Page 19 of Shadow's Edge

Mace’s voice rose again, another yell, another flare of rage, then Kyle stepped forward.

And just like that—she took control.

“Data,” she spoke into her cell, voice sharp, no room for argument. “Look into the feeds. Search specifically for any signals near the compound and the Valiant compound. Find us the link.”

She turned to Hunter, her gaze firm, steady.

“I’ve made contact with Bo,” she said. “I’m waiting for her to return the request.”

And just like that, the room shifted, becausenowwe had a lead. And if there was one thing we were good at—it was hunting down our enemies.

Coleman,one of Mace’s old friends, stepped into the center of the room, his expression unreadable but his presence commanding. Former military, now running a high-end security company, the man was a walking weapon—calm, lethal, efficient. If he was involved, it meant we had resources on our side that could turn the tide.

“I’ve got my people searching for Mace’s sister and his woman,” he updated us, his voice steady but edged with urgency.

A ripple of tension passed through the room, everyone processing what that meant.

But Preacher wasn’t done. He folded his arms, his eyes cold and calculating as he addressed the real issue gnawing at the rest of us. “We need to find the rat too.”

That hit differently. We all knew it. We allfeltit.

Someone in my MC had betrayed us. A mole working with these fuckers, feeding them intel, and putting our people in danger. That truth burned beneath my skin, raw and festering. It wasn’t just a breach of trust, it was a death sentence. Whoever they were, I wanted them found. I wanted them to understandexactlyhow rats were rewarded by the Knights MC.

Hunter finally snapped.

“You’ll fucking excuse me,” he snarled, stepping right into Preacher’s space, “if I don’t make that one of mypriorities. My woman iswho knows fucking where.Mace’s woman and sister are missing too. We don’t know what thefucking plans are for them.”

His voice was a roar, his fury unchecked. Not many men got away with speaking to Preacher like that and lived to tell the tale. I saw my President’s jaw tick, his fingers curling into fists at his sides as he visibly restrained himself.

Hunter wasn’t done.

“Your rat,” he spat, “isyourproblem.” Then he turned on his heel and stormed out.

The silence left in his wake was suffocating.

I flicked a glance toward Kyle. She sat there, watching it all unfold, her face blank, completely unreadable, but I was starting to pick up on her tells. I’d seen her calm Mace down before bystripping all emotion from her expression. It was a tactic I knew well—removing feeling to stay sharp.

But she wastoogood at it, too closed off. And it bugged the shit out of me. I understood shutting things down in moments like this, but the way she did it? It was as if she was denying her own emotions completely, not just suppressing them. And that was dangerous.

I hadn’t had the chance to tell Preacher what she’d confided in me last night. I knew I needed to, but the thought of it made me feel like shit. Kyle didn’topen upto people. I’d broken through that wall, and now, I was about to break her trust. Even if it was for her own good.

I exhaled and walked up to her, saying nothing, just holding out my hand. She hesitated, then, after a beat, she slipped her fingers into mine.

I pulled her up from the chair and led her out of the room, through the dimly lit hallway of the motel, and into one of the empty rooms we’d booked. The second the door clicked shut behind us, I did what I’d been wanting to do since this whole mess started, I pulled her against me, my mouth crashing down onto hers.

I needed to taste her.

To hold her.

To make sure she was okay.

KYLE

Inside, I was a mess. People assumed that when you were trained to kill for the right reasons, it didn’t leave a mark on you. That you could walk away clean. That you could justify it.

They were wrong.

Taking a life wasalwaysa weight on the soul. No matter what they’d done—no matter what they wereaboutto do, it stayed with you. Tonight, that weight pressed heavy on my chest. But even more than that, seeing Mace and Hunter break the way they had? Thatshookme.

---