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CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

LUCY WAS OUT there. Alone.

I sat at the bar, white-knuckling the bottle like it had the answers I needed. Breath coming in short, sharp bursts. My body was wired so damn tight it felt like I’d snap, my mind stuck in a vicious loop of worst-case scenarios that clawed at me like a goddamn nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.

I’d torn through the streets, turned over every fucking stone. No sleep. Barely a bite to eat. And still—nothing.

Fuck.

The thought of her in Dragon Fire’s hands? It was driving me to the edge. Past the edge. I wasn’t sure what part of me was left that wasn’t burning.

The door blasted open, slamming against the wall. The room snapped to a halt. Heads turned. Conversations died mid-sentence.

I spun around, heart punching against my ribs.

Oliver stood in the doorway, chest heaving like he’d sprinted through hell. His eyes locked on mine—wild, panicked—and just like that, ice slid down my spine.

“Spinner!” His voice cracked, laced with raw urgency. “It’s Lucy. She’s in trouble.”

I was on him in an instant, shoving the stool back so hard it flew across the floor. “ Where the fuck is she? ”

He swallowed, his face pale and drenched in sweat. “She—she never showed. I was supposed to pick her up, but she wasn’t there. I knew something was off, so I started digging Hacked into some security cams.” He paused to catch his breath, guilt and fear thick in his voice. “Caught sight of a van. Bikes riding with it. Dragon Fire colors. Heading toward the docks. I—I’m sure they took her to a warehouse down there.”

Warehouse.

The word detonated in my skull. Rage slammed into me so hard my vision blackened at the edges.

Fang.

Fang fucking had her.

A sharp crack rang out. Took me a second to realize it was the bottle in my grip, shattered. Glass cut into my palm, blood mingling with whiskey. I didn’t give a damn.

I shoved past Oliver, breathing like an animal on a leash too short. Muscles locked, fury boiling over. All I saw was her. Alone. Scared. And that bastard—Fang—grinning like the piece of shit he was.

A hand clamped down on my shoulder, firm, solid, immovable.

I twisted, ready to tear into whoever it was, a snarl already curling on my lips.

Devil.

His eyes burned into mine, calm in that was pissing me off. “Think, Spinner.”

“I don’t need to fuckin’ think, ” I snapped, running my hands through my hair. “I need to get to her! ”

“You need to calm the fuck down, ” Devil shot back, stepping closer, voice dropping to something low and dangerous. “You forget who’s calling the shots here? You go running in like this, you’re liable to get her and you killed.”

His words were spot on. Didn’t make them any easier to swallow.

My fists clenched, nails biting into skin. “She’s out there, Devil. You know what Fang wants—what he’s capable of. And you want me to wait? ”

He didn’t flinch. Didn’t so much as blink. “You rush in blind, you’ll be dead before you fucking catch a glimpse of her.”

I turned away, shoulders heaving, hands braced on the bar. Arms trembling with restraint I didn’t have. My head throbbed, chest caving in on itself.

Dammit, Lucy.

I saw her in my mind—tied down, fighting like hell, that spark in her eyes flickering under Fang’s twisted grin. I should’ve seen it coming. Should’ve found her first.

My voice came out raw. “We wait too long... there won’t be anything left to save.”

Silence. Thick and heavy. Devil knew it, too—what that son of a bitch was capable of.

Then—he exhaled, slow. Controlled. “We won’t wait too long. But we do this my way. ”

I bit down the curses clawing up my throat, forcing a shaky breath past clenched teeth. This wasn’t about me. It was about her. I had to get my shit together. Had to breathe.

I turned to Oliver. “How sure?”

“Certain,” he said, jaw tight. “Lucy wouldn’t just bail. If she couldn’t make it, she’d have let me know. They got her. ”

The red haze crept back. Fury clawing, hungry.

“Thunder found the warehouse,” Chain cut in, holding up his phone. “Got eyes on it now. No movement yet, but Dragon Fire’s inside. Not just Fang—full crew.”

A trap? Probably. Didn’t matter.

Devil’s voice cut through the tension like a blade. “We hit ‘em before dawn. Hard. Fast. No mistakes.”

Dawn.

Lucy might not make it ‘til dawn.

I shoved a hand through my hair, pacing. Couldn’t stand still. My skin itched with helpless rage, every second stretching into eternity.

“Spinner,” Devil barked. “I need you sharp when we roll out. Not a loose cannon.”

I stopped. Whirled on him. “You don’t get it. Fang’s got her, and every minute we waste, he’s hurting her. ”

Devil didn’t hesitate, grabbed my collar, yanking me nose-to-nose. “Then don’t fuck it up. I know you love her. I get it. But you lose your head out there, and she’s done. You wanna save her? Pull it together. ”

I stood there, breathing hard enough to shake the walls. Every part of me screamed to move. To act.

Devil let me go, stepping back. “Gear up. We roll before first light.”

I clenched my fists, nails biting deep enough to draw blood. Every heartbeat was a countdown.

Hold on, Lucy.

By the time this was over, Fang wouldn’t be breathing.