Page 35 of Shadow's Edge

The realization clicked into place at the same time for both Hunter and me.

“Scarlett is aimed atsomeone else,” Hunter whispered.

“Someone Demingo is making apointto,” I finished.

The table split off into small groups, quiet conversations bouncing around as everyone tried to piece together what this meant for them.

But Duke wasn’t done. “Or,” he cut in, raising his voice slightly, “someonerequestedthat she be taken to send a message. Wecan’tignore the possibility that this is ajobfor someone else.”

“That actually makesmoresense,” Coleman, one of Mace’s guys, muttered. He started explaining the mess going on in their hometown, about how two powerful families were under attack.

“Maybe Scarlett means something tothem,” he suggested, referring to the person behind the attacks.

Hunter scrubbed a hand over his face, groaning. “Fuck me, this just keeps gettingworse.”

I leaned back, watching and listening. This group was toodiversefor knee-jerk reactions. Listening was the only way to see the problemas a whole, instead of fractured pieces.

Then Mace spoke again, his voice hard. “Sohowdo we find them?” No one had an answer. “And why the fuck amIin this?”

Kyle was the one to reply. “You were part of theraidin 2014.”

Mace went rigid.

The room held its breath.

Then it happened.

CRACK.

His fist collided with the wall, punching right through the hole Noah had made earlier. Coleman lunged, wrapping his arms around Mace, restraining him. No one else moved to stop him, because wegot it—the anger, the helplessness, and the feeling of havingzero fucking control. But he needed to be in one piece to get Ava and Gia back.

Coleman’s voice waslowwhen he spoke, but it held every ounce ofcommandthat Mace needed to hear. “We’regonnafind them.” His grip tightened, his eyes locked on Mace’s wild expression. “We’re gonna findallof them, but you need tocalm the fuck down.”

Mace’s head hung low as he panted through his rage.

“Whatgoodare you gonna be if you’re out of your damn mind? If you have afucked handbecause you’re being a goddamnasshole?” Coleman shook him once, hard. “The answerto that, and you know I’m not bullshitting you, is no fucking good. Nowget your shit together.”

The room went dead silent and stayed that way until Kyle’s phone rang. She barely glanced at the screen before she spoke.

“It’sBo.” Her voice was steady, but the slight tension in it told me everything I needed to know.

The anxiety and thefear were there, because she knew what was at stake. We listened in silence as Kyle spoke to Bo, setting the plan into motion.

And just like that, we had our targets. One group forPiper, and another, larger group forAva, Gia, and Scarlett.

And Demingo? He was about to find out exactly what happened when hefucked with the wrong people.

I hadmy eye locked through the scope of my brand-newTAC-50, every muscle coiled tight as I tracked Bo’s movements. She was dragging Hunter’s woman Piper out of the building, her grip tight despite Piper barely being able to hold herself up. She wasgetting her out, though, and that’s what mattered.

Then allhellbroke loose. The second the door slammed open, and they hit open ground, Demingo’s men realized what was happening.

Gunfire exploded into the night. Bullets kicked up dirt, shattered windows, and splintered wood as theyunleashed helltrying to get them back.

Idid what I do best, I dropped the first one before he could even raise his rifle. Then the second. Then the third. Each shot wasprecise,silent,deadly. But it wasn’tenough, there were too many for me to deal with on my own. No matter how fast I worked, Icouldn’tcover every angle.

I saw the moment it happened through my scope—Bo jerked, stumbling forward, a bloom of red spreading down her side. She’d been hit. My pulse spiked, my finger already squeezing the trigger, taking out the bastard who’d shot her.

But she didn’t stop, nor did shehesitate. She kept dragging Piper, moving toward the vehicle, focused onthe mission. She’d gotten Piper out, but by the time we reached her Bo was gone. And Piper was insuch bad shape we hadno choicebut to get her to the ERimmediately.

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