Page 57

ACE

“ W hat’s going to happen to Mom?” Dylan asked. He had his face buried in my chest, and his arms were wrapped around my waist, like he was afraid I’d leave him behind. “Where’d Uncle Sean take her? Why did he take her? Is she okay?”

I squeezed his shoulder. My dragon’s rage burned inside me.

He was torn between the need to track down Harley, our fated mate, or staying exactly where he was and protecting our son Dylan from the world.

I picked my son up and held him close. He threw his arms around my neck and started to cry so hard he was shaking.

At nine years old, he was already an independent young dragon shifter, so the fact that he clung to me was a testament to the fear radiating off him.

I carried Dylan into the clubhouse. “Send the enforcers to the scene,” I barked at Hawk.

“Already on it, Ace,” he said. Tank and three other enforcers were pulling on their leather jackets as they headed toward the door. Hawk spoke into his phone, his eyes soft, then hung up. “Mia’s on her way.”

“Let me put you down,” I said to Dylan. When I tried to set him down, though, he only clung to me harder.

“I’ll go,” he said between sobs.

“Go where?” I asked.

“I know… I know I have to go with Uncle Sean.” Dylan’s voice was muffled in my shirt. “I heard on the phone, he said he’d… he’d trade, and I want Mom back, but I’m scared, Dad, I don’t want?—”

“Hey. Look at me.” I patted Dylan’s back, and he pulled away enough to look at me. His eyes were red, and his face blotchy. “You’re not going with Sean. Not now. Not ever. There’s no trade. I know it’s scary, but we’re getting your mom back, okay?”

My dragon was roaring at me to go find Harley, but Dylan needed me just as much right now.

“You’re very brave, though. You know that, right?”

Dylan nodded, though he looked a little unsure.

“The guys are on the way to the scene,” Hawk said. “What’s our next move?”

I knew what we had to do. We had to play this wisely. I couldn’t charge into Sean’s territory guns blazing—as much as I wanted to, that would end with Harley getting hurt. He wouldn’t hesitate to harm her as a way to hurt me. The mere thought of that happening made me exhale a thin stream of smoke.

We had to get rid of Sean. I couldn’t stand around and bide my time anymore. He was never going to change. He would only get worse. The fact that he was my brother had nothing to do with it anymore. He wasn’t family. He was a bomb waiting to go off.

And I wondered now if I had waited too long.

“Hawk!” Mia burst into the clubhouse, eyes wide and terrified, her blonde hair a frizzy halo around her head. “Is everyone okay? Where’s Dylan? Oh, thank God, there you are!”

Dylan wriggled a little, and I set him back down on his feet. “Auntie Mia!” He rushed over to Mia, and she scooped him into a crushing hug.

“Let’s fix you something to eat,” Mia said in a low, soothing voice. “Then we’ll go lay down for a little while. That sound okay?”

“Not hungry. I want Auntie Cassidy,” Dylan said through sniffles.

“We can call her,” Mia promised. “Let’s go to your room.”

I touched Mia’s shoulder as she passed. “Thank you.”

Mia nodded, her eyes warm and kind. “It’ll be okay. We’re gonna get Harley back.”

As she carried Dylan upstairs, Hawk grabbed two beers from the fridge—the regular kind, not the potent stuff from Night Shift Distillery that worked on shifters.

It wouldn’t take the edge off, but at least it gave me something to do.

There was nothing to do but wait for the guys to return from the scene of the accident.

Luckily, it didn’t take too long. Barely an hour had passed before Tank and his enforcers were back.

“No sign of blood at the scene,” Tank said. “Confirmed by our guys and the cops who were already there. Some signs of struggle, but we all know Harley probably put up a hell of a fight.”

“I know she did,” I said. No blood was a good sign. At least she hadn’t been obviously hurt during the kidnapping. That didn’t mean Sean wasn’t hurting her now.

“But there’s no sign of Sean, or where he took her,” Tank continued. “It’s like they both just disappeared.”

“So, what do we do now?” Hawk asked. “We’re not agreeing to his terms, obviously.”

The enforcers nodded in agreement, then all eyes fell on me. I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back against the kitchen counter.

“I challenge Sean. But it won’t be like last time.”

“What do you mean?” Tank asked.

“Last time, I thought winning the challenge for the role of alpha would be enough. I thought he’d run off with his tail between his legs. That if he left with a scar, it’d be a “wake-up call”. I thought he’d let go of his anger and accept me as the alpha.”

“We wanted him to come back to himself,” Hawk said. “To join our clan.”

I shook my head. “That’s not going to happen. He’s too far gone. This time, winning the challenge won’t be enough. I have to kill him.”

Hawk’s brows pulled together, and he leaned forward and rubbed his hand roughly over his forehead.

“You good with that, Hawk?” Tank asked.

“Obviously not,” Hawk snapped. He straightened and exhaled hard, then shook his head a little as if to clear it. “He’s my brother. I don’t want him dead, no matter what he’s done. And especially not by Ace’s hand.”

“Hawk—” I started.

Hawk held up his hand, and I shut my mouth. I respected my brother enough to let him say his piece, even as my dragon bristled with anger.

“But,” Hawk continued, “we don’t have any other choice now.

He doesn’t respect us. He’d kill all of us to take control of Lakeview and our clan.

If he came for Dylan, he’ll come for Bella.

Or Mia. Or any of the people we love.” Hawk rubbed one hand roughly over his hair.

“We’ve given him every chance we could. I don’t see any other option, either. ”

I reached out and squeezed his shoulder. Hawk’s expression crumbled again, suddenly pinched, like the weight of what he’d just acknowledged truly hit him. “I need a minute,” he said. “I need some air.”

I nodded, and Hawk stepped out onto the back deck, slamming the door behind him. Tank looked at me, eyebrows raised, and I nodded at him and the enforcers. “That’s it for now. Thanks, guys.”

As the enforcers left, Mia came back downstairs, her eyes rimmed red as if she’d been crying. I turned toward her, my brows pulled together with concern, but she waved me off.

“I’m fine. Really. I just hate seeing my nephew like this. And I hate knowing Harley is out there with that jackass. But I got Dylan to fall asleep.”

“Good. He needs it. Hawk?—”

“I know,” Mia said. “You don’t need a dragon’s hearing to hear my husband when he gets worked up. He’ll be okay. He just needs some time.” She put her hand on my forearm and squeezed. “How are you doing, Ace?”

Bad, I wanted to shout. Scared. Furious. Angry at myself.

This is all my fault.

“I need to go to the scene,” I said instead. “My dragon won’t let me rest until I do. Can you stay here with Dylan?”

“Sure,” Mia said with a small smile. “Do whatever you need.”

I left Mia and Dylan with a few enforcers, then hopped on my motorcycle and raced toward the scene of the accident.

By the time I arrived, the scene had been cleaned up.

The car had been towed to my shop, the police were gone, and sparse, middle-of-the-night traffic drove by as if nothing had ever happened.

The damaged tree near the shoulder of the road with its trunk split up the middle was the only sign of the accident.

I pulled over and climbed off my bike. I didn’t doubt that my guys had combed the scene, but I had to see it with my own eyes and my dragon’s senses.

As the alpha, my senses were a little sharper and a little stronger than the other dragons in the clan.

And Harley was my fated mate. If there was a trace of her here at the scene, my dragon would sense it.

The grass was destroyed and muddy where the car had careened off the road and crashed into the tree. I dragged my foot through the mud, then pressed my palm to the half-destroyed tree.

Harley must’ve been terrified, but she’d still gotten Dylan out and told him to find me.

She was so strong. So courageous.

I should’ve been there.

I should’ve been with her.

I never should’ve let her leave. I should’ve kept her close. Should’ve dealt with Sean before he got this bad. Should’ve, should’ve, should’ve.

Anger surged through me, but it wasn’t only directed at Sean. It was directed at myself, too, for how stupid I’d been, how blind I’d been.

I balled my hand into a fist and slammed it into the trunk. Once. Twice. The entire tree rocked with the force of it. The rage coalesced into a burning hot coal in the center of my chest. I wanted to shift, wanted to release my dragon and burn down this whole forest and every trace of the attack.

My dragon had never been this close to the surface. This uncontrolled. My teeth lengthened, as did my claws, but not by my own volition. I threw my head back and roared, and flames burst from my throat and into the sky.

Sean was going to pay for this. I’d given him too many chances. Now it was time to show him what I’d do to protect what was mine.

By the time I got back to the clubhouse, it was so late it was nearly morning. Mia was in the kitchen, sipping tea and scrolling on her phone.

“Hey,” she said with a smile. “Dylan’s still asleep.”

“That’s good.”

“Find anything at the scene?”

I shook my head. All I’d found was my own anger, but Mia didn’t need to know that. She’d be dealing with enough with her husband.

“I got in touch with Cassidy,” Mia said. “She wasn’t happy, obviously, but she’s on her way. She got the first flight she could book.”

“That’s good, too,” I said. “It’ll be good for Dylan to have a piece of home.”

“This is his home, too,” Mia said. “Don’t forget that. He needs you, Ace.”

I pressed my lips into a flat line. I knew that was true, but I was also the reason his mom had been kidnapped. “Is Hawk here?”

“Nope,” she said, but she didn’t sound worried. “He texted, so I know he’s alive at least, but I don’t think he’s handling this well, Ace. He really believed Sean would turn it around. I don’t think he ever really thought it would come to this.”

“I tried to tell him,” I said.

“I know. But you know Hawk. He always sees the best in people. And he always saw the best in Sean, even…”

“Even when that part of Sean was long gone,” I finished for her.

She nodded, then sniffed hard and rubbed her eyes. “Yeah. Can you talk to him? I mean—if you can. I don’t know where he is.”

“I do,” I said. “Wait here, okay?”

I went upstairs. Dylan was in his room, and just as Mia had said, he was fast asleep. He was frowning and twitching under the covers. I brushed my hand over his hair, and he sighed and settled. Hopefully, my dragon’s presence had scared away the nightmare.

Once my dragon and I were assured Dylan was safe, I gave Mia a brisk hug, then went outside and hopped back on my motorcycle.

If I knew my brother, I knew exactly where he’d be. There was only one place he’d feel like he could mourn Sean and feel close to him at the same time. Ever since he was a kid, Hawk had always found peace in the same place.

The small park was behind the grocery store, just off the main strip of Lakeview proper.

There wasn’t much to it: a swing set, a wooden climbing structure, and a clean sandbox.

In the distance, the sun rose over the beautiful, snow-capped mountains.

In the dawn light, the park was so quiet it looked like a painting.

I rolled up slowly. There was no way Hawk hadn’t heard me, but he didn’t turn to face me.

He remained seated on the park bench facing the swing set, watching the chains move slightly in the morning breeze.

I sat down on the bench next to him.

Sean, Hawk, and I used to play here as back when we were still young pups, eager and excited to face the world—before it became clear that I was the stronger one, the destined leader of the clan. Back when Sean was just my brother.

I knew we were both remembering those moments.

“You really think you can do this?” Hawk asked.

“I don’t have a choice.”

“He’s not some random rival coming in for the territory,” Hawk said. “He’s still our brother.”

I took a slow breath. “I don’t know what to do instead. This was his choice. He chose to kidnap Harley. He tried to take my son, too.”

“I’m not going to convince you not to challenge him,” Hawk said.

That surprised me. I looked over at him, but he didn’t meet my gaze. His eyes were fixed on the swing set, but distantly, like he wasn’t seeing it at all.

“What’s this going to do to you, Ace? You can’t kill your brother and come out the other side completely normal, like nothing ever happened.

It’s going to change something inside you.

” Hawk turned suddenly and jabbed his finger forcefully into my chest. “In here.” Then my forehead. “Here, too. You won’t be the same.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

“And what if the same thing happens to you?” There was an edge of furious desperation in his voice. “What if you snap? If your alpha goes crazy? Drags you down into the same darkness Sean went down?”

It hit me like a slap to the face. Hawk wasn’t only worried about losing Sean—he was worried about losing me , too.

I couldn’t fault him for it. Sean was my twin. Another alpha. Once upon a time, he had been my other half. If he was at the mercy of his alpha, it made sense that Hawk worried I might be, too.

“I’m not going to sit here and say it won’t change me.

We both know it will. And we both know that’s why I’ve been trying to find any other way to handle this.

But I’m not Sean. When things get hard—and I know they will—I’m not going to run away and turn my back on the clan.

I’m not going to build my own clan of criminals and madmen.

I’m not going to break, Hawk, because I have you to watch my back. ” I squeezed his shoulder.

“Fuck.” He slumped forward until his elbows hit his knees and buried his face in his hands. “Fuck. I wish it hadn’t come to this.”

“I know.” I kept my hand on his shoulder and squeezed again. “I wish that, too.”

Something in Hawk cracked, and he began to cry.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen my brother cry. Maybe not since Bella was born. His shoulders shook under my hand as he cried, and I steadied him as I gazed out toward the mountains. Finally, the sun crested over them fully, and Hawk’s tears slowed and stopped.

“We’ll get through this,” I promised.

He leaned back against the bench, inhaling deeply, then exhaled. He tipped his head back, eyes closed. “I know.” Then he opened his eyes, and when I looked over, he looked newly determined. “Let’s get your girl back.”