“That’s why you kicked the shit out of him?” Whizz asks me, his tone sombre.

“I kicked the shit out of him because he fucking lied and told me she came on to him. She was my old lady.”

I don’t need to say anything else. Everyone brought into this world knows you don’t touch a brother’s old lady—even if they are fucking begging for it.

“Fuck.”

“You don’t tell anyone this happened,” I growl out, pointing my finger around the brothers. “You don’t tell her that you know either.”

I don’t want this shit staining her further. I don’t want them looking at her with pity or remorse, seeing only what my pig brother did and not her. It’s what Sasha is most afraid of—being seen as a victim.

Fury’s hands are fisted at his side and I can see they’re starting to shake.

I brace, in case he decides to explode.

“He raped her?” He breathes out the words on a deadly growl that has my spine snapping straight, my attention ready. Fury’s been known to flip his shit without warning before, so I’m prepared in case he does. I wouldn’t blame him if he did. That same rage he’s feeling right now still burns through my veins.

“Yeah,” I confirm.

His mouth twists into an ugly grimace as he asks, “He hurt her?”

“Yeah,” I repeat.

He lets out a growl before he draws his arm back and stabs his knife into the door with so much force it quivers when he lets go of the handle.

“Sin has to die,” he hisses out, getting in my face. It’s rare to see Fury anything but controlled, even his rage is usually controlled, but he always did have a soft spot for my woman. All the guys do. Sash grew up a club brat, always hanging around the clubhouse when she was a kid, trying to get Priest’s attention. As Sash got older, she was there with me, trying to get mine. Some of the guys have known her since she was a kid with pigtails in her hair. Others she’s known since they took the prospect kutte. Sasha was a huge part of our world… until she wasn’t. Her leaving left a hole for us all.

I don’t like being crowded, so I push Fury back out of my space and he goes back on a foot, his eyes still blazing fire.

“He has to die,” Daimon agrees, his mouth pulled down into a dark grimace. He rakes his fingers through his hair before he taps his fingers against the thigh of his jeans, a clear sign he wants a smoke.

“He’s going to,” I assure them all. Sin will die, because there’s no other option.

I step towards the door and tug Fury’s blade free of the wood, handing it back to him, then I take a deep breath and pull it aside.

As soon as I step into the darkened space, I can smell the scent of stagnant water and something murky, like the place has been empty for a while. I let my eyes adjust to the change in lighting for a moment, then allow my gaze to roam around the empty space. The floor is littered with bits of junk and there’s a few pieces of old machinery in one corner that look rusted and have been tagged with spray paint.

I don’t bother with stealth. Our bikes are not quiet, so if Sin is here, he will have heard us riding in. I hope he’s trembling in fear, just like he must have made Sasha when he held her down.

We move as a unit, watching each other’s backs as we go, but there’s nothing and no one here. I’m giving up hope until we step into a small office room off the main floor. Instantly, I’m hit with a smell that clogs my throat, an acrid stench that makes my stomach revolt. I recognise it immediately.

Something is dead.

There’s a dirty mattress on the floor that is stained with a dark brown patch. Blood. On the floor are discarded medicine packages and what looks like bloodied bandages. I kick over a food tray from a pre-packaged meal and glance at the finished bottles of water. He’s been here, licking his wounds.

I follow a trail of old blood drops behind a wall and find the half-decomposed body slumped against the plaster. The smell nearly knocks me off my feet.

The back of my hand covers my mouth and nose, trying to protect my senses from the stench as I stare at the body. It’s not Sin. Even through the decay I can tell that. There’s no ink on what’s left of his skin and the clothes are all wrong. Who it is, I don’t know? His dirty clothes are stained with dried dark brown blood and other bodily fluids.

Likely this poor bastard was living here before Sin decided to take up residence. Just another innocent life he’s destroyed.

I kick the body, letting my frustration out. It sags to one side, more fluids flowing.

“It ain’t him,” Daimon says as he steps back from the mess, his nose wrinkling.

“If Sin was here,” Levi peers around the space, “he’s gone now.”

I feel my rage starting to build. “Why the fuck are we always days behind this cunt?”

“He’s got to have help.” Daimon glances at me. “He can’t be ahead of us without someone feeding him information.”

“Maybe one of the prospects,” Titch says. “Those fuckers would do whatever a patched brother asked.”

I shake my head. “I told everyone Sin was not to be helped. If someone is helping him, they’re dead.”

I walk back into the other part of the room and look for clues, anything that might indicate Sin was here. Something catches my eye. I move over to the edge of the dirty mattress and crouch down. I pull it out and turn it over. It’s a couple of rumpled photographs. The first one is at a club cook out, one of many we’ve had over the years. I remember the photograph being taken, even though it was years ago because it was just after I gave her my property patch.

My face has been scratched out.

There’s another photograph of me and Sasha in the common room, although I don’t remember this one being taken. My face is again scratched out.

Anger rolls through me like a tidal wave.

How long has this fucker been obsessed with my girl?

If he left these behind, I’m guessing it’s because he was in a hurry. Did we only just miss him?

Nox takes the photographs off me and my hands go to the back of my head.

“Fuck!” The word echoes around the empty space, reverberating through the crumbling brickwork. Frustration burns through me as I try to control my pounding heart.

“Rav, this is bad,” Nox mutters as he turns the images over in his hands.

“You think I don’t know that?”

Whizz peers over Nox’s shoulders. “This is some crazy level of obsession, Prez. Sin ain’t right in the head.”

“Who’s with Sasha now?” Titch asks.

“Zack.”

“Where the hell did that intel come from saying he was here?” Daimon rakes his fingers through his hair, then taps his fingers on his thighs.

“It was a contact of Zack’s…” Nox’s mouth pulls into a grimace as panic starts to claw up my throat.

Did we walk right into his trap? Was luring us here just a ploy to get us out of the way, giving him a straight run at Sasha?

“That fucking cunt got us out of the clubhouse,” Daimon snarls.

“Where Sasha is alone. Fuck! We need to get back, now,” I growl at my brothers and then storm out of the room, bellowing my rage.