Page 75 of Property of the Hellfire Riders

“Show me the folder.”

My heart is pounding in my chest. I grab the file from where it was last set by Vance and place it in Hawk’s palm.

When he took it, his fingers brushed against mine, sending a jolt of electricity through me. His expression shifts, the anger giving way to something else—some kindness he has for me.

“Alright,” he says, his voice rough. “Let’s see what you risked everything for.”

We all crowd around him as Hawk flips through the stack of photos and documents. The room falls silent save for the rustling of paper and our breathing.

Each piece of evidence he examines seems to paint a clearer picture, but it’s one none of us want to see.

“Look at this,” Hawk mutters, holding up a photo. It’s a grainy image of me at the compound, taken from a distance. His eyes narrow as he flips it over to reveal scrawled notes on the back.Fourth day of Izzy at the compound.I shiver.

The next photo he studies makes my blood run cold as ice. It’s through the apartment window of their place. Me standing in front of Hawk naked, arms up as I dance.Izzy was brought upstairs to Hawk,it reads.

“Holy shit,” I murmur. “I got a note the next day…about dancing.”

Hawk sighs,“Reynolds has been watching us for months. He’s been building a case against us this whole time. The bastard’s been fucking with us.”

Tank leans in closer, his brow furrowed. “If Reynolds was this close to the compound, I think one the guy’s would’ve at least seen the fucker.”

“Yeah. I don’t think Reynolds was taking the pics, Vance,” Hawk says. I watch him, the intensity of his focus, the way his hands move over the papers with a mix of care and frustration. I can practically see the gears turning in his head, trying to piece together the twisted puzzle that has become our lives.

It’s then that it hits me.

“Wait,” I whisper, grabbing another stack of pictures.

The first image, taken from my first day at the compound, was blurred but grainy. It was definitely taken from far away. But the others, they became clearer. Closer.

“What is it?”

“Whoever was snapping these pics, they used a long lens, okay? But they were still close to us. Too close. There’s no way Reynolds would’ve shown up here. I mean we’re talking a hundred feet.”

“What’s your point?” Vance asks, lingering over my shoulder.

“I think Reynolds has a mole in the Hellfire Riders.”

Hawk doesn’t meet my gaze. “It’s the only explanation,” he says, his voice laced with disbelief. “I had a feeling something was up, and now, I know for fact.” He reaches into the backpack slung over his shoulder and pulls out a camera, its weight solid and familiar in his hands.

“I happened to find this in the basement,” Hawk says, his voice low.

He holds the camera out, and my heart skips a beat. I recognized it immediately. The worn strap, the slight scratch on the lens cover—there’s no mistaking it. It’s Laina’s camera

My breath catches in my throat as I reach for it.

“Where did you find this?” I stammer out.

Hawk’s eyes soften slightly, the anger momentarily giving way to empathy. “In the basement, hidden under some old tarps.”

“Is it yours?” Vance asks. They’re probably all wondering why the hell I’m clutching this camera close to my chest. A thousand thoughts race through my mind.

“Izzy?” Tank calls for me, setting a hand on my shoulder. “What’s special about the camera?”

Immediately, I try to pry open where the memory card would be stored, but there’s nothing there. No photos. No evidence.How the hell did her camera end up here?

“It’s Laina’s,” I whisper. “Whoever had this camera has to know something about where she is or what happened to her.”

The photos from Reynolds desk lay out in front of me, haunting me with the idea whoever has Laina was watching me. They had her camera, and they were using it to spy and collect data for Reynolds.

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