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“Exactly. And I wouldn’t care. I mean, unless he decides whatever made-up offense I did is worth losing my head or something, it doesn’t matter. It’ll be a bitch to burn off the Order’s mark on my palm because, fuck, did that firehurt… but I’d be free. And you? You’ll be happy with your wife.”

I had my own reasons for never Claiming an Offering. Since we were eighteen and newly inducted, Bas made it clear that he wasn’t bothering because, technically, he didn’t have to. In a founding family like his, it’s the firstborn son who needs to carry on the line, choosing a wife before they’re thirty. That’s why Alexandre is feeling the pressure, and Bas is ducking his brother. If Alex doesn’t take a wife, then Baswillhave to.

And I know the truth. I know the real reason why he sticks with the Used instead of requesting his own Offering. But like how I shield Connor and Haven, and I keep Dallas’s secrets, I sure as hell will keep Sebastien’s.

“It’s easy,” he continues. “I’ll go up and see if he’s in his office?—”

Dallas joins us, cutting in with a quick, “I’m pretty sure he was before I came down here. He doesn’t realize that I showed up at the Fortress early for that meet with the vitamin company, or that I saw Loni be hustled inside.”

Jack. Even Dallas can’t call his father by anything other than his name.

I ball my hands into fists. “Hustled? Who had their hands on my wife?”

“Luke. I saw him yank her out of his car, dragging her into the building. I followed behind and watched them go into the elevator. It went to the top floors. To Jack’s office. No one can go in there when he’s busy in the penthouse so that has to be where they went.” Dallas glances at his phone. “I called the vitaminguys. Told them to postpone the meet. Stephen took a late lunch at the Court so his drunk ass wasn’t coming anyway. As far as Jack knows, though, Adrian and me are doing Order business on the twentieth floor.”

“He won’t expect us to check out the basement.”

Bas nods. “That’s my point. I’ll go to his office, see if Loni’s still there. If she isn’t, I’ll call you. Once, okay? It’ll ring a couple of times and you’ll know Jack’s distracted.”

Dallas scoffs. “Knowing my old man? Even if he isn’t in the office, he’ll be distracted. He has Kiersten come over to the penthouse every other day about this time. If not Kiersten, then Abigail. Sick fuck needs his twenty-year-old pussy daily or he thinks his dick will shrivel up and fall off. Charlotte comes at night. Every night.” His green eyes gleam in disgust. “Poor girl thinks she’ll be the one to take my place. As if Jack will ever marry one of the Used.”

I rub Dallas’s shoulder. “Your father is fucking awful. You know that. I know that. But are you prepared to go against him? ‘Cause I’ll tell you the same thing, Dal. You don’t have to come with me. I’ll go to the basement alone.”

If she’s down there, it won’t be easy to rescue her. You need a code and a fingerprint belonging to one of the old guard—or any other enforcer besides Dallas since Jack obviously knows better than to involve his boy in whatever the fuck he’s doing on the bottommost floor of the Fortress—but I’ll deal with it when I have to.

For now, I just need a direction to go before I plan.

Bas has his part; I’m not persuading him to quit. If Dallas wants to continue with his quiet rebellion, I understand. I love Loni, and there isn’t anything I won’t do for her, but I’m not going to ask my brothers—because one’s my friend, one’s my cousin, but they’re my brothers—to risk themselves.

Then Dallas gives me a quelling look. “I’m not afraid of Jack.”

“I know.”

“You need backup, Adrian. Fuck being the King. I’m an enforcer. Let me do my job.”

I don’t remind Dallas that he’s only an enforcer because his father likes to see him squirm. One day, Dallas might be the King, but until then… Jack will make his life hell. That’s what we do in our family, I guess. Hurt the ones we’re supposed to love…

Loni.

I nod. “Go, Bas. If we don’t get that call from you in five minutes, I’m going in anyway.”

No one is keeping me from my wife.

Taking his helmet off, shoving it at Dallas, Bas says, “Hold this. Jack loves bitching at me if he thinks I’m riding around without a helmet.”

Dallas accepts it. “I’ll drop it off inside.”

“Got it. Five minutes.” He pulls his phone out of his jacket. I do the same. “If the elevator’s on the ground floor, expect it in three.”

And, with that, Bas jogs toward the Fortress.

Dallas gives me a look, warning me from saying anything else about challenging his father way before we expected we would have to. In a way, I always thought this day would come, but like me marrying Loni, I figured I’d have to wait until I was thirty—to be considered part of the next guard, not the young guard—before we went after him.

But then he interfered with me and my wife, and that’s just inexcusable.

I keep my focus on my phone, watching the minutes tick by excruciatingly slow. At three minutes, I hold my breath, waiting for it to ring. At four, I start stalking toward the front of the building, Dallas right behind me.

Right before it hits fives minutes, my phone buzzes. It’s Bas. Out of habit, I answer it, lifting it to my ear.