Page 93 of Claimed By the Bikers

“Did you?”

“No! I would never?—”

Silas moves faster than a striking snake, grabbing Finn by the throat and slamming him against the wall. The impact rattles pots and pans, and Finn’s feet leave the floor.

“Three years I’ve worked for you!” Finn gasps. “Three years of loyal service, and you think I’d betray you for what? Money?”

“Money’s a powerful motivator,” Atlas says, moving to block the kitchen exits. “Especially when someone’s threatened your family.”

“My family’s fine?—”

“Los Serpientes are real fond of leverage.” Silas tightens his grip. “Real fond of making people choose between their employers and their loved ones.”

Finn’s struggle weakens. “They have my sister,” he whispers.

There it is.

“Since when?” Atlas asks.

“It’s been two weeks. They grabbed her coming home from work, said they’d kill her if I didn’t cooperate.”

“What did you tell them?”

“Nothing at first. Just that you ran some kind of supply business. But they kept pushing, and threatening…” Tears stream down Finn’s face. “They said they’d do things to her if I didn’t provide better information.”

“So you gave us up.”

“She’s seventeen, Atlas. Just a kid trying to finish high school.”

“And today?”

“They called this morning, wanted to know if you were planning any trips. I heard you tell me about Mountain View, so…”

“So you sent us into an ambush.”

“I thought you could handle it. You’re always armed, always ready for trouble. I never thought they’d actually hurt you.”

Silas releases him, and Finn collapses to his knees on the kitchen floor. “I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry. I never wanted anyone to get hurt.”

“But someone did get hurt.” I push away from the wall where I’ve been leaning, ignoring the fresh pain in my chest. “I took two bullets because of your information.”

“Garrett—”

“And Ember could have died. Our unborn child could have died. All because you decided our lives were worth less than your sister’s.”

“It wasn’t like that?—”

“It was exactly like that.” Atlas moves to stand over him. “You made a choice, Finn. You chose your family over ours.”

“What would you have done?” Finn looks up at us with desperate eyes. “If it were someone you loved, what would you have done?”

The question lands harder than I want to admit. Because the truth is, I’d do the same—any of us would. Betray anyone if it meant keeping Ember and our child safe.

But knowing that doesn’t make it easier to forgive.

“We’ll continue this conversation in the basement,” Silas says, hauling Finn to his feet.

“Please—”