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CHAPTER FORTY

I WAS IN Devil’s office, a room that had seen too many conversations like this. Ones that ended in blood, broken bones, or something more final. I leaned against the wall, arms crossed, jaw tight, watching it all unfold.

Spinner was a goddamn mess, pacing like he was about to tear the whole clubhouse apart with his bare hands. Every time his boots scraped against the floor, tension cracked sharper in the air. Chain perched on the edge of the desk, unmoving, watching. Devil sat behind it, fingers steepled, eyes locked onto Oliver like he was waiting for him to give the wrong answer.

This was a friend of Lucy, not the kind of person I’d expect her to hang around. He was afraid, twitchy, and with those clothes and glasses, he was way out of his world in this room.

Where had Lucy met someone like him?

But he knew where Lucy was. And that made him the most important man in the room.

“Start talking,” Devil said, his voice calm—smooth so he wouldn’t spook Oliver.

Oliver swallowed hard. “Lucy’s been laying low in Charleston,” he said, voice shaking just enough to be noticeable. “She’s been careful, changing places, staying off the radar, but it’s not enough. Fang’s been asking around, throwing cash at anyone who might know where she is.”

Fang.

That name had my fingers curling into fists.

Spinner had stopped pacing, standing stone still in the middle of the room, his breathing uneven. That was dangerous. Spinner could run hot, but still. When he went quiet? That meant the fire was burning too goddamn high.

“Why the hell hasn’t she left the area?” Spinner snapped.

Oliver shifted on his feet like he wanted to be anywhere but here. “She’s tracking their shipments at the docks. Trying to get proof they’re moving people.”

A cold weight settled in my gut.

I exhaled slow, trying to force down the rising fury. Human trafficking. I should’ve fucking known. Lucy thought she could save everyone. Admirable—but dangerous.

“She figured they’d assume she’d run farther—North Carolina, maybe the mountains. At first, it worked. But…”

“But Fang’s not stupid,” I cut in, my voice low, steady.

Oliver nodded, his shoulders sagging slightly. “Yeah. He’s been sniffing around the docks, asking about a woman matching her description. Word is, he’s paying people to keep an eye out for her.” He hesitated, flicking a glance around the room before continuing.

“They think she’s just running because of what went down at that clubhouse. They don’t know she’s been watching them. That she was in their clubhouse, digging into their operations, gathering proof to burn them to the ground.”

Spinner’s hands twitched at his sides. I could see it, he was one wrong word away from snapping.

Chain shifted slightly, like he was already bracing to step between Spinner and Oliver. “If they find out,” Oliver said, oblivious to the storm brewing inside Spinner.

“They’ll carve her up,” Chain finished grimly. No hesitation.

Oliver nodded, his jaw tight. “Right now, Drago thinks she helped Zeynep escape, and Fang’s still obsessed with her. But if they figure out she’s been keeping tabs on their business?”

I didn’t need to hear the rest.

The air in the room got heavier.

Chain, Devil—hell, even Oliver—were looking at this like a strategy, a problem to solve. But I knew what was really happening. Spinner was drowning in his own damn head.

“Maybe she just forgot to check in,” Chain offered.

Oliver shook his head immediately. “No. If Lucy says she’ll check in, she will. Something’s wrong.”

Spinner’s hands flexed again, and I could hear his breathing get rougher.

I pushed off the wall, standing straighter. “How close is Fang?”

Oliver swallowed hard. “Too close.” He hesitated, like saying it out loud made it worse. “Last time I heard from her, she was watching Dragon Fire at the docks. But I don’t think she could leave even if she tried. Fang’s men are watching the roads, the bus stations… She’s trapped.”

Fuck.

My stomach went tight. That meant she was cornered, just waiting for the net to close around her.

“Are these the same docks you lured us to before?” Devil asked.

Oliver hesitated just long enough to piss me off. But finally, he sighed, dragging a hand down his face. “She’s gonna skin me alive for this.”

Spinner’s breath hitched at that. His hands clenched so tight his knuckles turned white.

“She’s been holed up at some rundown motel near the docks. Room 112. But she made it real clear—no one was supposed to know.”

Silence.

Thick. Suffocating.

I saw it in Spinner before he even moved. The second his breathing slowed, his stance shifted, I knew he was about to come apart.

Oliver wasn’t done.

“She said she doesn’t want your help,” he admitted, his voice quiet. “She said… when you lose Lucy’s trust, you’re dead to her.”

Spinner flinched. His whole body locked up.

I knew she was pissed at him. Hell, I’d seen her fury firsthand. But hearing the words out loud? That was different. That was a blade between the ribs.

Spinner went still. Too still.

“Well, too fuckin’ bad,” he snarled, his voice rough. “She doesn’t get to make that call.”

Devil’s voice came sharp. “Spinner.”

Spinner turned to him, fists clenched, barely holding himself together. “What? We’re just supposed to sit here while Fang closes in? She’s trapped, Devil.”

“And if this is a setup?” Chain asked. “What if Fang’s baitin’ us, waiting for us to walk into his trap?”

Spinner stopped pacing, his entire body vibrating with frustration. He knew they had a point. But it didn’t change the fact that Lucy was out there. Alone.

Devil exhaled slowly, then pushed up from his desk, eyes like steel. “You’re coming with us,” he said to Oliver. “You’re taking us to that motel, and you’re gonna tell us everything you know about Dragon Fire’s movements. Every detail.”

Oliver blinked like he wanted to argue. But one look from Devil shut that shit down.

“Mystic. Chain,” Devil continued, “start planning the routes. I want every exit covered. Spinner…” His voice softened just slightly, enough that only those of us who really knew him would catch it. “I get that this is personal. But I need you focused. This isn’t just about Dragon Fire anymore. With the cartel involved, we need to go in, get her out, and avoid confrontation if we can.”

I swallowed hard, forcing down the anger pressing against my ribs. The need to rip into something.

Lucy was in trouble.

And Spinner? He was barely hanging on.

We all started moving, but I saw it—Spinner standing frozen, fists clenched, breathing uneven.

He’d do anything to get her back.

And if he wasn’t careful, that desperation was gonna get him killed.