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CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

THE CLUBHOUSE WAS quiet, an unnatural stillness settling over it like a heavy blanket. Most of the guys had either turned in or were off keeping watch, leaving the common areas shadowy and empty.

I leaned against the wall outside Spinner’s room, staring at the wood grain of the door, my heart hammering against my ribs.

I didn’t have to do this. I could turn around now, walk away, avoid the pain of saying goodbye. But some part of me wouldn’t let me.

Not without one last night.

Taking a steadying breath, I pushed the door open.

Spinner sat on the edge of the bed, boots off, elbows resting on his knees, hair ruffled like he’d been dragging his hands through it all night. He looked up the second I stepped inside, his dark eyes locking onto mine, focused but tired.

“You okay?” His voice was quiet, rough, edged with something caution.

I nodded, closing the door behind me. “Yeah,” I said softly. “Just couldn’t sleep.”

He watched me for a moment, gaze searching, before he gestured to the spot next to him on the bed. “Come here.”

I hesitated for a fraction of a second before crossing the room and sitting beside him. The silence between us was thick, but not uncomfortable.

“Today was rough,” he said, leaning back on his hands.

I let out a soft, humorless laugh, shaking my head. “That’s one way to put it.”

He turned to look at me, his expression softening. “You’re blamin’ yourself, aren’t you?”

“No,” I lied, eyes dropping to the floor.

“Lucy,” he said, firmer now. “You can’t carry this. What happened to the prospect—that’s not on you.”

My fingers curled into fists against my thighs. “If I wasn’t here, Fang wouldn’t have come after the club. He wouldn’t have...”

Spinner reached out, covering my hand with his, stopping the downward spiral before it could pull me under. His grip was warm, steady.

“Don’t do that,” he said. “Don’t make this about you. Fang’s the one who did this, not you. And Drago wants Zeynep—she’s the main target.”

The warmth of his touch anchored me, made it easier to breathe. For a moment, I let myself believe him. Maybe he was right.

Maybe.

But the guilt still clawed at me, coiling in my gut like a sickness.

I couldn’t stay.

“Spinner,” I said softly, holding his hand tighter and meeting his gaze. “Can we just... not talk about it? Or anything? Not tonight?”

He studied me, his brows drawing together slightly, like he knew exactly what I was asking. A flicker of hesitation. Then he nodded.

“Yeah,” he murmured, reaching for me, pulling me close. “I’ll make you forget everythin’.”

The hours slipped by like a dream, the kind that fades too fast the moment you wake.

We didn’t talk much, just came together, the sounds of our lovemaking filling in what words couldn’t.

For a while, I forgot about Dragon Fire, about Fang, about everything waiting for me outside these walls. All I could feel was Spinner—his touch, his warmth, that something that only he could give me.

But dawn came too soon.

The first slivers of light crept through the window, stretching across the floor like long fingers, reaching, pulling me back to reality.

I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake him. He lay on his side, face relaxed in sleep, one hand resting in the empty space where I’d been.

My chest tightened.

I pulled on my shoes, the weight of what I was about to do pressing down on me like a physical force.

I couldn’t stay.

I couldn’t be the reason anyone else died.

At the door, I hesitated, looking back at him one last time.

“I love you,” I whispered.

Then I turned and left, the door clicking shut behind me.

Outside, the morning air was cool against my skin, carrying the scent of damp earth and some flowery scent I couldn’t place. I moved quickly, keeping to the shadows, slipping past the quiet clubhouse toward the edge of the property.

I’d hidden my bag out back, tucked beneath a pile of scrap metal, and it was still there, exactly where I’d left it.

As I slung it over my shoulder, the guilt twisted inside me like a knife.

I wasn’t just leaving Spinner. I was leaving Zeynep, Brenda, the whole club. Even pissed at some of them, they had become part of me.

But it was the only way.

If I stayed, more people would die.

I’d lead Fang and Drago away, feed them the lie that Zeynep was with me, and keep running until I couldn’t anymore.

One last glance at the clubhouse.

Then I turned and slipped into the trees, the first rays of sunlight breaking through the branches above me.

This was the right thing to do.

At least, that’s what I told myself as I disappeared into the morning light.