Page 54 of Spinner's Luck

The fire took instantly, roaring to life, greedy flames licking up the crates, devouring every last brick. Shadows twisted around us, our bikes painted in orange and gold as we watched the cartel’s profits turn to ash.

I swung my leg over my seat, gripping the handlebars as I glanced at Devil. The fire reflected in his eyes, making them glow like embers.

“They’re gonna come for us,” I said, my mind already looking ahead.

Devil didn’t even flinch. “So fucking be it,” he said, steady as stone. “But tonight? We sent a message. We don’t back down. Not ever.”

Engines roared to life, shattering the silence as we rolled out, leaving the fire behind—a warning that couldn’t be ignored.

And I knew, clear as the flames burning behind us, that whether we wanted a war or not, we sure as hell had one.

THE AIR OUTSIDEwas thick with humidity, the night quietexcept for the distant chirp of crickets and the faint murmur of voices from the clubhouse.

It was peaceful.

I’d stepped out to clear my head, needing space after everything with Ashlynn. Her words still rattled around in my brain, but I wasn’t about to let her—or anyone else—dictate how I lived my life.

I walked deeper into the woods, the trees closing in around me as the glow of the clubhouse faded behind. Leaning against a tree, I took a deep breath, staring into the darkness. The quiet should have been comforting, but something about it suddenly felt... wrong. Too still.

A faint rustle came from somewhere in the distance, and I froze, my senses sharpening.

“Hello?” I called softly, my voice steady despite the chill creeping up my spine. Maybe I shouldn’t have come so far into the woods after all.

No answer.

My hand instinctively moved to my pocket, fingers brushing against the switchblade I kept there.

“Relax,” a low, gravelly voice said, cutting through the silence and scaring the shit out of me.

I spun around, my heart pounding as a figure stepped out of the shadows. Tall and broad, his face was obscured in the darkness, but the voice was unmistakable.

Fang.

“Stay where you are,” I snarled, my fingers tightening around the knife’s handle.

He smirked, the faint glint of his teeth visible even in the dark. “Feisty as always, Lucy.”

My pulse quickened, but I held my ground. “What do you want?”

“Just to talk,” he said, holding his hands out as if he were harmless. The gesture was a lie; Fang was anything but harmless. “No need to get all worked up.”

“Bullshit,” I snapped, narrowing my eyes. “Men like you don’t just show up to talk.”

His smirk widened, and he took a slow, deliberate step closer. “You’re not wrong. But I’m not here to hurt you—yet. Just wanted to remind you of a few things.”

I pulled the knife from my pocket, the blade clicking open with a flick of my wrist. “You take one more step, and you’ll find out exactly how feisty I can be.”

Fang laughed, the sound low and menacing, but he stopped, tilting his head as if weighing his next move. “You’ve got guts. That’s one of the reasons you’re made for me. But guts only get you so far, love.”

“If you come any closer, I’m going to scream this clubhouse down,” I warned, my voice cold and even.

He chuckled again but backed up a step, his posture still radiating danger. “Relax, Lucy. I’m here to give you a chance to do the right thing.”

“You’ve got five seconds to get the hell off this property,” I snarled, waving the knife in his direction.

Fang held up his hands in mock surrender, his grin as infuriating as ever. “Listen carefully, love. You and Zeynep had better find your way back—soon. If not, everyone in that clubhouse will die, and it’ll be your fault. I wouldn’t want anythin’ to happen to such a... spirited woman.”

His words made me gasp and I spun on my heel. I started running back toward the clearing, my heart hammering. Every crack of a branch or rustle of leaves sent a fresh jolt of fear through me. When I reached the clearing and glanced back, Fang was gone. He’d disappeared as quickly as he’d appeared, like a ghost.

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