Nitro
“How did he reach out?” he asked.
Of course, her father wanted to talk to her.
The Saints had no idea where they were hiding away, but if she met with her dad, they’d be able to track her.
He was bait, and if Aurora took it, she’d end up right back with the Saints.
He’d never let that happen. He planned on never letting her go again, not that he had told her that—but he would.
Her face was pale, eyes bright with something fragile and dangerous all at once. “It’s about my father, isn’t it?” she said quietly.
She lifted her chin. “I need to see him. It’s the only way to end all of this. If he settles his debt, I’ll no longer belong to the Saints. Maybe they’ll stop coming for me—for us.”
“That’s exactly what the Saints want,” Nitro snapped, then caught himself. He lowered his voice. “Aurora, listen to me. This isn’t about closure. This is leverage. They are using your father to get to you, and I won’t let that happen.”
Her hands trembled at her sides. “You don’t know that.
What if I can convince him to pay his debt, and they’ll leave me alone?
Isn’t that worth a shot?” He didn’t want to tell her that she was never going to be free from the Saints.
He didn’t want to take away her hope, but seeing her father was a horrible idea.
He didn’t want to help her; otherwise, he would have done so years ago.
“I know clubs like the Saints,” Nitro said grimly. “I know traffickers. They don’t let assets go without a hook in the water. This is their way of fishing for you, and I won’t let them catch you, Aurora.”
“He’s my father,” she whispered. “I should at least hear him out.”
Nitro’s chest tightened. “He sold you to the Saints without a second thought. You owe him nothing.” The words landed hard between them, and he felt bad about that.
She flinched—but didn’t look away. He had to hand it to her; she was as tough as they came, but Nitro had a feeling that she had to be after everything that she had been through.
“I know,” she said. “I never heard him admit it.” Her voice cracked. “I need to hear the truth. Everything that I’ve been told—it was all from the Saints. I need to hear the words from my father. I need him to admit what he did to me. It’s the only way that I’m going to be able to move forward.”
Nitro dragged a hand through his hair, anger and fear warring inside him. “The truth doesn’t always come out, honey. What happens if he doesn’t tell you what you need to hear?”
She stepped closer. “If he wants to talk to me, I want to face him. I need to do this, Nitro. I’ve had men making decisions for me my entire life.
I need to make this choice on my own.” Nitro stared at her, seeing things more clearly now.
This wasn’t about forgiveness. This was about reclaiming her power.
He held the phone back up to his ear. “Ghost,” Nitro said into the phone, never breaking eye contact with Aurora. “Lock it down. Nobody moves without my word. I won’t bring her in—not yet, and not without some guarantees.”
Ghost sighed. “You already know what I’m gonna say.”
“Yeah,” Nitro replied. “But I’m still saying no. This is a fucking awful idea, and I won’t be rushed into anything. We need to buy some time.”
Aurora reached for his arm. “Nitro—”
He softened immediately at her touch. “If you walk into this blind, you could die. I won’t let that happen. We’re going to take our time and think about our next move.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper. “If I don’t do this, I’ll always be his prisoner.” That hit harder than any threat from her father or the Saints.
Nitro turned away, pacing the room as he tried to figure out his next move. “All right,” he said finally. “Let’s say that I agree with you about talking to your father. Will you agree that we do this my way?”
Her breath hitched. “You’ll let me talk to him?” He wanted to point out that he wasn’t going to allow her to do anything. Honestly, she was the one calling the shots, as much as it pained him.
“I’ll control the meeting, but I don’t like any of this,” he corrected.
“We’ll do this on neutral ground. No phones.
No vehicles. And I want a full perimeter surveillance of our guys.
I’m calling in a few favors from my military buddies, too.
You’re never going to be alone with him.
I’ll be by your side the whole time.” He knew that he was making a lot of demands, but it was the only way that he’d be comfortable with her having this meeting with her father.
“And if he lies?” she asked. “Or betrays me to the Saints?”
“Then we end the conversation,” Nitro said coldly. “And I burn down his entire world. I’ll make sure that he’ll never be able to betray you ever again, honey.”
She studied his face. “You really think this is a Saints setup.”
“I don’t think it is,” Nitro said. “I know it is.”
Aurora nodded slowly. “Then, I’ll be walking into that meeting with my eyes wide open. I won’t let him get the best of me again.”
Nitro stepped close, resting his forehead against hers. “I won’t let them take you.”
She closed her eyes, leaning into him. “I know.” But her knowing the truth didn’t stop fear from coiling tight in his chest, because some traps were baited with exactly what people needed most. In this case, the bait was Aurora, and he hated that plan with a passion.
The Saints knew that blood, real blood, was the strongest lure of all.
Nitro didn’t sleep, which was nothing new for him.
Since Ghost’s call, he couldn’t bring himself to relax.
He sat at the small kitchen table in the safe house, maps were spread out everywhere, burner phones were lined up like chess pieces, and his coffee had gone cold beside his elbow.
Outside, the world kept turning—oblivious to the fact that men were about to disappear from it.
Because if he played things right, he planned on ending most of the Saints and Aurora’s father, if he didn’t cooperate.
One of the burner phones rang, and he quickly answered it, not wanting to wake up Aurora.
She needed to get her sleep if she was going to be ready for her showdown with her asshole father.
Ghost’s voice crackled softly through the secure line.
“The Saints are circling. They know that something's about to go down. They think they’re being subtle, but they’re not.
Our guys have spotted half a dozen or so of them. ”
“Let them think they have the upper hand,” Nitro said.
“We can use their arrogance to our advantage.” He tapped a spot on the map as though Ghost would be able to see what he was pointing at.
A derelict mill that sat just outside city limits was the perfect place to meet.
It would be neutral ground, since it had been abandoned long enough that no one would question activity there, but close enough that help could arrive fast if it was necessary.
“I know the perfect spot to meet,” Nitro said. “The old mill downtown.”
“That just might work. They’ll want it public enough to feel safe,” Ghost said.
“But not so public they can’t hide in the shadows,” Nitro finished.
Ghost hummed. “You’re thinking bait and echo.”
“Exactly. Aurora meets her father, and we know that the Saints will be watching. We let them move in thinking they’re in control.” Nitro’s eyes hardened. “That’s when we close the net.”
“You’re putting her in the middle,” Ghost said quietly. “Have you decided that you’re okay with using her as bait?”
Nitro’s jaw clenched. “She’s already in the middle of this shitshow.
This gives us sightlines. Besides, she won’t do this any other way.
She’s determined to have this end and believes that the only way to do that is to meet with her father and convince him to pay his debt so that the Saints let her go.
But you and I both know how they work. They’ll never let her go, and that’s why we’ll be waiting for them and setting our own trap. ”
He stood and paced, muscle memory guiding every decision since he was running on pure adrenaline.
“I want snipers on the ridge line, and eyes in the tree line. There needs to be two teams inside the old mill, hiding in the shadows. I also want a guy on the outside of the place, as a decoy. They’ll think that we’re being sloppy by only having one guy standing guard, but we’ll know better. ”
“And you?” Ghost asked. “Where will you be in all of this?” That was the easiest question of all for him to answer.
“I’m with her,” Nitro said instantly, “always.”
“You’re compromised,” Ghost said flatly.
Nitro didn’t deny it. When it came to Aurora, he was compromised. “I’m trained for situations like this. I’ve got her.” That was going to have to be enough. He was going to have to be enough to keep her safe.
He ended the call and turned just as Aurora stepped into the doorway.
She wore black. It was a simple outfit with no jewelry.
Her red hair was pulled back tight like she had put on her armor.
She looked calm—but he could see the tension in her shoulders, the way she held herself ready to bolt or fight, depending on what came first.
“You’re setting it up?” she asked.
“Yes,” he breathed.
“You think he’ll come alone?” she asked.
“Nope,” Nitro replied. “I think he’ll think he’s coming alone, but the Saints won’t be far behind.”
She nodded slowly. “I want ground rules,” Nitro said as he moved toward her, voice low and steady. “You don’t say anything you don’t want used against you. You don’t promise him anything. And the second you feel like something’s wrong, anything at all, we walk out of there.”
“And if he begs me to stay?” she asked quietly.
Nitro’s expression didn’t change. “Then we walk faster.”
She swallowed. “You’ll let me finish what I start?”
“I’ll let you, up to a certain point,” Nitro said.
Aurora studied him for a long moment. “You really think this ends tonight?”
“No,” Nitro said. “But it’s a start.” He reached for her hands, squeezing them into his own.
“This isn’t about closure. It’s about leverage.
We get him talking, and we’ll get the proof we need to gain your freedom.
We draw the Saints into the light, and they’ll end up having no choice but to let you go. ”
“And then?” she asked. “What happens if I ever get my freedom from the Saints?”
Nitro’s eyes went dark. “Then we don’t have to hide anymore. We can go anywhere and do anything. No one will be coming for you—not ever again.” She nodded, accepting the answer for what it was—and that was enough for him.
“Give me just a few, and I’ll be ready to go,” she breathed, as she turned to walk down the hallway to the master bedroom. Nitro felt like he was holding his damn breath as he watched her walk away.
He wasn’t afraid of the Saints. He was afraid of losing her because he misjudged something about their mission.
Nitro checked his weapons again and adjusted his jacket.
He slipped his comm into place and sighed, knowing that the shit was about to hit the fan—but he was ready for it.
He was ready to fight for the woman he had fallen in love with.
Nitro knew that the Iron Vipers were rolling into position, making his plans come to fruition. He knew that he could count on his club, and the guys he had called on the downlow—they’d have his back too. He could always lean on his military buddies, no matter how bad things got.
Nitro stepped out into the night and looked up at the sky, noting that it was overcast. They weren’t calling for rain, but it sure felt like it was going to.
It didn’t matter, though, because nothing was going to stop him from doing this mission.
He’d spent his life walking into traps designed by worse men than the Saints.
The difference this time? He was the one setting a trap that none of the Saints would survive.