Page 99

“You didn’t really think the Aviary would go down that easily, did you?”
My blood runs cold.
“It never died,” he hisses. “It adapted. It evolved. You think taking out a man like Kadri matters when we have generations of men like him ready to take his place?”
He leans in closer, and I can feel the weight of every sick truth he’s about to spill.
“We are in the bloodlines, Maxine. That’s what makes us unstoppable. Judges. Principals. Senators. Bishops. Even a prince or two. We don’t infiltrate power—wearepower.”
I swallow hard. It feels like shards of glass going down.
“That’s why you’ll never win. That’s why your little rebellion will die with you—because we own the rules. We built the systems you’re trying to escape.”
He straightens, buttons his suit jacket, and for a second he looks like any other rich man walking Wall Street. Except this one trafficks human lives behind boardroom doors.
“Even now,” he says, “your name’s already on a new ledger. Someone very wealthy is coming for you, Maxine. And once he does? You’ll disappear. Quietly. Without a trace. For good, this time.”
My throat tightens. The chair digs into my spine. I want to scream.
He leans against the wall like this is just a casual conversation now.
“So I don’t mind telling you all this. I don’t mind showing you what’s beneath the surface. Because you’ll never get out again. Your body may survive. But you?” He points to his temple. “You won’t. I’ve seen what a cage does to a mind, Maxine. You’ll fold again. Worse than you did for Kadri.”
I stare at the floor so he can’t see the war happening behind my eyes. The fire Saxon lit. The fury I’ve cultivated like a weapon. He thinks I’ll fold. He doesn’t realize I’m already deadinside. He crosses the room and pauses at the stairs, like he’s not done making his point.
“You should’ve stayed away from the Feds,” he says, soft and smug. “But you didn’t. Now you’ll pay the price…andmake me a very very rich man.”
40
SAXON
I’m not breathing right. Each inhale is shallow, sharp—like I’m trying to suck air through broken glass. My vision stings from the raw burn of staring too long, blinking only when I have to. My mind is locked onto one frequency: Maxine. Every thought, every nerve, every twitch of muscle is tuned to her name.
She’s gone. Taken.
And every second that ticks by is another blade twisting between my ribs. Every moment she’s out there without me is one step closer to the nightmare I’ve tried to protect her from.
I’m parked in Maxine’s living room, flanked by Lucky and Scar Gatti — two men who carry danger like it’s stitched into their skin. We’re three giants stuffed into a room too small, too delicate, like the walls know they’re one wrong move from collapse.
Sitting between them feels like straddling a live wire. Scar’s eyes pin me, sharp and unrelenting, like he’s waiting for the moment I crack. Lucky’s smirk flickers at the corner of his mouth — he can’t help himself, it’s baked into his bones. Whatever we were, whatever history we share, none of it matters now.
The only thread holding this room together is one truth: Maxine’s gone. And we all want her back — no matter what it costs.
When I stumbled out of her apartment—blood crusted to my scalp, fury clawing its way up my throat—they were already there. Scar’s glare said he wanted to bury me for letting her slip. Lucky’s smile said he’d enjoy it. But they didn’t kill me. Because right now, I’m useful. Because Maxine’s worth more than my blood, my bones, or whatever price they think they can make me pay.
Let’s not pretend we’re allies. I’m a Fed who’s built my career around infiltrating and taking down men in their line of work. They’re wolves, carving kingdoms out of blood and ruin. But now, we’re in the same car, hunting the same ghost. And if we’re too late… No. I won’t even entertain that thought. Because if I lose her, I’ll become like the monsters I spent my life chasing.
My phone is practically fused to my palm. I’m working every contact, every old informant and buried connection I shouldn’t still have access to. Anyone with ears to the ground is getting called. We don’t have any leads, and we’re working against the clock.
Scar’s pacing. Lucky’s gripping his gun like it’s the only thing anchoring him. I’m mid-call when the front door slams open.
Mason Ironside storms in without warning. He’s like a raging fire, moving quickly towards me. His fist catches my jaw before I even see it coming. The crack echoes through the room. My head snaps to the side. I taste blood.
“You son of a bitch,” he growls. “She was fine until you came into her life. You couldn’t leave her the hell alone, could you?”
I wipe the blood from my mouth. “She’s gone. You want to beat the shit out of me or help me find her?”
“We don’t need your help to find her!” He roars.