A murmur of agreement rolled through the room.
It wasn’t a cheer.
It was darker than that.
A vow.
Wrecker nodded once, acknowledging Freak without offering comfort.“We’re narrowing it down,” he said.“This isn’t random.Someone knew what they were doing.Someone wanted one of ours.”
My throat tightened.
One of ours.
Clove had been one of ours since the day she was born.She was club-raised.Club-protected.The kind of girl you didn’t touch unless you wanted war.
Apparently, someone wanted war.
Or thought they could win it.
Wrecker continued, voice steady.“Until we hear back from Yogi, we keep covering ground.We keep talking to contacts.We keep eyes on the roads.No one goes solo.”
A few men nodded.
My jaw clenched.
I’d already been riding solo.I’d been doing it because sitting still made me feel insane.
But hearing it out loud, being ordered not to, made something in me bristle.
Wrecker’s gaze found mine again, like he knew exactly what I was thinking.“Ender.”
The way he said my name wasn’t a reprimand.
It was a warning.I held his gaze for a beat, then I nodded once.
Not because I liked it, but because if I wanted Clove back, I couldn’t make myself a liability.
Wrecker’s eyes moved on.“We don’t show panic,” he said to the room.“We don’t let this shake us.That’s what they want.They want us sloppy.Emotional.Predictable.”Wrecker lifted his chin.“That’s it.Get back to work.”
“What about the cameras?”Oliver asked.“We’re really wanting them to see all of this?”
“I talked to Mac.We’ve reached an agreement that until we get this under control, the cameras will be on, but I will have final say over what makes it into the show.These guys hurt her daughter, and she wants the same thing we do.”
“So you’re saying we don’t have to knock the power out until we find Clove?”Boink laughed.
Wrecker shook his head.“Nah.Just ignore the fucking cameras right now.I’m not going to let any of this shit make it on the show.She’s gonna find out that she’s wasting footage right now.”He nodded to Cole.“That stays in here.”
Cole held up his hands.“Look, I don’t want the cameras any more than you guys do right now.My lips are sealed.”
Wrecker nodded.“Good.”
Church ended the way it always did, abruptly.
The guys started filing out, voices low again, and boots heavy.
Freak didn’t move immediately.
He stood there like a statue; eyes fixed on the floor for a long second.