Filed to story: Reclaimed Book by Roxie Ray
“No sign of blood at the scene,” Tank said. “Confirmed by our guys and the cops who were already there. Some signs of struggle, but we all know Harley probably put up a hell of a fight.”
“I know she did,” I said. No blood was a good sign. At least she hadn’t been obviously hurt during the kidnapping. That didn’t mean Sean wasn’t hurting her now.
“But there’s no sign of Sean, or where he took her,” Tank continued. “It’s like they both just disappeared.”
“So, what do we do now?” Hawk asked. “We’re not agreeing to his terms, obviously.”
The enforcers nodded in agreement, then all eyes fell on me. I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back against the kitchen counter.
“I challenge Sean. But it won’t be like last time.”
“What do you mean?” Tank asked.
“Last time, I thought winning the challenge for the role of alpha would be enough. I thought he’d run off with his tail between his legs. That if he left with a scar, it’d be a “wake-up call”. I thought he’d let go of his anger and accept me as the alpha.”
“We wanted him to come back to himself,” Hawk said. “To join our clan.”
I shook my head. “That’s not going to happen. He’s too far gone. This time, winning the challenge won’t be enough. I have to kill him.”
Hawk’s brows pulled together, and he leaned forward and rubbed his hand roughly over his forehead.
“You good with that, Hawk?” Tank asked.
“Obviously not,” Hawk snapped. He straightened and exhaled hard, then shook his head a little as if to clear it. “He’s my brother.
I don’t want him dead, no matter what he’s done. And especially not by Ace’s hand.”
“Hawk-” I started.
Hawk held up his hand, and I shut my mouth. I respected my brother enough to let him say his piece, even as my dragon bristled with anger.
“But,” Hawk continued, “we don’t have any other choice now. He doesn’t respect us. He’d kill all of us to take control of Lakeview and our clan. If he came for Dylan, he’ll come for Bella. Or Mia. Or any of the people we love.” Hawk rubbed one hand roughly over his hair. “We’ve given him every chance we could. I don’t see any other option, either.”
I reached out and squeezed his shoulder. Hawk’s expression crumbled again, suddenly pinched, like the weight of what he’d just acknowledged truly hit him. “I need a minute,” he said. “I need some air.”
I nodded, and Hawk stepped out onto the back deck, slamming the door behind him. Tank looked at me, eyebrows raised, and I nodded at him and the enforcers. “That’s it for now. Thanks, guys.”
As the enforcers left, Mia came back downstairs, her eyes rimmed red as if she’d been crying. I turned toward her, my brows pulled together with concern, but she waved me off.
“I’m fine. Really. I just hate seeing my nephew like this. And I hate knowing Harley is out there with that jackass. But I got Dylan to fall asleep.”
“Good. He needs it. Hawk?-“
“I know,” Mia said. “You don’t need a dragon’s hearing to hear my husband when he gets worked up. He’ll be okay. He just needs some time.” She put her hand on my forearm and squeezed. “How are you doing, Ace?”
Bad, I wanted to shout.
Scared. Furious. Angry at myself.
This is all my fault.
“I need to go to the scene,” I said instead. “My dragon won’t let me rest until I do. Can you stay here with Dylan?”
“Sure,” Mia said with a small smile. “Do whatever you need.”
I left Mia and Dylan with a few enforcers, then hopped on my motorcycle and raced toward the scene of the accident.
By the time I arrived, the scene had been cleaned up. The car had been towed to my shop, the police were gone, and sparse, middle-of-the-night traffic drove by as if nothing had ever happened. The damaged tree near the shoulder of the road with its trunk split up the middle was the only sign of the accident.
I pulled over and climbed off my bike. I didn’t doubt that my guys had combed the scene, but I had to see it with my own eyes and my dragon’s senses. As the alpha, my senses were a little sharper and a little stronger than the other dragons in the clan. And Harley was my fated mate. If there was a trace of her here at the scene, my dragon would sense it.
The grass was destroyed and muddy where the car had careened off the road and crashed into the tree. I dragged my foot through the mud, then pressed my palm to the half-destroyed tree.
Harley must’ve been terrified, but she’d still gotten Dylan out and told him to find me.
She was so strong. So courageous.
I should’ve been there.
I should’ve been with her.
I never should’ve let her leave. I should’ve kept her close. Should’ve dealt with Sean before he got this bad. Should’ve, should’ve, should’ve.
Anger surged through me, but it wasn’t only directed at Sean. It was directed at myself, too, for how stupid I’d been, how blind I’d been.
I balled my hand into a fist and slammed it into the trunk. Once. Twice. The entire tree rocked with the force of it. The rage coalesced into a burning hot coal in the center of my chest. I wanted to shift, wanted to release my dragon and burn down this whole forest and every trace of the attack.
My dragon had never been this close to the surface. This uncontrolled. My teeth lengthened, as did my claws, but not by my own volition. I threw my head back and roared, and flames burst from my throat and into the sky.
Sean was going to pay for this. I’d given him too many chances. Now it was time to show him what I’d do to protect what was mine.
By the time I got back to the clubhouse, it was so late it was nearly morning. Mia was in the kitchen, sipping tea and scrolling on her phone.
“Hey,” she said with a smile. “Dylan’s still asleep.”
“That’s good.”
“Find anything at the scene?”
I shook my head. All I’d found was my own anger, but Mia didn’t need to know that. She’d be dealing with enough with her husband.
“I got in touch with Cassidy,” Mia said. “She wasn’t happy, obviously, but she’s on her way. She got the first flight she could book.”
“That’s good, too,” I said. “It’ll be good for Dylan to have a piece of home.”
“This is his home, too,” Mia said. “Don’t forget that. He needs you, Ace.”
I pressed my lips into a flat line. I knew that was true, but I was also the reason his mom had been kidnapped. “Is Hawk here?”
“Nope,” she said, but she didn’t sound worried. “He texted, so I know he’s alive at least, but I don’t think he’s handling this well, Ace. He really believed Sean would turn it around. I don’t think he ever really thought it would come to this.”
“I tried to tell him,” I said.
“I know. But you know Hawk. He always sees the best in people. And he always saw the best in Sean, even…”
