Chapter 15
REBEL
Two days later, I was hunched over my desk at the downtown office, a rough spread of schematics laid out across the polished surface in front of me.
The original blueprints we’d managed to dig up were fucking worthless now, thanks to the renovations the assholes running the black site had put in place.
I traced my finger along the building’s outer perimeter, my jaw tight with frustration.
Piecing together the new layout was painstaking work, dependent entirely on brief glimpses through windows and scraps of conversation we’d picked up through our audio surveillance.
Echo and Cross had fed me descriptions over comms, their voices low and intense as they reported back, painting a patchwork image of the interior layout.
We were damn lucky these fuckers hadn’t brought in any new prisoners recently, giving us the breathing room we needed to carefully map the place out.
We’d been watching closely, knowing that when we made our move, it had to be precise and lethal.
No mistakes. But the clock was ticking in the back of my head, a nagging feeling warning me that we were approaching our deadline.
My phone buzzed on the desk beside me, shattering the quiet concentration that had settled around me. I grabbed it, answering immediately when I saw Echo’s name flash across the screen.
“Rebel,” he barked without preamble, his voice tight with tension.
“They brought someone new in last night. Surveillance caught him speaking, and there’s something familiar about his voice.
But I can’t place the fucker. Wizard’s tied up right now.
Skye’s sick, so he’s out. I’ll get Cruze to try to pull a visual from one of the feeds, but for now, all we’ve got is audio. ”
I cursed softly under my breath, shoving the schematics aside as I grabbed my laptop. “Send it over. I’ll run voice recognition.”
I fired up the secure software, my fingers flying rapidly over the keys as the audio file Echo sent pinged in my inbox.
I opened it and hit play, the static-filled sound filtering through the laptop speakers.
At first, it was barely audible—just distant voices muffled by the walls.
But then a man’s voice rose clearer, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Ice-cold recognition shot down my spine, making every muscle in my body coil tight.
I knew that fucking voice, had heard it before in the shadows of a previous club operation, one that had nearly gone sideways and risked exposing some of the people we protected—whose new lives depended entirely on the secrecy we provided.
The bastard they’d captured knew things we’d fought hard to keep buried.
The threat had just gone from pressing to deadly fucking urgent in a single heartbeat.
“Fuck,” I growled, my voice rough with barely contained fury.
Echo caught the shift in my tone instantly. “You know him?”
“I’m positive it’s Pietro Sullivan,” I bit out, my fingers tightening on the phone until my knuckles ached.
"Wasn't he a client?” Echo asked, and I could practically hear his scowl in his voice.
“Yup. We dealt with that motherfucker three years ago. If it’s him, and he’s surfaced, he could out other cases and fuck with everything we’ve built.”
“King is gonna be on a warpath for that one,” Echo muttered.
I grunted in agreement. “We need to do this now. This isn’t a wait-and-see situation anymore.”
Understood,” Echo responded swiftly. “We’ll keep combing the audio to try and figure out where they are holding him in the facility. How are the schematics coming?”
“Got enough to make the breach. Coulda been more detailed, but this is bad enough that we need to end it fast.” My jaw clenched as I stood, already grabbing my jacket and keys. “Tell King I’m headed over. We have to shut this shit down ASAP.”
“Copy that,” Echo replied.
I disconnected, shoving the phone roughly into my pocket, my mind racing at a furious pace.
The black site had just become an immediate threat to everything we stood for—our protection, secrecy, and fucking reputation.
No way we’d let these motherfuckers keep operating on our territory, especially now that we knew they’d taken Sullivan.
And whoever the fuck else they’d snatched.
As I stalked toward the door, I couldn’t help but think of Clara. Her soft, trusting expression and vulnerability. A surge of protectiveness tightened in my chest, hard and uncompromising. I needed to make sure she was safe and completely untouched by the storm that was about to hit.
The ride to the orchard was a blur, my mind laser-focused on the information Echo had delivered, every muscle in my body coiled tight with tension.
The late afternoon sun was beginning to dip lower as my bike roared beneath me, eating up the miles back to Clara as my thoughts churned over the next moves the club would have to make.
I barely killed the engine before my phone vibrated in my pocket.
The screen flashed with Wizard’s name, and I immediately answered the call. The quiet background noise of his keyboard clicking rapid-fire behind his words. “Got the confirmation from Cruze. We’ve got a visual from the surveillance feed. I’m running facial recognition now.”
I clenched the phone tighter, my jaw tight as I paced a short distance away from Clara. “And?”
There was a short pause, the sound of Wizard’s fingers flying across the keys growing louder. I could almost picture him hunched over his desk, his eyes narrowed intently on the screens, tracking data faster than anyone I’d ever known.
When he finally spoke, the quiet fury simmering beneath his voice was unmistakable. “It’s who we thought. Confirmed it two ways through our databases.”
Ice shot down my spine, my grip on the phone tightening until my knuckles turned white.
Sullivan was supposed to be locked down tight—buried in a secure location so deep and dark he’d never fucking resurface.
And now here he was, captured and dragged into the middle of this shitstorm we’d uncovered right at our doorstep.
If the assholes running this facility got even a hint of what he knew, lives we’d sworn to protect could be at risk, including our own.
“We need to move our asses,” I ground out roughly. “We gotta take this down tonight.”
“Agreed,” he replied gruffly. “Prez is already pulling everyone together. We’re meeting in thirty to finalize a plan. Echo, Kevlar, Cross, and Fallon are headed in now.”
“I’ll be there soon as I grab Clara. Want her secure in the clubhouse before we ride.”
Wizard grunted in agreement, then he hesitated before saying, “It’s the safest place for her. Trust that, or you’ll be distracted, and all our asses will be vulnerable. Keep your head on straight, man. This is gonna get ugly.”
“It’s already ugly,” I growled. “Now we clean it the fuck up.”
The line disconnected abruptly, and I lowered the phone slowly, forcing a calming breath through my lungs. My heart hammered against my ribs, adrenaline surging through my veins at the implications of what we were about to face.
Shoving my phone back into my pocket, I climbed off my bike and strode quickly toward the store.
Clara stood behind the counter, organizing some jars of apple butter, her brow furrowed in quiet concentration.
She glanced up when the bell above the door jingled.
Her face instantly brightened, until she saw the tension etched into every line of my body.
Her smile faltered, her eyes narrowing with concern as she quickly rounded the counter. “Ronan? What’s wrong?”
I reached her in two long strides, my hands cupping her face firmly as I gazed down into her wide, worried amber eyes. “Club business, baby. We’ve got some shit going down tonight, and I need you safe and far away from the danger until it’s handled.”
She swallowed hard, searching my face carefully as her hands moved to grip my wrists. “You’re doing something really dangerous, aren’t you?”
I clenched my jaw, torn between shielding her from the details and needing her to understand the seriousness of the situation.
“Not for us,” I assured her. “But I want you at the clubhouse where I know you’ll be safe, and I don’t have to worry.”
Her expression softened, but the worry in her eyes remained. “Okay. Whatever you need.”
The easy acceptance in her voice, her trust and willingness to follow my lead, twisted something deep in my chest. I exhaled slowly, leaning down to press a firm, lingering kiss against her forehead. “Thank you.”
Clara’s gaze never left my face, her eyes full of quiet strength and concern. “You promise you’ll be okay?”
My thumb traced the curve of her cheek gently, but my voice gruff. “Baby, I’ve faced a lot of shit before. And sometimes I was a little reckless. But I didn’t have the other half of my soul to worry about. I wouldn’t fucking risk not coming back to you.”
Her breath hitched softly, eyes brightening with unshed tears, but she blinked them back quickly, offering me a small, brave smile. “Good. Because I’m expecting you back in one piece.”
“You’ve got my word.” I kissed her again, harder this time, lingering for a long moment to savor the taste and warmth of her. The familiar protective urge surged stronger, fierce and uncompromising. “Go grab some of your stuff. We need to get moving.”
She nodded quickly, pulling away to grab her purse and jacket from behind the counter.
Her siblings were watching us curiously, clearly sensing the tension in the air.
Clara spoke calmly, reassuring them that everything was fine and she just needed to step away for the night.
Harper nodded once, her eyes serious as she assured her she’d cover things here.
It felt good knowing Clara’s family had her back.
I guided her firmly toward the door, one hand on her waist as I led her to my bike.
When she climbed on behind me, and her arms wrapped tightly around my waist, I felt the knot of tension ease slightly.
I knew exactly what was waiting for me tonight—violence, danger, and blood.
But like Wizard said, knowing Clara would be safely tucked away, protected by the best security we had, would allow me to focus fully on what needed to be done.
Before I started the engine, I glanced back over my shoulder, locking eyes with her. “You good?”
She smiled and leaned forward to press her lips gently to mine in quiet reassurance. “I’m good. I told you before. I’m here if there is anything you need. That includes hiding away when you tell me it’s the best thing for both of us.”
My chest tightened again, fierce possessiveness flaring as I nodded. “Fucking adore you, baby.”
Her smile widened, her eyes shining with quiet, unwavering strength. “Same.”
I fired up the engine, the powerful rumble beneath us filling the quiet air. With Clara securely at my back, I pointed the bike toward the clubhouse, determination settling deep and unshakable within me.
Tonight, we would end this threat. Nothing—and no one—was going to stand in my fucking way.