Page 247 of Intense

This bastard will pay for taking me.

Chapter 91

FINN

“You’re not going in there alone,” Declan hisses, pulling me back by my arm.

I wrench free, teeth grinding. “And you think charging in with an army will save her? If he feels cornered, she’s dead before we even breach the door. James needs to believe he has a chance. That’s the only way she walks out alive.”

Theo folds his arms, expression grim. “That man’s lost in his own head. You don’t bargain with crazy.”

It turns out, Theo has been talking to James, not Arthur, this entire time. James came here to kill me and my brothers. And I think Stephanie has been caught in the crossfire.

If she’s hurt. It’s all on me.

A humorless laugh rips out of me. “You’re wrong. Crazy understands crazy. I’ve been training for this my whole life.”

Conan steps forward, his fists clenched. “Then let me go in. I’m the one he wants revenge on. I’m the one who disfigured him.”

I square up to him, nose to nose. “And leave Liam without a father? Not a fucking chance. Don’t you dare.”

His jaw flexes, but he doesn’t move.

“Listen to me,” I exhale, lungs burning as the words tear through me. “This isn’t a fight. It’s a trial. Just like Decadence. James thinks he’s the game master, but he isn’t. He’s the fucking prey. He needs to believe there’s a way out, and I’m going to let him think that—until I take his head off.”

Declan swears under his breath. “You’re walking into the lion’s den unarmed.”

I raise my gun, sliding back the chamber with a metallic click. “Not unarmed. Just calculated.”

They exchange a look, both of them knowing what this means. There’s no pulling me back from this.

Theo’s men shove Arthur forward. His face is pale, sweat sheening his brow, but his eyes don’t leave mine. “He’s not bluffing,” he mutters. “James will kill her if he sees any of you. He ain’t right, not since the way Conan left him. My father tried to keep him at bay, but, clearly, I couldn’t.”

His gaze lowers to the ground.

“Then you’re coming with me.” I jam the gun against his temple, dragging him to the keypad. “You open that door. You walk me in. And you pray to whatever god you still believe in that she’s breathing when we get there.”

Arthur swallows hard but doesn’t resist. He knows this is the only way.

I glance back once at my brothers. Their faces are carved from stone, but I see it—the fear.

“I love you both, so fucking much. But I love that woman in there too.” My throat tightens as I say it. They’ll understand. Because both of them would do the same for their women.

“If you hear a gunshot,” I tell them, “that’s your signal. Breach it. End it. But until then—you stay the fuck out.”

Conan’s fists flex, but he nods. Declan drags a hand through his hair, muttering a curse.

I turn back, pressing the gun harder into Arthur’s skull. The keypad beeps. The lock releases.

And I step into hell.

“Arthur,” I murmur as the heavy door clicks shut behind us. “I don’t know if you’ve ever been in love, but just know, I’ll kill us both to save her. Alright?”

He nods stiffly. “I get it.”

I’d get down on my knees and say a prayer if I could—that when that door opens, my girl is still alive. She has to be. Because there’s no life for me without her. She is what my heart beats for. Her and only her.

We start our ascent up the stairs until we reach the door. I open it slowly, bracing for the worst. For my life to be over.