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My tears stopped, and I rubbed my face roughly. I couldn’t just sit here in the dark and cry. And I couldn’t count on Steph swooping in to save the day. He probably didn’t even know where I was, and who knew how long it would take for him to find me! The longer I was stuck here in the dark, the more that rage in Sean’s eyes would build. He wanted to hurt me. I didn’t know how long he’d be able to hold back.

I had to get out of here. I had to get to my son. We had to get out of Lakeview, and away from these crazy dragons. For good.

But how the hell was I going to get out of this room without said crazy dragons noticing?

There was a knock on the door. I jumped to my feet and blinked hard, dispelling the last remainders of my tears. I clenched my fists at my sides. If Sean had already decided to hurt me, I wasn’t going to make it easy for him.

The door unlocked and opened. The scrawny kid I’d seen earlier stepped inside, carrying a tray with a pathetic meal on it. I pressed my back against the wall and glared at him as he set the tray down.

He raised his hands as if in surrender. “You don’t need to look at me like that, lady. I’m not into hurting kids or women, so you can relax.”

“Then why are you working with that bastard?” I hissed. “Considering he hurt my kidandme.”

“I’m just following orders. You need to eat.” He nodded down at the tray, which had a sad-looking sandwich and an even sadder banana on it.

“Right, because I’m sure the food you’re providing is totally safe and not drugged at all.”

“It’s not! Jeez, you’re paranoid. Just stay put and try not to piss Sean off, okay? This isn’t about you.” He glanced back at the door nervously, then took a step closer. “Sean’s a little…” He circled his finger next to his temple. “Well, off his rocker. I’m lucky to still be breathing after letting your kid get away.”

I frowned. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because this”—he gestured around the room—“isn’t how I like to roll. It’s not what I signed up for.”

“Then why are you helping him?”

He looked away, and his face fell. “It’s an obligation.” The kid turned to leave, then paused with his hand on the door handle. “Sometimes you think you have no way out. But that’s not always the case.” He glanced to the window, then the tray, then back to me. “Keep it down in here, okay?”

Before I could ask what the hell he meant, he shut the door and locked it again.

What was a kid like that doing working with Sean? He seemed to have a decent head on his shoulders. He didn’t look like a blood-hungry aggressor like the rest of them.

I knelt down by the tray and poked at the sandwich. I wasn’t hungry, not after what I’d been through, but I was curious to see if they’d stuffed a few pills between the ham and the bread like I suspected.

My poking and prodding shifted the paper towel the sandwich was on. Beneath it was a small, slim chisel with a curved end, like the back of a hammer. I gripped the chisel’s handle, then looked back at the window.

The nails.

He wanted me to get out. If I ever saw him again, I swore I’d thank him.

I tucked the chisel into the waistband of my jeans. Perhaps someone was looking out for me and Dylan. Because I was getting out of here.

Tonight.

31

ACE

Imanaged to get an hour of fitful sleep on the clubhouse couch.

“Morning,” Striker said from behind the bar, where he was already pouring me an enormous cup of coffee. “Better look alive. The guys will be here any minute.”

I grunted in acknowledgment. I was grateful I’d gotten any sleep at all. In just a few minutes, clan members would start filing into the clubhouse, and I needed to be the strong alpha they could trust. A few of my enforcers were out searching for any trace of Harley or Sean, but the rest of the clan had been instructed to meet here. This was a serious escalation, and I needed all hands on deck—especially if I was going to officially challenge Sean.

I went up the clubhouse stairs to my room where Dylan had been passed out, and gently opened the door. It was empty.

Fear lanced through me, and my dragon surged to the forefront of my consciousness, so fast it made me dizzy. I was about to shift right there and burst through the ceiling when Hawk stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.

“Easy, Ace. Mia and Tank took him back to your place. He wanted to be in his own room.”