Page 47 of Torgash

The pattern makes sense in a way that's almost worse than conspiracy. Not some grand design, just a machine designed to grind up anyone who can't afford to fight back.

Just like Nova's fighting now.

Diesel pulls out another document. "There's more. Vargan found irregularities in the property transfers—they're not random. Royce is building a corridor."

I study the highlighted parcels on the map. "Access to what?"

"Transportation. Something big enough to require multiple properties in sequence." The connections become clearer as I trace the pattern. "Hotels, maybe. Casino. Something that needs significant infrastructure and road access."

"That's a lot of families to displace."

"All of them with the same documentation problems, all pushed through Kellerman's court." I trace the pattern of seized properties. "He's not just taking farms—he's reshaping the entire county for development."

Damn. Royce isn't just stealing land—he's erasing an entire community.

"We need to move faster," I tell Diesel. "We need to record the depositions, secure the evidence, and protect the witnesses before Royce realizes how much we know."

"And Nova?"

"Stays protected. Whatever it takes."

Diesel studies my face, reading something there that makes him nod slowly. "You know this won't end quietly, right? Royce has too much invested to just walk away."

"I know."

"And you know what that means for her? For whatever's happening between you two?"

I meet his eyes, letting him see the cold determination in my bones. "It means I keep her safe while she sees justice done. Everything else is secondary."

After Diesel leaves, I sit alone in the war room, surrounded by evidence of corruption and the lingering echo of Nova's surrender. Two battles raging simultaneously—one for Shadow Ridge's future, one for the woman who's getting under my skin in ways that terrify me.

But as I study the map of displaced families, the pattern of destruction, one thing becomes clear: Royce underestimated the woman he's threatening. Nova isn't just another obstacle to remove. She's the reckoning he's been avoiding.

And I'll be damned if I let anyone stop her from delivering it.

Even if it means burning down everything I've built to keep her safe.

The burner phone on the desk buzzes, breaking the thought. Hammer's encrypted number flashes on the screen.

"Yeah?" I answer, settling back in the chair that still holds Nova's scent.

"Diesel says you've got movement on the Royce situation." No greeting, no small talk. Straight to business, the way Hammer handles everything.

"More than movement. We've mapped his entire operation." I pull up the property files on my laptop. "He's not just stealing individual farms—he's carving out a development corridor. Twenty-three properties so far, most seized through Kellerman's court."

"Twenty-three?" Hammer's pause carries calculation. "That's infrastructure-level planning."

"Casino, most likely. Maybe a resort complex. Royce thinks like his uncle, but with bigger ambitions. Whatever he's planning needs highway access and doesn't give a damn about displaced families." I trace the highlighted parcels again. "We're talking hundreds of millions in development potential."

"And your sheriffs stumbled right into the middle of it."

"She's not stumbling. She's hunting." The distinction matters more than it should. "Question is whether we let her finish the hunt or step in before Royce decides she's too dangerous to leave breathing."

Hammer goes quiet, processing implications. Running an MC means thinking ten moves ahead, weighing risks against rewards, deciding which battles are worth the blood they'll cost.

"The brothers want to escalate," he says finally. "Vargan's been pushing for a show of force since the Henderson foreclosure. Says we're wasting time with paperwork when twenty brothers rolling up to Royce's office would solve this faster."

"Vargan's wrong." The words scrape the back of my throat. "We start throwing our weight around, and Nova's case becomes worthless. Everything she's built gets tainted by association with MC intimidation. We could crush Royce tomorrow, but unless Nova proves the corruption legally, some other piece of shit will just step into his place next month."

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