Raiden:
The Phantom compound had a heartbeat of its own—a low, pounding rhythm that never quite let up. Even when it was quiet, like now, it buzzed with a tension just beneath the surface, like a coiled viper waiting to strike. I leaned against the wall outside the war room, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, jaw tight.
Prez and Ridge were inside, talking to Vex and a couple of the older members. It wasn't just the usual Wednesday s**t—they were talking about us, about the tension growing with the Savage Saviors, and about me. I knew it. You could feel it in the way eyes lingered a little too long, in the way whispers died down when I entered a room. They knew. Not the details, not yet. But enough to make them wary. Enough to put my position in the club on thin ice.
The door cracked open and
