Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 42128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 211(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 211(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
My lane was tracking the human side—behavioral reconstruction, tactical pursuit, and reading predators who believed they were smarter than everyone else. Military recon had trained me to study patterns, track movements, and hunt people down. Now, it was second nature, and I used those skills whenever the club needed them.
Kane’s gaze held mine steadily as he spoke again. “Whatever we find, we’re going to handle it thoroughly. Someone went after what’s ours—there will be consequences.”
Everyone knew better than to fuck with the Redline Kings. If someone was stupid enough to try, they’d be crushed into oblivion. Figuratively and occasionally literally. Delaney’s captor had unknowingly sealed his fate in a manner worse than he could ever expect. There would be no arrest, no trial, and no life-in-prison option. He’d touched a Redline Kings’ woman, and now he’d face justice our way. The fact I didn’t meet her until after didn’t matter—she’d been mine all along.
When we finished discussing the initial plans, I pushed myself out of the chair, the urgency to get back to Delaney already tightening my chest. My patience was stretched thin, and every instinct drove me toward her again.
But I had shit to do before I could give in to my desire to be with her, which was overridden by the need to protect her.
“Keep me updated.” Kane’s eyes carried a flash of understanding as he watched me move toward the door.
“Will do.”
The crisp night air washed over me as we roared down the backroads leading toward the spot where I’d found Delaney. Fury and Shifter rode with me, their headlights slicing through the darkness as the road opened ahead.
I was driven by adrenaline and the relentless determination to uncover every piece of information I could find. Yet, despite my single-minded focus, Delaney persisted at the edges of my awareness. It was impossible to push away the image of her curled in my bed, vulnerable and trusting, or the heat that rushed through me every damn time I remembered holding her.
When we reached the stretch of road, I parked my bike near the edge of the tree line, killed the engine, and swung off smoothly. My brothers fell into place around me as we carefully scanned the area. The moonlight was faint, casting a pale silver glow across the overgrown brush and muddy terrain, illuminating the scuff marks and shallow tracks left behind.
I traced Delaney’s movements through the scrubby brush. Her footprints were uneven. Blood smeared faintly in places, marking where branches and rough ground had scraped and cut her feet through the thin slippers. I could almost visualize her desperate sprint toward freedom—stumbling, recovering, and pushing herself forward despite pain, drugs, and exhaustion.
My anger climbed at the thought of her running alone through this rough terrain, desperate and terrified.
I was able to follow her deep into the woods, but eventually her footprints were obscured by another set. His prints were heavier, with evidence of confidence and control in his stride. He’d moved steadily, closing the distance consistently as Delaney faltered, likely under the influence of the drugs he’d used to knock her out. My gut tightened as I visualized it clearly. Under normal circumstances, Delaney might’ve outrun him easily—she was clearly in good physical shape. But barefoot and drugged, she’d barely stood a chance.
I tracked until we reached another road and spotted the van. It was still abandoned where Magnus had left it, one tire obviously flat and partially shredded. The rim of the spare was bent just enough so he couldn’t put it on. Dirt and gravel had been kicked up around the vehicle, tire marks defined in the mud. I pulled out my phone and made a quick call.
Gauge answered immediately. “What you got?”
“Found the van,” I told him flatly. “Around three miles south of the bridge on Hopewell Road. Get it towed back to The Pit. I want every inch examined.”
“Done,” Gauge replied smoothly. “We’ll handle it.”
I ended the call and stared at the scene a moment longer, piecing the entire chase together. Magnus had clearly been delayed by the tire iron to the head, giving Delaney those precious extra seconds to run. But he’d still managed to close that distance.
As I walked their trail back once more, all the way to where she’d run out into the road, I noticed something. Magnus’s footprints had wiped away Delaney’s as he ran directly after her. Until a few yards from the highway. There, Delany’s tracks were clearer the closer she’d gotten to the road.
Why had he stopped following so closely behind?
Magnus had been seconds from catching her. Just moments away from dragging her back to the nightmare she’d escaped.
Then it hit me. He knew she’d been close to the highway, and he must have heard the rumble of my engine headed this way. He’d most likely changed course to see if he could head her off at another point, and then when she ran straight into the road, he couldn’t follow.