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I lift my chin, defiance my shield. This place, this warehouse of horrors, will not claim me. Whatever comes next, I am ready. Somehow, I’ll find a way to warn Ice and save him from Juan’s trap before it snaps shut around us both.

The door swings open, crashing into the wall. Juan emerges from the shadows, his gaze sharp, predatory. Rage radiates from every pore in his skin. He stands before me, his presence towering and malevolent against the backdrop of flickering shadows.

“Isabella.” He spits my name like it’s poison on his tongue. “You think you can betray your own blood?” His voice is a low snarl, veins bulging at his temples, fury rolling off him in waves.

I steady my breath, keeping my voice even though it threatens to tremble. “You mistake survival for betrayal.”

His hand snaps forward—a whip of flesh and bone. Pain detonates across my cheek, sharp and blinding, but I don’t give him the satisfaction of flinching. I can’t let him see fear—fear is a weapon he’ll wield with expert precision.

“Where’s Ice?” His question slices through the heavy atmosphere, each word dripping with venom. “He should have come to the cutting warehouse after he took the kids from the other place, but he didn’t.”

“Go to hell.” The words come out as a growl, my defiance an ember that refuses to be snuffed out. But inside, I’m worried. Going to the place where I worked was never part of the plan. Bones, Fang and Tank were supposed to oversee that mission. Ice was with Vapor and Diablo. At least, he was supposed to be with them. What the hell happened?

“Wrong answer,hermanita.” He leans close, his breath foul as he outlines his twisted demand. He pulls a phone fromhis pocket and grips it hard enough to turn his knuckles white. “Lure him here. You’re going to be the bait that brings down the MC.”

A labyrinth of scenarios races through my mind, each path more treacherous than the last. I can picture Ice, with his piercing silver-blue eyes and razor-sharp wit, walking into the snare set just for him. My heart clenches. I cannot—I will not—be the one to lead him to slaughter.

Juan paces, circling me like a vulture. “Think, Isabella. Your life for his. It’s a simple trade.”

My hands clench into fists, the bindings biting into my wrists. I’m cornered, a wild animal with no escape. I’m completely out of options. So many lives hang in the balance, but I won’t lead Ice to this place. Juan can torture me all he wants. I’ll never break. I’ll never lead the man I love to the monster who wants to kill him.

“Never.” My voice is steel wrapped in velvet, my resolve as unyielding as the ties that bind me. “I won’t do it.”

Juan’s eyes narrow, dangerous and calculating. “Then you’ll both pay the price.”

I brace myself for the wrath to come, but within me, a flame of rebellion burns fierce and bright. No matter what, I will protect Ice. I’ll find a way to warn him. Because love demands loyalty, nothing less.

Juan’s demand hangs heavy in the air, the stench of malice and deceit thick as swamp fog. He leans in closer, his breath a toxic whisper against my face. But as much as I wish I wasn’t, I’m a Vasquez. We don’t run from fear. It isn’t an option.

“I don’t care,” I spit out. “You think you can break me? Think again.”

He recoils, his eyes two black holes boring into mine. The threat in them is real and immediate, but love has forged my willinto a steel blade. Eventually, my brother will understand that loyalty to Ice means everything to me. I’m ready to die for him.

“Isabella,” Juan says, voice dripping with venom. “You’ll regret this.”

“Regret is for the weak.” I stare him down, my heart pounding against my ribs like a drum of war. “And that’s one thing I’m not.”

His phone pings. After glancing at the message, a slow, wicked smile spreads across his face. “Sit tight. I have business to attend to.”

“What business?” I demand.

He sneers, turning to leave me alone in the dusky gloom of the warehouse. His footsteps echo as he walks out into the night. As the sound fades, silence claws at me. I don’t know what that message was about, but I pray Ice will stay safe.

I struggle against the ties to no avail. With my arms still bound behind my back, my mind whirls through endless scenarios for how this will all play out. Ice is out there, unaware of the web of treachery waiting to ensnare him. I just hope he realizes what’s happening before it’s too late. He deserves better than whatever fate Juan has carved out for him.

Chapter 20: Ice

Racing toward the drug cutting warehouse, dread churns in the pit of my stomach. If we’re too late, I’ll never forgive myself. Vapor and Diablo ride just as recklessly as I do, burning rubber as we fly into the warehouse’s parking lot. Our bikes screech to a halt as a dozen women hurdle themselves towards us, screaming out warnings in rapid Spanish. Their desperate pleas paint a grim picture of the cartel’s presence inside.

“¡Cuidado! ¡Están armados!” one of the women cries, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife.

Gunshots sound from inside the warehouse.

“We’re here to save you,” I say before repeating the sentence in Spanish.

“Go with him,” Vapor commands, pointing at Slayer, one of our patched members who just arrived. The rest of our crew rolls in, a formidable group ready to fight for their brothers.

Slayer steps in, guiding the women toward the side street with urgent gestures. According to our plan, there should be vans on the next block. Hopefully they’re still there.