We’re all dragged down to the basement rather harshly and thrown into a huge cell along with everyone else. I glance up to see Dad is here and he nods to me as they throw Luca to the floor. His body collapses with a harsh thud and I rush to his side as he groans into the cold cement.

“Luca, you still with me?” I ask, rolling him over as Dad walks to my side.

Luca tries to open his very swollen eyes and nods with a slight cough.

“Yeah, I’m here. Your mom’s still a mega bitch, though, Kace.”

“What the hell happened? You sent a text saying it was all good?” I ask, looking around the cell with my team all appearing a little rough around the edges but nothing in comparison to Luca.

“We arrived expecting to greet the Board and instead we were met by Agency men and… her. She took our cells. She probably texted you. I have no idea why she’s here or how she knew we were coming, but somehow she was a step ahead of us, Kace,” Dad replies.

I nod as Axel grunts, ripping off some of his shirt and dabbing at Luca’s face.

“I don’t know how, but they must have known I was in the system and she changed the details so we thought we were coming to destroy her chances with the Board, but instead she’s gotten to us first. For all we know she’s meeting with them right now, and there’s nothing we can do about it,” Noah tells us, seeming more agitated than normal as he paces the cell gripping at his hair.

It’s not his fault we’ve been played.

I just don’t know how.

On the way down to the cells the agents took my cell phone and I’m hoping that if Falcon hasn’t heard from us to confirm that we were successful soon, that he will take care of Lily and hide her so Camilla can’t get to her.

Thinking about Camilla getting to Lily is doing my head in.

There has to be a way out of this.

“Are there any weak links down here?” I ask quietly, hoping maybe while they were down here they’ve been sussing a way out.

Axel shakes his head. “There isn’t. This place is rock solid. Almost as sound as the cells we have at The Agency. No one’s getting out of this place.”

“So what do we do now?” Tanner asks.

“We just have to wait and see how this plays out. But if any of you see an opening, you take it and you run,” I say.

“We’re a team, we don’t leave without each other,” Eli replies immediately.

“Not right now. If one can get out, they can bring help. You know what she’s gonna do to us and you know it’s not gonna be pretty. So if you can escape, you fucking take that chance,” I tell them looking them each in the eye.

“What about Blair? If he doesn’t hear from one of us, he’s going to rain hell down until he finds us,” Tanner says.

“She wouldn’t take us all and not grab him. I don’t doubt that he’ll be joining us soon.”

 

 

It’s been a good couple of hours since we arrived. My thoughts are constantly on Lily and what is happening to her right now.

Is she safe?

Does she know I’ve been captured?

What is taking Camilla so long to interrogate and torture us?

Are her delay tactics a mind game?

What the fuck is she up to?

The door to the basement opens and a mass of guards walk in. We all stand up taller and watch them as they head for the cell. I stand in front while Dad steps to my side. Inwardly, I smile knowing he has my back even though this is my team and I should be the first one to take the fall.

“You guys are coming with us, now,” a tall agent I kind of recognize instructs. I feel like I’ve seen him around The Agency and I wonder briefly if we’ve ever interacted or if he’s purely one of Camilla’s goons.

“And if we don’t?” Luca spits.

“Luca, don’t,” I warn. We’re not in a position to crack jokes and piss about. Unfortunately, we have to play this out.

“Don’t make any moves cowboys—”

“Hey!” Tanner interrupts.

“I’m pretty sure you have as big a balls as the rest of them, sweetheart,” the agent says, and Tanner nods raising her eyebrow and flicking her head to the side like she can’t actually deny that.

“Single file… no quick movements… I’m sure you guys know the drill,” he instructs, and I look to my team nodding slightly. I have no idea what’s about to come our way, but we will face this shit-storm together. Taking the first steps I head out and the others follow in a single file behind me. Dad then Luca and the others all in a line, keeping quiet and walking slowly, no sudden movements. But I know without a doubt if anyone sees a shot, they’ll take it.

The agents lead us back up the stairs and into an office where Camilla is sitting behind her desk. For an office this room is large with a giant wooden desk that makes her look more important than the jumped up bitch she is. She rests in her high-backed chair with her hands at the back of her head while we file in. The smile on her face enormous as the agents force us to file into a line in front of her, and then simultaneously bash the backs of our legs causing us all to crash forward onto our knees on the floor. All except for Dad, who grunts as we all fall. The agent walks him to a chair and gestures for him to sit down.

“Take a seat, Jack,” Camilla says.

“Take a seat on my middle finger and rotate, Camilla,” Dad spits back.

Luca chuckles as I grit my teeth waiting for someone to lay a blow into him. But nothing. She just smirks and sits forward resting her hands on the table and smiles wide, too wide. It’s unnerving.

“I always did like your fire, Jack… sit, stand, I don’t give a shit really. It’s not going to help you in the long run,” she threatens.

I tense up as Dad glares while edging to step closer to her but the agent pulls him back.

“What the hell is going on?” I butt in before Dad does some damage to himself. It’s a diversion tactic, but also I kinda want the answer to that question too.

Camilla looks to me and smiles holding up her hand. “Just a second my darling son, not everyone has joined the party, and I wouldn’t want them to miss out now would I?” she asks, her voice overly charming and casual.

Something’s definitely up. I don’t like her tone.

The door opens and an Agency Operative in full protective gear steps in. His uniform is head to toe showing just how smart Camilla is. She knows how dangerous the SO7 are, and we seek revenge on those harming those we love, so being covered up from head to toe is a must. As he drags in a kicking and groaning Lily, my muscles clench as the air is knocked from my lungs. Every inch of my skin riddles with fear that she’s here, and captured by these monsters.

“Go to hell,” she calls out as the agent manhandles her quite roughly.

Anger surfaces inside me so fucking hot that I want to explode. My neck tenses as my veins pulse with undeniable rage. Whoever the man is behind the gas mask better be saying his prayers because his days on this earth are numbered.

I leap to my feet racing toward Lily, everything in me has to get to her—to remove his hands off her—but a sharp pain slaps into my back, the immense pain shudders right through my spine and renders me numb as I fall to the ground to the sound of Lily screaming. I groan as I realize an agent has struck me in the back with a baton, so I look up to Lily just as the agent grabs and yanks her back causing her to stumble into him. I don’t like the way he’s holding her as she fights to get to me. The way he’s retaining her is strange, he doesn’t want her to get to me, but it seems like it’s more for her protection than out of actually physically stopping her.

“You better let her go, or when this is all done, you’ll be the first one I kill,” I warn the agent but he doesn’t let her go and Camilla just laughs.

“Nice of you to join us, Lily. It’s so good to meet you face to face.” She turns to me. “You’re lucky you found such a smart young girl, Kace. She came so willingly and so quickly without any objection.”

An agent pulls me to my feet and drags me back to join the others as I glare at Lily who’s stopped struggling, but is looking at me with such sad eyes. “Why would you do that? Why would you come for me?” I yell at her in anger.

“Like you wouldn’t have done the same thing,” she throws back, tears welling in her eyes.

“Okay, enough of this lovey dovey bullshit. It makes me wanna gag,” Camilla says with disgust.

“You always were a cold-hearted wench,” Dad scoffs.

She turns her attention to him smirking. “Why don’t you have a seat old man, you’re looking a little… off balance.”

“I think you’re the one who’s a little off balance don’t you think?”

She smirks and rolls her eyes. “Seriously Jack, take a load off, we might be here awhile. Wouldn’t want your good leg to cramp your style.”

He glares at her and goes to say something in retort but I can see his body is aching, he’s leaning to one side and his eyes are squinting in a certain way that tells me he’s in a bit of pain. He’s being stubborn, he should fucking sit down.

“Dad, sit down, you need your strength.”

“I’m capable, Kace, I’m fine standing,” he retorts standing firm. He’s so stubborn, but he’s trying to prove a point to Camilla and I can’t blame him for wanting to do that.

“Where the hell is the Board? What have you done with them?” I ask wanting to get the attention away from Dad.

She smiles shaking her head. “You’re a day late. They’ve been, it’s done.”

I look over to Noah who’s in complete shock and he hangs his head shaking it back and forth.

“What the hell do you mean?” I ask.

“You didn’t think someone would notice Noah poking around inside the network? Once your team started going off grid, I knew something was up. So I set up this fake date to pull them all in together and have a little chat. Obviously, I got more than I bargained for with a dead son, his dead girlfriend and my murdered husband all suddenly alive again.”

“The Board has been?” Dad asks shaking his head.

Camilla grins proudly. “Yes, and now you’re looking at the new Director of The Agency.”

Everyone in the room is stunned into silence as she walks over and stands in front of Dad. Her eyes are hazy as if staring at a ghost. “I never thought I’d see your face again, Jack… or is it Max? What should I call you now?”

Dad’s grin widens and he stiffens his posture. “My name is Maximus, ex-Agency Operative, father to a son who’s gonna kick your ass, husband to a soon to be murdered ex-wife, and I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.”

“Gladiator for the win!” Luca shouts out as the others try to hold in their chuckles and I shake my head.

Camilla rolls her eyes. “You think you’re hilarious, don’t you?”

Dad shrugs. “You were always too uptight to laugh at my jokes.”

“Stop fucking around,” Camilla growls. “How are you still alive? I saw what happened to that SUV. No one could have survived—”

“Don’t give me that innocent bullshit. You didn’t just see what happened, did you? You set it up,” Dad accuses.

Camilla laughs and holds her hands out. “That’s an awfully big accusation to make. How do you think you’re going to prove that?”

“You and Mark were plotting against me for years. You knew I was next in line to take over The Agency with Xavier retiring, the Board wouldn’t have even taken a second glance at either of you. I would have been put in charge, but you didn’t like that idea, did you?”

Her face screws up in disdain. “You would have turned the entire Agency into pansies. They needed someone who was going to do the shit that no one else wanted to. To take the hard road and own it! You were in the way of greatness.”

“How could you set out to murder someone that you love?” I ask full of rage.

“Whoever mentioned love?” She cackles as Dad stares at her silently. His eyes droop, his brows furrow and his lips turn down in a show of pain that even though he despises her, the thought that their whole marriage was a sham does actually hurt him on some level. Maybe he was still hoping there was something, that it was Mark’s influence that made her do what she did. But it’s becoming all too clear that no this is all her, and Mark though not innocent, he was just another pawn in this fucked up game.

“Why bring a child into the world with him if you never loved him?” I ask, trying to trip her up, to prove she has some feeling inside of her.

Camilla turns to me and smiles crookedly. “To make something perfect. An agent with the mix of mine and his DNA was exactly that. Exactly you. The perfect Operative. And that’s exactly what you were until she showed up.” She points with hatred toward Lily who surprisingly stares straight back at her with so much hate and venom while holding her ground. I’m a little awed by her strength right now.

“With Jack gone by my hand, and you heading the perfect team, we had the ability to protect our country from anything.”

“You weren’t protecting our country, you were destroying it, piece by fucking piece. We just had no idea we were doing your dirty work,” I spit out.

“You say destroying, I say enhancing. Other countries come to us for protection. They need us to help them fight their battles, and they pay more money than anyone can possibly imagine,” she sneers.

“You’re fucking psychotic,” Lily snaps drawing Camilla’s attention.

“Lily,” I warn, not wanting her to come under Camilla’s wrath, but Lily totally ignores me and stares Camilla down.

“And you...” Camilla hisses, delight in her eyes as she storms toward Lily. “The perfect little girl-next-door who couldn’t keep her nose out of other people’s business.”

“So you decided to make things up about me, bring my family into this, make me out to be someone I’m not?” Lily questions and I glare at her begging her to stop with my eyes.

Camilla shrugs. “Don’t act so innocent. You have the blood of the Syndicate in your veins, there’s no hiding it.”

“I’m not like them!”

“Oh, I know, but I had little to work with and I needed to fabricate something big to make Kace second guess the innocent little girl-next-door. Didn’t count on him falling in fucking love. Then it was up to his team to destroy the both of you.” She looks over at them all. “Obviously, I thought I’d created a team who would do anything to protect The Agency. I was wrong there, too.”

“Fuck you!” Tanner says raising her middle finger.

One of the agents brings down a baton on her arm. Tanner moans out loud as I struggle against the restraint of the agent holding me, then I hear Lily whimper and I turn to see her agent gripping her arm so tightly her skin is turning white. Lily pulls against him and he releases her, but just slightly.

I grit my teeth and push my body up. “Hurt her again and I’ll slit your fucking throat,” I threaten making another lunge forward, but I’m pulled backward which knocks the air from my chest.

“Kace!” Lily calls struggling against the agent again while I battle to breathe. “It’s okay, Kace. I’m fine. Stop!” she calls out to make me stop struggling.

“Yeah, she’s fine, Kace,” Camilla repeats. “Still breathing. No blood. We’re all good. Just calm down. Geez,” Camilla says, rounding her desk again.

A loud bang on the door to the office pulls all our attention to it.

“Go away. We’re busy,” Camilla calls out in annoyance.

“So now what? You gonna kills us? Maim us? Put us all in tutus and make us act out the Nutcracker?” Luca asks. “‘Cause lady, you’ve got some huge nuts and I think they need to be cracked.”

Another thump against the door makes us all look again. While Camilla huffs and places her hands on her hips, I glance to Lily who has a small grin pulling at the corner of her mouth. I can’t help but wonder what the hell is going on.

“What in God’s name is going on out there?” Camilla asks storming toward the door.

“Oh, I hope you don’t mind, I invited some friends to join us,” Lily says and Camilla stops mid-stride and glares at Lily.

“Don’t think you can screw with me, little girl. You don’t know who you’re messing with.”

“And clearly you underestimated who you’re messing with,” Lily fights back and I raise my eyebrow in half-shock half-awe.

The loud shattering of wood causes a huge boom within the room, the door breaking into pieces as it falls to the floor. Ruin and Falcon stride in holding AK47’s.

Ruin smirks. “Was this invite only, or can anyone join the party?”

Camilla pulls a gun from her hip holster and points it at Lily. “You can’t just come waltzing in here taking over my world. This is my time, mine… you got that? Lily needs to pay. It’s because of her that this is happening. She’s only going to hurt Kace in the long run. I need him, he needs to be at The Agency by my side, ruling with me. She needs to be taken out and shown for the scum she is. I won’t let biker brats stand in my way!” She aims the gun straight at Lily.

It’s as if time stands still, everything moves in slow motion. Ruin starts to run forward as I begin to bolt up again, but the sound of the gun blasts before I have time to register the full impact of the situation. My heart leaps into my throat as the bullet pummels toward Lily at full speed. There’s no way I will get to her in time. My eyes meet hers and she looks at me with such love that my chest aches with so much intensity I want to be sick. I can’t move fast enough, but suddenly the agent holding her swivels, pulling Lily to the front of him as the bullet lodges into his back. He groans loudly as he falls forward pushing himself and Lily to the floor.

My body is rigid as I try to take in what the hell’s just happened. The agent that was hurting Lily, that was holding her against her will, just took a bullet for her.

What the fuck?

He groans as he rolls off Lily on the floor. Nobody says anything, we’re all too busy staring at the agent in awe as he rolls onto his side and grunts. “Motherfucking bitch!” he moans from beneath his helmet and I recognize the voice instantly.

He pulls off his helmet and mask to reveal that it’s not only not a hostile agent, but none other than Blair as he huffs and groans.

“Are you okay?” Lily asks.

“Yeah, thank God for the vest,” Blair says, and Tanner sighs loudly as Camilla lets out an almighty wail.

“No, this cannot be happening,” Camilla yells and then starts bolting toward me, hands outstretched like she’s aiming to choke me once she reaches me.

I tense up getting ready to take on my mother hand to hand when I see in my peripheral, Lily grabbing a gun from Blair’s holster. She stands up taking aim and pulls the trigger twice. The loud weapon discharge echoes through the office and I grit my teeth wondering where the bullets are going to land. But suddenly Camilla groans and falls to the floor screaming in agony. Her hands reach down to her leg where her knee and leg have very visible bullet holes and blood oozing like a slow tranquil river. I open my eyes wide in shock that Lily not only shot someone but landed both bullets in a moving target.

She looks to me, her eyes wide as the gun falls from her hands. I bolt, heading straight for her as Ruin aims his gun at the agent behind me. Nothing will stop me from getting to Lily right now. My heart is racing out of my chest as I push all my weight toward her, and pick Lily up in my arms holding her so tight. She’s shaking all over, but feeling her body against mine is all I need to know she’s okay.

“Jesus Lily,” I say, smoothing her hair back and looking into her watering eyes.

“I shot her,” her voice is shaky but has a strong tone to it.

I hold her tighter and lean in kissing the side of her mouth.

“I know, baby, I’m so sorry you had to do that.”

“No Kace, I fucking shot her. I did it. That was amazing,” she says pulling back and looking into my eyes like she’s super proud of herself, and not scared like I was thinking she was going to be. I smile and nod, a little in awe by her right now.

“Yeah, you did. You saved me. Thank you. I’m kinda amazed by you right now, Lily.”

She leans into me, kissing me, as Tanner rushes to Blair’s side brushing some hair from his face and checking him over.

Luca and Axel run over to Camilla to detain her as she continues to moan in agony and Luca kneels down beside her.

“Let me stop that bleeding for you.” He squeezes her knee and she goes to headbutt him, but he shifts and she faceplants the floor. Luca chuckles as she moans against the carpet. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen.”

“Fuck you, Luca!” Camilla moans.

“You wish you could fuck me, you cougar… reeeoooow,” Luca says.

Axel smirks and I shake my head rolling my eyes while holding onto Lily tighter.

“What the hell did you think you were doing? You shouldn’t have come,” I say turning back to Lily.

“If she didn’t then we’d all probably be either dead or in a dark cell right now, Kace,” Tanner says looking to Lily with a strong look of respect on her face.

Glancing back to Lily, she gives me a weak smile, and I grit my teeth hard, they squeal as I grind them knowing that Tanner’s right.

Lily saved us.

She saved me.

As much as I hate that she put herself in danger, she’s braver than I gave her credit for. “We’ll discuss this later, Lily. Right now, we need to get this clusterfuck sorted.”

“I’m already in charge, and you just shot your superior. You guys are in for a world of hurt,” Camilla spits.

Blair smiles pulling a tape recorder from his pocket and holds it up with the brightest of ‘fuck you’ grins on his face.

“Except, I’m sure the Board will change their mind when they hear everything you just admitted to on this recording, Camilla,” Blair says, and I look to Lily as she smirks so wide.

“Ha, except I’m in charge, so only I can get a hold of the Board. Your plan is flawed.”

“Leave it to me, I can get in touch with them,” Dad retorts.

Camilla looks at him with fierce intent, glaring right through him.

“We need to get someone in here ‘cause I’m not ready to let her die just yet.”

“Oh, do you still love me, Jack?” Camilla asks.

Dad laughs along with me and he shakes his head. “No, I just want to maim and torture you for information.”

She opens her eyes wide and shuts the hell up for once.

Ruin steps up and nods to Dad. “I have a guy who might be able to help. He’s our medic. I can send him in if you like?”

Dad nods. “As much as I’d love to let her bleed out, we better get her seen to.”

Ruin nods and walks out to grab his biker medic, he must have come with the entire club to take out all the agents that were in the house. Another couple of bikers have come in since the shit went down, and taken the agents in here hostage. I can’t believe Lily was smart enough to come up with the idea to bring the club with her. She’s so switched on my girl.

Camilla sits up and then sways slightly like she’s dizzy and Luca slaps her gently on the face. “Not yet, whore bag.”

Ruin comes back in with a fellow biker. He’s tall, well built, has a slight stubble on his jaw and a blond mane tied back into a man bun. He looks more like a surfer than a biker. I can imagine women swooning over him everywhere he goes.

“Kace, this is Curtains, our medic. You good to let him handle Camilla?” Ruin asks as he stands next to the medic slash biker slash surfer.

I nod, and Camilla glares at Curtains making him raise an eyebrow. “Is she gonna tear my head off?” he asks with a slight chuckle.

“Maybe?” Ruin replies and Curtains’ smile grows even wider in a kinda creepy way.

“Just the way I like ‘em,” he says and moves in towering over Camilla with his medical supplies in tow.