Chapter 115
-Logan-
Great. More weight on my shoulders.
Not from the VP patch Talon had just slapped on the table in front of me.
From the collective stare of every brother at the table, waiting to see if the wrecking ball they’d just put in charge could actually be aimed.
Talon’s question hung in the air. He wasn’t just asking for information… he was testing the first command structure of his new presidency.
I leaned forward with my elbows on the table and let my eyes sweep the room. I saw the doubt in the old heads‘ faces. Th caution in the younger ones.
They all voted for me, but they were waiting for me to prove I wasn’t just Logan Nash, the hothead. I was Logan Nash, Va President.
The distinction had to be clear from the first fucking word.
“Anatoly wasn’t at the house when you got there,” I started, eyes on my father. “But he was watching. He knew Hailey didr come alone. Before you guys even passed through the city, he knew. The man’s clearly got eyes everywhere.”
I laid it out for them, stripping all the emotion out of it. The dead Russian. The pliers. The tooth. Talon and River had probably filled them in on a lot of it already, but no one cut me off. So I continued.
“He called Hailey on Stella’s phone while they were still inside. Told her the whole thing was a test. A demonstration.” I paused, letting it sink in. “He wanted to prove his reach. His control. He wanted to see if she was smart enough- or scare enough to stop me from doing exactly what he knew I’d do.”
I met the eyes of each brother individually. “He called me a blunt instrument… and I’m aware that he’s not wrong. But he said that’s why I’ll lose… and that’s where he is wrong. He set the whole thing up predicting my move. Our move. But than to Hailey… and Talon, Jake, Ledger, and River… he predicted wrong.”
A low rumble moved through the room. Insulting the club was one thing. Insulting our capability, our intelligence, was a direct hit to the pride of every man sitting there.
“So fuck his little games. F**k hitting his distribution trucks and scaring his low–level dealers.” My voice hardened, gaining an edge of the old fury. But this time it was focused.
“He wants to play mind games?” I said. “Fine. But the game ends when the player’s head is on a spike. We’re not splitting up We’re not doing pinpricks. We find this Anatoly fuck. We go in as one unit, and we rip him the fuck apart.”
I looked across the table at Ledger. He had been tapping away quietly on his laptop. “He took Stella’s phone. He might still have it on him. It’s a long shot, but it’s a thread. Can you track it?”
Ledger pushed his glasses up his nose. “If it’s powered on and the battery hasn’t died… and if I can get the right information from Stella… yeah. Maybe. I can’t give you a dot on a map. But I could get you a radius. It’s a big if, but it’s a start.
“Then that’s what we do first,” Talon said flatly. He wasn’t asking for a vote. The presidency looked good on him. “We got the girl, we get the info. Ledger does his thing. We find that radius. Then we hunt.”
He looked around the table, meeting each man’s eyes in turn, a silent confirmation of the new chain of command. The old heads, Jake included, gave him a series of grim nods. The young bloods sat up a little straighter
1/3
Chapter 115
Talon picked up the gavel – Jake’s gavel – for the first time. It looked right in his hand. He brought it down once. The cra of it sealed our fate.
“Let’s get to it.”
The kitchen went quiet the second I shoved through the door. The women were a solid wall around Hailey and Stella, but i parted for me without a word. I could tell they were full of questions they knew better than to ask.
I didn’t have the time. I just jerked my head toward the hall. “Stella. Hailey. With me.”
Hailey’s eyes met mine, confused. She stood up slowly like her bones ached. Stella looked from me to the circle of women She pushed herself up from the table and followed.
I led them down the hall to the office the office door and held it for them.
–
Talon’s office now. I could feel Hailey’s nerves rading off her like heat. I opened
Talon was behind the desk. It suited him. Ledger was perched on the edge with his laptop open. It was a strange feeling being in here without Jake.
“Sit,” Talon said, gesturing to the two chairs facing the desk. “Please.”
They sat. I leaned against the wall by the door, crossing my arms.
“We need to know everything, Stella,” Talon started. “About the man who was in charge. What he looked like. How he talker Anything you remember.”
Stella took a shaky breath. “He was… put together. Expensive. Like a lawyer or a banker, but harder. His suit was dark gray, tailored. Shiny shoes. Gold cuff links.”
She closed her eyes, trying to picture him. “Salt and pepper hair, cut short. He was clean–shaven. His eyes were the coldest fucking things I’ve ever seen. Blue, I think. Maybe gray. Pale.”
“His voice?” I prompted from my spot by the door.
eyes
She opened her and looked at me. “Quiet. Calm. Almost… amused? He had an accent. Russian, obviously. But not super thick. It was… smooth. Like he’s been here a while. When he talked, it was like he was discussing the weather, not not what he was about to do.”
A full–body shudder wracked her frame. Hailey reached over and put a hand on her arm.
Ledger leaned forward. “The phone, Stella. Your phone. What kind is it?”
‘iPhone. Thirteen, I think.”
‘Passcode? Face ID?”
‘Six–digit passcode. My birthday.” She recited the numbers, her voice monotone.
“Find my iPhone? Was it on?”
“Yeah, it should be. I never turn it off.”
Ledger’s fingers flew across his keyboard, muttering to himself. “Good, good. iCloud credentials? What’s the email
associated with the account?”
9/3
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
