Page 87 of Rogue’s Reckoning

"She was so brave," Ezra murmurs, gently stroking Wren's hair. "When she came running into the chapel to tell us what happened... God, Willow, I've never been so terrified in my life."

I reach out to take his hand, intertwining our fingers. "You were both so brave," I tell him. "Coming after me like that."

Ezra brings our joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to my knuckles. "I meant what I said before. I'll always come for you, Willow. No matter what."

I smile softly at him, feeling a warmth spread through my chest despite the aches and pains from the day's ordeal. "I know. And I love you for it."

As exhaustion starts to pull at me, I snuggle closer to Ezra, careful not to disturb Wren. Here, sandwiched between the two people I love most in the world, I finally feel truly safe.

TWENTY-NINE

ROGUE

The atmosphere in the chapel is tense as we gather for an emergency meeting. My brothers' faces are grim as they take their seats around the table. We may have taken out Lochlann, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

Ghost calls the meeting to order with a sharp rap of the gavel. "Alright, brothers, let's get down to business. We've confirmed Lochlann is dead. The Shadow Hawks are finished. But we need to talk about what happened and what it means going forward."

I nod grimly. "Lochlann was fixated on finding Ivy. He seemed to think she and Willow had planned some kind of escape together years ago. But that doesn't make sense to me. Ivy just stood there and watched when Lochlann...” I pause, unable to say the word. “When he hurt Willow. Why would she help her escape after that?"

"Exactly," Ghost says. “It doesn’t make sense. What the fuck are we missing?”

"Willow swears she hasn't had any contact with Ivy since that night. She was just as confused by Lochlann's obsession as we are," I say through gritted teeth.

Ghost slides his eyes to me, and I know we’re both thinking the same thing. We know exactly why Ivy hasn't been in contact—because we killed her years ago. But that's not something Willow needs to know. Not ever.

"So what are we thinking?" Hades asks. "Did Ivy have something on Lochlann? Some kind of leverage?"

Ghost shakes his head. "It's possible. But whatever it was, it died with her. We know she's not coming back."

The room falls silent as everyone processes this. Finally, Savage speaks up. "Could she have taken something? Some information or evidence that Lochlann wanted back?"

It's a good question, and one that makes me uneasy. If Ivy had something on Lochlann, something important enough for him to still be looking for her years later, what was it? And more importantly, where is it now?

"It's possible," Ghost says slowly. "But we have no way of knowing for sure. Ivy's dead, and Lochlann took whatever secrets he had to the grave with him."

I run a hand through my hair, frustration building. "So what do we do now? Just hope that whatever Ivy might have had doesn't come back to bite us in the ass?"

Ghost sighs heavily. "For now, yes. We keep our ears to the ground, stay alert for any whispers of trouble. But unless something concrete comes up, we have to assume this chapter is closed."

The brothers nod in agreement, though I can see the unease on their faces. None of us like loose ends, and this feels like a big one.

"What about Willow and Wren?" Tempest asks, looking at me. "Are they staying?"

I nod, unable to keep the small smile off my face despite the seriousness of the situation. "Yeah, they're staying. Willow wants to make a life here, with me and Wren."

There are nods of approval and a few grins from around the table. The brothers have all grown fond of Willow and Wren over the past weeks.

"Good," Ghost says, clapping me on the shoulder. "They belong here. With family."

I feel a warmth in my chest at his words. After everything that's happened, it means a lot to have the support of my brothers.

"So what's our next move?" Savage asks, bringing us back to the matter at hand.

Ghost leans back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. "We keep our eyes and ears open. If there's anything out there that Ivy might have had on Lochlann, we need to find it before anyone else does. We can't risk it falling into the wrong hands."

"I'll reach out to some of my contacts," Hades offers. "See if there's been any chatter about Ivy or anything connected to the Shadow Hawks."

Ghost nods approvingly. "Good. Tempest, I want you to do a deep dive into Ivy's background. See if you can find any properties, bank accounts, anything that might give us a clue where she might have stashed something important."

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