Ace-
Ace leaned against the railing outside the clubhouse, cigarette burning between his fingers, barely touched. The wind carried the faint scent of oil and asphalt—familiar, grounding—but it didn’t do a damn thing to quiet the pounding in his chest.
Sami was inside. Alive. Safe.
But she didn’t look at him the same.
Not worse. Not better. Just… different. Like she’d crossed some invisible line he couldn’t follow. And maybe that’s what scared him most.
He hadn’t slept more than two hours at a time since they pulled her from hell. His body ached, bruises fading but still lingering, and his mind never stopped running. Who set them up? Why her? Why now?
He flicked the cigarette away and clenched the railing hard enough his knuckles turned white.
Reaper’s voice cut through the fog. “You’
