Page 69 of Rebel

I nodded, following him to a corner of the room, though my gaze kept drifting back to Java.Doc had started an IV, the clear liquid in the bag a stark contrast to the red-soaked gauze piling up beside the table.

“We hit them hard,” Samurai said, his voice low.“But this isn’t over.”

“They’ll retaliate.”

“Maybe.But they’re hurting.We took out eight of their men, burned their stash house to the ground.”A grim smile crossed his face.“And we got what we went for, and then some.”

He held up a flash drive, small enough to hide between two fingers.I wondered how he’d walked out with that.The Bratva would have surely snatched it if they’d known it was in his possession.

“What’s on it?”

“Everything.Their distribution routes, client lists, dirty cops on the payroll.Enough to cripple their operation if we play it right.”

“He was bait?”I asked, the anger rising hot and fast in my chest.

Samurai shook his head.“No.They bargained with the Morettis for him.Thought he knew enough about club business to take us down.He didn’t tell them a damn thing.”His eyes darkened.“But he held out long enough for us to track him down.”

We both looked back at Java.Doc had sedated him now, and his face had relaxed into unconsciousness.Small mercy.

“The things they did to him…” I couldn’t finish the thought.

“I know.”Samurai’s voice hardened.“They’ll pay for every mark on his body.That’s a promise.”

Across the room, Charming walked in, assessing the situation with a sweeping glance.His eyes lingered on Java, then found Samurai and me in our corner.He’d intended to go with them, but for whatever reason, had pulled back at the last minute.

“Report,” he said simply, joining us.

Samurai filled him in, his words clipped and precise.I watched Charming’s face, the subtle shifts in his expression as he absorbed the severity of what had happened.His jaw tightened when Samurai described finding Java chained to a pipe in the basement of the Albanian compound.

“And the flash drive I saw you with just now?”Charming asked.

Samurai handed it over.“It has a lot of intel we can use, stuff we didn’t know before, but they know we have it.”

“Then we move fast.”Charming pocketed the drive.“Shade needs to start working on this tonight.Before they can relocate their operations.”

I glanced at the clock on the wall.Nearly midnight.Not that it mattered.Sleep wasn’t an option, not after this.

Doc called out, his voice cutting through my thoughts.“Need another pair of hands here.”

I moved before I could think about it, crossing the room and stepping up to the bar.“Tell me what to do.”

“Hold this.”He pressed a thick wad of gauze against a wound that was bleeding freely again.“Pressure, steady.”

Blood seeped through immediately, warm against my fingers.I pressed harder, feeling the heat of Java’s skin beneath the gauze.He was already running a fever.Infection setting in.

“We got antibiotics in him?”I asked.

Doc nodded, busy with another wound.“Triple dose.His system’s going to be fighting on multiple fronts.”

Around us, the club members moved with purpose.Some stood guard outside, weapons visible.Others helped Doc or spoke in low, urgent tones about security and next steps.The air felt charged, like the moment before a thunderstorm breaks.

I looked down at Java’s face.Beneath the swelling and bruises, I could see the man I’d shared drinks with in what felt like just days ago but had sadly been longer.Who’d laughed at Samurai’s terrible jokes and arm-wrestled Ripper for the last beer.Who’d once given me his jacket when we got caught in a sudden downpour during a supply run.

A surge of rage washed through me, so intense I had to focus on my breathing to control it.The Morettis had made this personal in a way that couldn’t be forgiven or forgotten.And now the Albanians had put a target on their backs.

“BP’s dropping,” Doc announced, his voice tight.“Need O-neg now.”

On the off chance we found Java and he’d be in rough shape, Doc had been preparing.Meds.Any equipment he may need.And a few bags of blood.

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