Page 23 of Shadow's Edge

Acouple of hours later, after Jagger and I had madeverygood use of the shower and each other, we were all gathered around, about to eat, when my phone rang.

Bo.

I put it on speaker immediately, every nerve in my body tensing as I waited.

“You’re not being smart, Kai,” she murmured, her voice low, cautious. “I can’t take this risk.”

Before I could respond, Hunter jumped in, his desperation bleeding through. “Bo, it’s me.It’s Hunter.”

A sharp inhale.

“She’s okay, Hunter,” she whispered. “I’m working on it.”

The relief that hit me was immediate, we had her on our side. But Hunter waspissed, understandably.

“That’s it?” His voice snapped like a whip. “That’sallyou can say?”

Bo’s breath was shaky on the other end. “I don’t have a lot of time.” Her voice dropped lower. “I didn’t know what they were planning until it was already done. You need toclean shop, Preacher.”

My stomach turned at the words. Clean shop?

Preacher leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, his jaw clenched. His eyes flicked around the room, scanning like we were already being watched. “How did you know I was here?”

She gave a soft, almost pitying laugh. “You were part of the retrieval.” Her tone turned sharp, urgent. “Youneedto clean shop.”

Something was wrong.

Noah sat forward, his expression tight. “Bo, when I see you?—”

A sharptutcut him off, dismissive, like she already knew what he was going to say, and then the line went dead.

Silence. Thick. Heavy. Ominous.

Jagger was the first to break it. “Oh,fuck. I know who she meant.”

Before any of us could react, my phone buzzed again, Data’s name flashing on the screen. I snatched it up, barely getting out a greeting before he spoke.

“Got ‘em.”

The room was dark,damp, the air thick with the stench of sweat and fear.

And her, the bitch I’dhatedfor years.

I paced in slow, deliberate circles around her, my boots scuffing against the concrete floor. She was tied to a chair, her breathing sharp, her eyes flicking around, searching for an escape that didn’t exist. I forced myself to stay level-headed.

The old emotions—the rage, the bitterness, the betrayal—I pushed themdown. This wasn’t about the past. This was aboutnow.

She had beenselling outthe Knights, feeding information to the very pieces of shit we were at war with. Butwhy?

If I went off half-cocked, I could miss something important, I had to stay in control. I had to keep myKai mentality.

The rational, stable-minded soldier.

I stopped in front of her, crossing my arms, tilting my head slightly. “Tell me,” I murmured, my voice eerily calm. “Why?”

She swallowed hard, her eyes darting between me and the door like she thought someone was coming to save her. We both knew that no one was.

I crouched down, leveling my gaze with hers.

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