Page 64 of Brotan

"Hello again, Doctor." Ryker's cold smile makes my blood freeze. "Quinn would like a word."

I struggle, but his fingers dig deeper. "Let me go!"

Hammer lunges toward us, but two security guards intercept him, blocking his path with drawn weapons. Through gaps in the fleeing crowd, I see other Ironborn members similarly cornered.

Ryker drags me toward the VIP section, his grip crushing against my bare arm. I fight him every step of the way, but it's like struggling against iron. I catch glimpses of the cage. Of Crow still fighting, unaware I've been captured. Granite is bleeding heavily now, staggering but still standing.

Quinn waits on his elevated platform, expression cold and calculating. He studies me as Ryker forces me beside him.

"So this is the doctor," Quinn says, fingers steepled beneath his chin. "I see why Brotan was so protective."

Ryker positions me at the railing, in full view of the cage. A sharp prick at my side makes me gasp—the point of a knife pressing through the sequined fabric of my dress.

"Make sure he sees her," Quinn orders.

Ryker puts his mouth close to my ear. "Call to him. Now."

When I hesitate, the knife digs deeper. I gasp in pain, the sound carrying across the suddenly quieter warehouse.

In the cage, Crow's head snaps up. His eyes find mine, widening as he takes in my position, the knife at my side, Quinn standing behind me. Understanding dawns in his expression, followed immediately by something I've never seen before—pure, unrestrained fury.

"That's right," Quinn says in my ear. “He’s remembering our agreement. He loses this fight, or his doctor dies where she stands."

But Quinn has miscalculated. Badly.

Something fundamental shifts in Crow—a transformation visible even from a distance. The careful control he's maintained since I met him shatters. The beast he's always fought to contain breaks free.

Crow turns back to Granite. His next punch isn't calculated or restrained. It's raw power born of rage. The impact echoes through the warehouse, and Granite drops like a stone, unconscious before he hits the mat.

"Kill him," Quinn orders, voice tight with anger.

Guns appear in the hands of security guards. The crowd screams, stampeding toward exits. But Crow is already moving over the top of the cage in a single fluid motion, landing with predatory grace on the warehouse floor.

He comes for us like vengeance personified, unstoppable, focused, each movement with lethal purpose. Two guards step in his path. He doesn't slow, doesn't hesitate. One goes down with a crushed windpipe, the other with a shattered knee.

"Shoot him!" Quinn shouts, backing away.

A gun fires. Misses. The crowd's panic reaches fever pitch.

Crow reaches the platform in seconds, his eyes locked on Ryker. One hand grabs the knife at my side, wrenching it away while the other delivers a punch that sends Ryker crashing against the wall. I hear something crack as he slides to the floor, motionless.

"Run," Crow growls, pushing me toward the edge of the platform. "Now!"

I see Hammer fighting his way toward us, creating a path through the chaos. I start moving in his direction when another shot cracks behind me.

I turn instinctively and see Crow's face contort in pain, blood blooming across his shoulder. Quinn stands a few yards away, gun raised, smoke still weeping from its barrel.

"Keep going," Crow urges, still pushing me forward despite the blood spreading across his shoulder.

More shots ring out behind us. I feel Crow's body jerk against mine, his breath catching in a pained grunt. His hand on my back suddenly presses harder, shoving me forward.

"Run!" he roars, his voice strained in a way it wasn't before.

I glance back and see fresh blood spreading across his abdomen. Still, he forces me ahead, his body shielding mine from further bullets.

I can't. My feet won't move. Everything inside me, the doctor, the woman, even the daughter my parents raised to help others, refuses to leave him. Every instinct screams to protect him, to stop the bleeding, to save him.

Instead of running away, I turn and catch him as he drops to his knees.

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