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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

I PACED THE length of the table, my boots striking the wood with a sharp, steady rhythm that matched the anger boiling under my skin. Around me, the men sat, some tense, others more at ease.

Fang leaned back in his chair, dragging on a cigarette like he didn’t have a care in the world. Beast was silent, arms crossed, watching me like he always did, waiting for the storm to hit. Jinx and Scorch, meanwhile, fidgeted like cornered rats, probably wondering if I was going to lash out at them.

“Those fuckers destroyed a very expensive shipment. That’s going to cost us a lot of green,” I snarled.

“We figured they might hit back,” Fang said casually, blowing out a cloud of smoke.

“I thought they’d turn over Zeynep and Lucy instead,” I admitted through clenched teeth.

“Maybe they’re still gettin’ information out of them,” Beast said.

“Maybe Lucy, but not Zeynep.” My jaw tightened, and I could feel the anger rising in my chest. “They fucking almost killed her.” My voice dropped to a growl, the kind of tone that sent a chill through the room. “My ol’ lady beaten so bad she can’t even talk.”

Word hit me this morning about her condition. No wonder she hadn’t come back—she couldn’t .

I stopped pacing and slammed my fists down on the table, the crack of wood cutting through the tense silence. “And it was our men that did it—” I turned my glare to Fang, my voice rising— “and when I find out who ordered it, they’ll join the ones responsible in hell.”

Fang smirked, tapping ash onto the table. “She’s still alive, isn’t she? Bit of a dramatic overreaction to a piece of pussy, Drago.”

It took everything in me not to reach across the table and wipe that smirk off his face. Instead, I straightened, fixing him with a look that would’ve made most men back down.

“She’s not some random bitch,” I growled. “She’s mine.”

“She’s not yours,” Beast muttered, his deep voice cutting through my angry haze.

My head snapped toward him, my fists clenching at my sides. “What did you just say?”

Beast didn’t flinch, didn’t even blink. “I said she’s not yours, Drago. Not if you have to beat it into her.”

The room went deathly quiet. The kind of silence that pressed on your ears and made your pulse thunder. For a second, I thought about killing him. My fingers twitched with the need to grab something—anything—and throw it at him. But I let out a bitter laugh instead and turned away.

The men in this room were experienced, and I needed them.

Still, I filed away his comment. When the time came, he’d pay.

“She was never supposed to be hurt,” I said finally, my voice quieter now but no less pointed. “Now she’s in their hands, and if she starts talking—”

“She won’t,” Fang interrupted, his tone casual but cutting.

My gaze snapped back to him. “What makes you so sure?”

He leaned forward, the cigarette dangling between his fingers, a smug grin stretching across his face. “Because she can’t talk. Not right now. Whatever they did to her, it’s shut her up good. And I’m guessin’ it’ll stay that way for a while.”

The weight in my chest eased slightly, but it didn’t last long.

“She’s still a liability,” I said, trying to downplay the obsession that clawed at the edges of my thoughts. “And she’s not the only one.”

Fang’s grin widened. “You mean Lucy?”

“Yeah, I fucking mean Lucy. Their guy Spinner is all wrapped up in Lucy,” I said, my voice sharper now, wiping that goddamned smirk off Fang’s face.

“The intel could be wrong,” he replied, but his eyes said he knew it wasn’t.

“Not a chance,” I assured him.

Fang reached into his pocket and pulled out a photograph, tossing it onto the table. A second later, he threw down a property cut. My hand shot out, grabbing the photo before it even hit the surface. My eyes narrowed as I took it in.

It was Lucy and Fang. His arm slung around her shoulders, her face turned just enough to look... intimate. I grabbed the cut, my eyes narrowing when I saw Lucy’s name stitched on it, designating her as Fang’s property.

“What the hell is this?” I demanded, throwing them back at him.

“Insurance,” Fang said, grinning. “We let the Devil’s House boys think she’s mine. That she’s been feedin’ us information this whole time.”

“You think they’ll buy it?” Beast asked, his tone skeptical.

Fang shrugged, flicking ash onto the floor. “They don’t trust her. She could’ve ratted me out that night but didn’t. She was afraid they wouldn’t believe her. All we have to do is plant a few seeds of doubt. Let them do the rest.”

I stared at him, the wheels in my head turning. It was a good plan, smart even, but I hated that it had come from him.

“And when they figure out it’s a lie?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“They won’t,” Fang said confidently. “Not until it’s too late. By then, Lucy will have taken off—right back into our hands. Zeynep will soon follow to save her friend.”

I wasn’t sure. It felt messy. But the longer I thought about it, the more sense it made.

“Fine,” I said, my voice firm. “Do it. While you’re working on that, I’ll come up with retaliation for destroying our shipment.”

Fang smirked, leaning back in his chair like he didn’t have a care in the world. Beast shook his head, muttering something under his breath, but he didn’t argue. Jinx and Scorch stayed silent, their eyes darting between me and Fang like they were waiting for someone to explode.

“Lucy belongs to me,” Fang said suddenly, his voice cutting through the room. “And you better not be plannin’ to fuck her up.”

I froze, my blood running hot. “What did you just say?”

“Lucy,” he repeated, his grin sharp. “She’s mine, Drago. Just like Zeynep is yours. And I’ve claimed her. Just remember that.”

The air in the room shifted, heavy and electric. I stared at him, my fists clenching at my sides. Fang didn’t flinch under my glare, and for the first time, I wondered if I’d underestimated how dangerous he really was.

“Do your job,” I said finally, my voice hard. “And Lucy will be just fine.”

Fang’s smirk didn’t waver, but he didn’t argue, either.

As I turned and walked out of the room, the anger in my chest burned hotter than ever. Zeynep was still out there, and now Lucy was a pawn in a game I wasn’t sure I could control.

But one thing was carved in stone.

No one took what was mine and got away with it. Fuck Fang. Lucy was going to pay for taking Zeynep away from me.