Page 136 of Boulder's Weight

In that split second of distraction, Kelsey drives her elbow back into his ribs with surprising force, then ducks her head forward, pulling away from the knife.

The opening is all I need.

My shot takes Benji in the shoulder—not fatal, but enough to make him drop the knife and stagger backward.

Kelsey twists free of his grasp, dropping to the floor as I advance.

Before Benji can recover, I'm on him, driving him against the wall, my gun pressed under his chin.

"Where's Python?" I demand, digging the barrel into his flesh. "Where are they keeping him and Lashes?"

Blood soaks through Benji's shirt from the shoulder wound, but his eyes remain defiant. "You're dead. All of you. Sally's been planning this for years. Andrés has half the city in his pocket."

I press harder. "Andrés is a cockroach who's been alive too long, and Sally will be in the ground soon enough. Now, give me my fucking answer!"

Sam appears beside me, his face grim as he looks at his older brother. "The northern warehouse complex," he says. "That's where they'd take them. Andrés uses it for distribution."

Benji's eyes widen in shock. "Sam? You fucking traitor?—"

"Shut up," Sam says coldly. "You stopped being my brother the moment you chose Dad's path. The moment you hurt Cady."

I keep my gun on Benji while Sam cuts Kelsey free from her restraints.

She stumbles to her feet, running to me, and I wrap one arm around her while keeping my gun on Benji.

"Are you okay?" I ask urgently, scanning her body for injuries beyond the visible bruises.

She nods, burying her face against my chest for a brief moment. "I knew you'd come," she whispers.

"Always," I promise, tightening my arm around her.

"Amara," I say into my concealed mic. "We've got Kelsey. Sam says Python and Lashes could be at the northern warehouse complex."

"I’ll check," Amara's voice comes through, calm and collected. "Zorro's team is already en route."

I look at Benji, this man who has caused so much pain, who has hunted Kelsey across borders, who has allied with our enemies to destroy everything we care about.

Sam’s voice is hollow. "What do we do with him?"

I glance at Kelsey, silently asking the question.

It's her brother, her tormentor.

She deserves a say in his fate.

"Bring him," she says, "The club needs to know everything he does about Sally and Andrés."

I nod, hauling Benji to his feet and securing his hands with zip ties.

"You'll regret this," he spits, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "All of you. The club. My traitor brother. And you, Cady. You most of all."

Kelsey stares at him, finally face to face with the nightmare that has chased her for years. "My name is Kelsey," she says quietly. "And you have no power over me anymore."

The words seem to hit Benji hard.

For a moment, the mask slips, revealing the rage and hatred beneath his controlled exterior.

As we lead him out, securing the warehouse and accounting for the men we've taken down, my radio crackles with an incoming message from Zorro.

---