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A door swung open, and my blood ran cold as a figure emerged from the darkness, leading a small, trembling form by the hand. It was my daughter, her eyes wide with fear, and in that moment, I knew I’d made the right choice.

“Let her go, and I’m all yours,” I stated, the firmness in my voice masking the anguish within. “You have my word.”

The room fell silent, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. I held my breath, waiting for Kane’s response, knowing that my life and the life of my daughter hung in the balance.

“You betray me, and I will kill you and her,” he seethed as he stepped to the side.

“Amber!” I shouted her name, and she looked up, then ran toward me before collapsing in my arms as she cried.

“You motherfucker,” I roared. “What the fuck did you do to her?”

“I was more than generous.” Kane sighed. “Be thankful she’s still alive.”

My grip tightened, knuckles white at the small of her back, as I clung to my terrified daughter.

“Choose,” Kane commanded, his tone like gravel dragged over asphalt. “Or step away from her.” Even with her in my arms, I felt the chill of his presence—cold, inexorable.

I turned, shielding her behind my body. “If you so much as touch her again—”

A laugh, low and joyless, slithered through the air. “You’re in no position to make threats. Not here. Now choose!”

Kane stepped into the light, the harsh light carving his features into sharp relief—calm, almost bored, a set of keys dangling from his hand. His gaze met mine for a fraction of a second, and something unreadable flickered there.

Lightning struck somewhere beyond the cracked windows, casting his shadow long and monstrous across the floor. I squared my shoulders, my jaw set in desperate defiance of someone who refused—would not—let go.

“You do this and it’s war,” I seethed.

Kane threw his head back and laughed. “Fuck, you’re funny. You think I’m scared of Montana or even Reaper? Now choose.”

Standing my ground, I clearly said, “Baby, I need you to run. Run fast.”

“Daddy, no!” my daughter cried, holding onto my arm for dear life.

“Go, Amber. Tell your mother. A life for a life. She will know what to do.”

“Dad, please come with me.”

Turning to face her, I grabbed her face and kissed her forehead, then leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I’ve loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you, my sweet girl.”

“Fuck this shit,” Kane intoned, ripping her away from me and shoving her toward the door. “Tell those fuckers outside. They’ve got twenty minutes before I send my brothers to run them out of town.”

“Amber, RUN!” I shouted as several brothers held me back.

Watching her run from the clubhouse, I regretted nothing.

I would do it all over again if it meant she would be safe. If both of them were safe. I never thought I would get to know them, let alone be able to spend time with them. Even those short few months with her were enough to fill a lifetime. They would continue on, free to live their lives, to carve their own path in this unforgiving world.

That was all that mattered.

Nothing else.

Kane’s smile widened, and he clapped me on the shoulder. “You’ll see her soon enough. But first, we must initiate you into our fold. It is a process, but one that will bind you to us forever.”

My heart sank as the full weight of this decision hit me.

I had just committed to a lifetime of allegiance to the Brotherhood of Bastards.

Chapter Twenty-Six