We took our time with them—not because we were sadists, but because information had to be extracted precisely, fully, and thoroughly. If it wasn’t done right, they would spew anything they thought we wanted to hear, whether it was truth or fiction.
Rev and Blitz stood ready nearby, carefully managing the containment, while Century watched quietly from the shadows, his expression unreadable. The interrogation moved with ruthless efficiency, pinpointing exactly which strings to pull and when, until the bastards finally cracked, spilling names, dates, locations, and operations with the desperation of men who knew no salvation was coming.
Once we had what we needed, I left Edge and the others to deal with their fate. Then I relayed all the information we’d gathered to Jax so he could handle the next phase—the systematic destruction of every digital record that gave our enemies even the barest illusion of stability. He was methodical and merciless, dismantling lives by carefully corrupting credit reports, deleting work histories, draining bank accounts, and strategically planting damning evidence that implicated them in criminal activity that he’d anonymously feed to the feds. He didn’t just destroy their lives—he fucking obliterated them.
When I returned to the clubhouse, Kane was already waiting for me outside in the parking lot. The night air was heavy but clean after the hours spent underground. Kane’s expression was steady, eyes reflecting quiet approval and a certain gravity that came with what we’d just dealt with.
He held out a neatly folded leather vest—a Redline Kings’ old lady cut. My chest tightened as he handed it to me, the smooth, sturdy leather cool and solid beneath my fingers.
I tucked the vest securely into my saddlebag, the weight of it heavier than I’d expected, but not at all unwelcome. It was filled with significance and permanence. Kane clapped a firm hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze before stepping back, nodding toward the road.
“Go home, Tyre.” There was a knowing glint in his eyes. “Your woman’s waiting.”
I didn’t bother responding, just swung a leg over my Harley and fired the engine, the familiar roar rolling through me as I pulled out onto the quiet road, racing toward home and Cecily.
18
CECILY
Icurled deeper into the corner of the couch, my knees tucked to my chest, staring at the television screen in the hope that the sitcom rerun would calm the nervous energy buzzing under my skin.
Ares had been gone for hours. I’d tried to sleep earlier, but every time I closed my eyes I pictured him out there somewhere doing something dangerous that he couldn’t tell me about, and sleep refused to come. So I was wide awake in the middle of the night, waiting for the man who had upended my entire future in the best possible way.
Picking up my phone to check the time again, I winced. In all the chaos of the day, I’d completely forgotten to tell my parents the biggest news of my life.
Me
Got the official call today. I’m going back to California. Coach says I’m in strong contention for the Olympics this time.
I assumed they wouldn’t see my message until they woke up in the morning, but my phone rang almost immediately.
“Honey!” Mom’s voice was excited. “That’s amazing!”
Dad added, “We’re so proud of you, Cecily. All that hard work paying off.”
I smiled even though they couldn’t see me. “Thank you. It still doesn’t feel real.”
There was a short pause before Mom asked the question I knew was coming. “What about Tyre?”
I took a breath. “He’s coming with me. Said where I go, he goes.”
Silence stretched for a moment. Then Mom murmured, “Well, then he must love you if he’s willing to uproot everything to support your dream. Just promise us you’ll keep your eyes on the goal.”
“I will,” I whispered, my throat tight. “I promise.”
“Not sure how I feel about you living with the man,” my dad grumbled. “But at least he’ll be there to keep an eye on you when we can’t be.”
That was high praise coming from him, and I smiled again. “He’ll take very good care of me, Dad.”
“He better.”
My smile widened at the picture in my head of my dad facing off against Ares if he thought he wasn’t treating me the way he should. “With him watching over me, I’ll probably be better rested and fed than I was the last time I made the residency program.”
“Good,” Dad grunted.
After we hung up, the restless energy returned. I stood and moved to the living room floor, flowing through a long stretching routine to burn off the nerves. Once my muscles were warm and loose, I headed into the kitchen.
It was late, but I couldn’t just sit and wait anymore. I pulled out oats, peanut butter, honey, and chocolate chips and started mixing up a big batch of my favorite no-bake energy bites.While those chilled, I made a tray of egg bites packed with spinach, turkey sausage, and cheese. They’d be easy to heat in the morning so Ares wouldn’t feel like he needed to cook after whatever long night he was having.