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"Why the hell haven’t they shut it down yet?" Marissa asked.

"Lang—"

"You’re not my mom anymore!"

I chuckled but threw my hands up, relenting.

"The GIG lost that battle against the dragons ages ago," Calvin explained. "Dragons oversee dragonkind, and the GIG only steps in when anything involves non-dragonkind."

"So why do they care about it now?" I asked.

"Because it’s now affecting non-dragons. They’re creating addicts. Very dangerous addicts."

"Yikes. What are they planning to do about it? Is there some sort of protocol?"

"Well, that’s the puzzle I think I’ve finally put together, and if I’m right, then it’s not good."

A sinking sensation gripped me. I knew that whatever he was about to say would affect me somehow. There were too many connections for this to be a coincidence.

"What is it?" Marissa asked.

"I think the GIG’s going to use this to shut down Subliminal. For good."

"What!" Marissa’s shriek could puncture an eardrum. "Why? How? When?"

Despite the dire situation, I almost laughed at her response. I felt exactly the same way. But this was far from a laughing matter. I couldn’t let that happen to Subliminal, the gym members, and most of all, not to Frankie.

"You know they’ve wanted to take the gym down for years,” he said. “Now they have their chance, even if their intel’s not fully accurate."

I frowned. "I don’t understand. Surely they would need ironclad proof.”

"They’ve got evidence of trades happening at Subliminal. I believe they’re going to use the gym as a scapegoat, saying that all, or at least most, of the deals happen there."

"But that’s just crazy," Marissa protested with a harrumph. "It’s not true. It’ll be easy to dispute."

"Sadly, it doesn’t have to be true." Calvin sighed. "The dragons will be more than willing to make that deal to redirect the blame and avoid any serious repercussions. The GIG’s a lot more powerful now than the last time they butted heads."

He was right. The GIG had been after Subliminal for the illegal fights Frankie hosted, long before I’d shown up. And everything I’d learned about the ferocious dragons said they would protect their own above all else.

This was the GIG’s chance. Two birds, one stone—not to be confused with girls and a cup, a rather unfortunate fact I’d learned the hard way.

They would shut down Subliminal, one of the few Gifted safe havens in D.C., and they’d lock Frankie up for sure. Someone at the GIG must be after a big promotion to not care enough to go after the real culprits—the dragons.

Or more specifically, one dragon.

Ichiro Sato.

Now I had no choice. I had to give Dominic the information I’d learned. He had to help me stop Ichiro and the GIG. If he refused, then the gym was in major trouble.

A very big pickle.

CHAPTER 24

Dominic

Opting for speed, I rode my motorcycle, weaving in and out of traffic seamlessly. Even a minute late could mean an immediate death sentence for Rin. I parked the bike outside the gym on the sidewalk, not caring about tickets or if I offended anyone.

As I faced the place where I last saw Bree, I gritted my teeth. Even now, her voice curled around the edges of my memory. Her scent clung to the cracks and crevices of the building, teasing me. I’d hoped to never return here, not without her.