel you, Carrie. You’re light as air.”
I want to protest, but his arms are warm and solid, and right now I need the comfort more than my pride. I press my face to his shoulder, holding on as we hurry through the back door and into the chill of dusk.
Behind us, Marcy and Jace follow, moving fast and quiet. The air outside smells like cold grass and old smoke. I can feel Levi’s heartbeat against my side, steady and certain.
Levi carries me across the cold grass, careful not to jostle me. The outbuilding stands at the edge of the yard, half-hidden by overgrown shrubs and the last traces of twilight. I can hear Marcy’s footsteps behind us, with Jace and Nico following behind her.
As we reach the outbuilding, Levi nudges the door open with his shoulder and steps inside.
The small space smells faintly of cedar and dust, the shadows deep but familiar.
Levi sets me down gently, and my cheeks warm as a memory flashes through my mind—the last time I was here, tangled up with the three of them, breathless and desperate for more.
I try not to look too closely, but a torn scrap of pale fabric in the corner catches my eye—my old panties, abandoned in the rush of that night.
I look away quickly, heart fluttering for reasons I can’t name.
Jace and Levi move around the small space, grabbing old blankets and couch cushions from the shelves and corners. Nico finds an old couch pushed against the far wall and helps lay everything out, making a soft, lumpy bed in the middle of the room.
“Here,” Levi says, patting the makeshift nest. “Get comfortable. You need to rest.”
Jace brings over a battered pillow, tucking it behind my back. Marcy curls up at my side, her head resting on my shoulder, the two of us clinging to each other for comfort. The guys settle nearby, eyes alert but trying to keep things calm.
I lie on the couch, eyes wide open in the dark, Marcy curled up beside me, already breathing slow and deep.
Sleep won’t come, no matter how hard I try to shut out the day.
Every sound outside makes me tense. Every time I close my eyes, I see the lights from the window, or Rodriguez’s car, or Jinn’s cold stare.
Levi is close, stretched out on the floor next to the couch, his head propped on a rolled-up jacket. I can feel him watching me in the dim light. After a while, I give up pretending.
“You awake?” I whisper, barely louder than the breeze outside.
He turns his head, voice soft. “Yeah. Too much on my mind, I guess.”
I shift, careful not to wake Marcy, and stare at the ceiling. “Are you scared?” My voice is small, but I don’t try to hide it.
Levi’s quiet a long moment before answering. “Yeah, I am. We’ve never been up against someone like Rodriguez before. He’s got the law on his side—and too many people looking the other way.”
I nod, biting my lip. “I keep thinking about the baby. What happens if something goes wrong? What if we can’t run anymore, or we get caught, or…” I trail off, my heart thudding in my chest.
Levi pushes himself up so we’re almost face-to-face, his eyes steady on mine. “Hey. I can’t promise anything, but I do know this—we’ll keep you safe. All of us. No matter what.”
I swallow hard, tears pricking my eyes. “Sometimes I wonder how I’m supposed to do this.”
Levi squeezes my hand a little tighter. “Your baby’s going to have us. All of us. We’re going to get through this, Carrie. I swear it.”
His words wrap around my fear, quieting it for the first time in days. I squeeze back, blinking away tears I don’t want him to see.
Somewhere in the dark, Marcy shifts and sighs, settling deeper into sleep. Levi doesn’t move from the floor. He just stays close, his presence steady and calm.
It’s the last thing I remember before sleep finally claims me.
When I wake, pale light is creeping through the cracks in the boards. Marcy is still asleep, but Levi hasn’t moved far—he’s still beside me on the floor, our hands still joined. My palm is warm in his, and for a moment, nothing else matters.
Jace sits up, his ears almost perking up.
“What?”
“Someone’s coming,” he says, up in an instant. Even Nico opens his eyes and sits up.
Jace looks out the window and his stance relaxes. “It’s Whale.”
The door swings open and Whale steps inside, balancing a cardboard tray full of steaming coffee cups and, tucked to one side, a little paper cup of green tea.
“Morning,” he grumbles, setting the tray on the makeshift table. “Cops showed up at the clubhouse. Asking questions. That Rodriguez guy was with them too. Looks like they’ve set up base in town.”
I sit up, pulse fluttering. “Oh no.”
Whale hands me the green tea and gives me a wink. “Don’t worry, I don’t think they’ll bother with the back lot. Not after I threatened to shoot them for trespassing on private property.”
Levi sits up, rubbing his eyes, grinning. “You said that to a government agent?”
Whale shrugs, grabbing his own coffee. “Funny thing—he said the same thing right back.”
Jace and Nico both snort, and for a second, the tension lifts.
Whale blows on his coffee, eyes scanning the room. “What do we do about this mess?” he asks, voice flat.
Nico leans forward, elbows on his knees. “We need to talk to Wilson Decker. That motherfucker disappeared on us.”
Whale nods, scratching his beard. “He’s still in town, far as I know. But it’s risky—especially with Rodriguez hunting you down.”
Levi glances around the room, voice steady. “I’ve got a plan. It’s dangerous, but I think it can work.”
Jace looks up, eyebrow raised. “Let’s hear it.”
Levi glances at me, then at the window. “We take some of the bikes parked out front. Rodriguez isn’t going to mess with a couple of bikers unless he’s got a reason—and with helmets on, he won’t recognize us.”
Nico nods, a hint of a grin flickering. “That’s fucking suicide, but I love it.”
“I’m not on board,” Jace says, shaking his head.
“You don’t have to be,” Levi says. “Just stay here with Carrie. She’s the most important part of this job anyway.”
My throat fills with a lump. I hate that they have to keep making hard choices, all because I messed up.
Nico sets his coffee down with a clink. “We won’t go alone. We’ll take Whale—just in case Rodriguez decides to cross paths with us.”
Whale just shakes his head but doesn’t refuse. Loyalty burns deep in their blood, all of them.
Jace frowns, but after a moment, he nods. “All right. I’ll stay back with Carrie and Marcy. Keep the fort down here.”
I feel a squeeze of relief and worry at the same time, grateful that Jace will be close. He gives my hand a reassuring squeeze, his thumb brushing my knuckles.
Whale finishes his coffee, looking between us all. “Let’s get this done before the whole damn town wakes up.”
Nico and Levi head for the door, Whale following, the three of them already slipping into that focused, ready-for-anything energy I remember from better days.