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“He put his damn hands on her, Semi.”

Something flickers behind his eyes.

“I’m not asking anymore. I want names. I want connections. I want to know where this piece of shit sleeps, breathes, pisses. Everything.”

Semi’s nostrils flare as he shrugs out of my grip, his jaw hardening.

“You don’t bark orders at me,” he snaps. “I’ve been working this lead for weeks. You want the full picture? Then shut the fuck up long enough to hear it.”

I step forward again, fists clenched, but before I can swing or yell or do something I’ll regret?—

“Enough!” Brick’s voice cuts through like a whip.

He steps into the middle of the standoff, eyes narrowed and face grim.

“Church. Now,” he barks. “Everyone.”

Grumbles and murmurs fill the room as the brothers shuffle toward the back. Semi and I lock eyes for one more tense second before Brick jerks his chin, and we both move.

The table room is dark and cold and heavy with the weight of what’s coming. Brick takes his seat at the head of the long wood table, arms folded.

Hook, Pipe, and Torch all settle in. Semi to one side. I sit opposite him, still breathing like a bull in a ring.

Brick’s gaze sweeps the room.

“Tension in here could choke a fuckin’ ox,” he says. “Somebody start talking.”

I lean forward, bracing my forearms on the table.

“Deke,” I say through my teeth. “That son of a bitch has been threatening Melissa. Sending goons. Pushing her for some paperwork she doesn’t even know about. And tonight…”

My voice catches. Just for a second.

“Tonight, he broke into her house and hit her.”

A heavy silence falls. Only the sound of someone cracking their knuckles echoes through the room.

“She’s got a sick kid in the hospital,” I continue, looking around the table. “She’s already drowning. And now she’s got this piece of shit crawling through her life like she owes him something.”

Hook mutters a curse. Pipe shifts in his seat.

Brick leans back, eyes narrowed at Semi.

“Well?”

Semi lets out a long breath, then leans forward.

“Deke runs dirty loans through his underground gambling racket. Got ties to some small-time cartel out of New Mexico. He used to be lower-level muscle, but when his boss died, he took over the operation. Unofficial, unregulated, and bloody.”

He meets my eyes now. No heat, just gravity.

“I’ve been tracking him because of my ex. But if he’s going hands-on with civilians, especially ones close to us…” He glances to Brick. “We’ve got a bigger problem.”

“Why the hell are you dragging your feet on this? I growl.

“Dragging my feet? Are you crazy? You're too busy chasing tail and pretending this club doesn’t run on strategy,” Semi fires back.

Brick slams his hand on the table.

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