(LANCE )
The gatehouse was a small reinforced building at the edge of the compound, lit by harsh floodlights and surrounded by armed brothers. I stepped out alone, gun in my hand, heart hammering with a mix of rage and the ghost of childhood love for the sister who had just betrayed me.
Elena stood ten yards away, alone under the lights, her face pale and tear-streaked. Behind her, in the shadows, I could see the silhouettes of Ghost, Rico, Vixen, and the Salazar brothers waiting.
I stopped at the line we had drawn in the dirt.
“Talk,” I said, voice cold.
Elena’s hands trembled as she stepped closer.
“I never wanted it to come to this,” she whispered, voice breaking. “I grew up watching Dad die because of the club. I saw you split yourself in two — the billionaire building something
