Page 36 of Pike’s Redemption

“You’re my sister,” I finally said, touching her hand. I hoped that I would say the right things. “I just want you to be careful, but I want you to have the chance to make those choices. But promise me you’ll let me know if anything changes, okay? If you get worried or scared.” I bit my lip, thinking about Eli’s past, the abuse that he’d been subjected to, but I kept my mouth shut. She knew about all that and wanted to be a grown-up and make her choices. He was just leaving her gifts anyway, I rationalized. I slid the rock back over to her.

She nodded, squeezing my hand. "I promise."

We sat silently for a while, both lost in our thoughts. Outside, I could hear the low murmur of voices—Enzo and Luca, no doubt discussing the day’s plans. The house might have been under lockdown, but it didn’t feel like a fortress. It felt like home, even with all the chaos surrounding us.

But as much as I wanted to believe everything would be fine, a nagging feeling told me this was far from over. Eli’s gifts, Kent’s threats, the skinned rabbit—it was all connected, and it was only a matter of time before it all came to a head.

CHAPTER

SIXTEEN

PIKE

The road stretched before me, a long, dry ribbon of asphalt cutting through the Arizona desert. The sun was starting to rise, painting the sky in shades of red and orange, but it did nothing to warm the cold knot of tension in my gut. I rode at the head of the convoy, my bike growling beneath me, the Cobras following close behind. Dimitri was right there, just a bit behind me, his face as hard and unreadable as ever. Maddox and his men from the Brotherhood flanked us. It wasn’t a big crew—just the essentials. This wasn’t about numbers; it was about precision.

We were headed to a place that always gave me the fucking creeps. When I was with him, he lived in Idaho, where the weather was biting cold in the winter. I still couldn’t believe that son of a bitch had moved here, of all places. It had pissed me off when I’d first heard about it like he was rubbing salt in a wound that never really healed. I couldn’t deny it was convenient for me, though. Still, any place where this fucker lived wasn’t good. It made me feel dirty to be anywhere near Kent. It felt like a bad dream. Like I was swimming still against the current — fighting the water.

"Everything good?" Dimitri shouted over the road, his voice cutting through my thoughts, pulling me back from the edge of a memory I didn't want to fall into.

"Yeah," I muttered, eyes locked on the road. "Just thinking."

"Don't get lost in it. We've got a job to do."

"I know." My voice was flat, but I felt the tension ratcheting up inside me. I didn't want to be here or face this place again, but we had no choice. Victor was out there, and Kent was the bait we needed to draw him in. There was no way I could allow this whole shitshow to continue. Whoever this Victor person was, I needed to nip this in the bud and finish it.

I slowed down as we approached the turnoff, signaling the others to do the same. The property came into view, and just seeing it made my skin crawl. The house looked the same as all the places Kent lived—like a place where bad things happened and weren’t ever spoken of again—dusty, isolated, and surrounded by nothing but desert.

I had not seen Eli again last night or this morning, but he seemed close now for some reason. My brother never felt closer than when I was at this property, which made more sense to me now since apparently Eli had also been here before.

Maddox pulled up beside me, his eyes scanning the area. “You sure Victor is gonna show up here?”

“He’ll show,” I said, my voice hard. “This is the best chance we’ve got to catch him.” There was an awareness that had settled over me as we had arrived. The hair lifted on my arms and along the nape of my neck. They’d been here, Victor and Eli. Either together or separately, but this was ground they’d traversed. If I were Kent, I’d be scared shitless. That made me feel irrationally good.

“Let’s get to work, then,” Maddox said, nodding to the others.

We dismounted, and I felt the weight of the past pressing down on me as I walked toward the house. Every step brought back memories I’d spent years trying to forget, but I pushed them aside, focusing on the task. We had a limited window to get the cameras in place and get out before Kent showed up. Taking deep breaths to distract myself, I moved forward and refocused.

Dimitri handed me a small camera, his eyes meeting mine. “I’ll take the back. You and Maddox handle the front.”

I nodded, took the camera, and moved toward the house. There had been an opportunity to opt-out, to say I’d take the outside, but I didn’t. This was my problem, and I wouldn’t take the easy way. That was a weakness I couldn’t stomach. I’d asked for help, and that was further than I’d ever gone before. The others spread out, moving quickly and efficiently. This wasn’t our first operation, and it wouldn’t be our last, but this one was different for me. This one was personal.

I hesitated at the front door, my hand hovering over the doorknob. In all my time stalking Kent, I’d avoided entering one of his homes again, instead catching him in other locations. The memories hit me like a freight train—the rough hands, the cold voice, the feeling of being trapped. I took a deep breath, then pushed the door open. The hinges creaked, the sound echoing in the silence.

Each year, he got his beating, just like I’d promised him when I was a teen. I’d surprise him sometimes on a street corner or in a supermarket. Once, I’d had the boys surround him and grab him straight from his car. I wanted him shaken and scared — just like he’d kept us. Paranoid and wracked with fear all the fucking goddamn time.

The air was heavy with shadows, and the sweet smell that reminded me of Kent —pumpkin pie. The guy couldn’t get enough of it. He was like a soccer mom. Starbucks had nothing on Kent. The floorboards creaked under my boots as I stepped inside. I moved quickly, placing the camera in a spot that would give us the best view of the front door. I didn’t want to spend a second longer in this place than I had to. I’d probably end up getting some disease.

Maddox joined me a few minutes later, his face grim as he looked around. “Place gives me the creeps,” he muttered, setting up another camera. “What the fuck is that weird smell?”

“Pumpkin pie,” I said, my voice tight. I didn’t elaborate, and Maddox didn’t ask. We both knew what this place represented and that the sooner we got out of there, the better.

“What a twat. I hope he dies. Maybe we’ll be too late,” Maddox muttered. “That’d be a shame,” he said so dryly that I couldn’t help but chuckle back, but his eyes were shadowed and dark. Sweat shone on his face, and I remembered that Maddox also struggled with the task we’d set. Demons still hunted Maddox in the dark, and I made a mental note that someday soon, I would try to get Maddox to have a conversation with me. Maybe I could try opening up.

“Yeah, what a loss that’d be. You know Nat offered to have her cousin kill him for me.”

“Fuck. I like her even more now,” Cross quipped. I couldn’t help but lean into the laugh.

“Me too,” Maddox said. “Although pretty sure Maxim would be down to kill you too.” Maddox was probably right about that. Once the Volkov pakhan found out I was fucking his precious cousin, he’d be looking to shoot me right between the eyes.

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