[Emma's POV]
The city at night became a hunting ground painted in neon and shadow, a labyrinth of false promises and screaming engines. The initial flood of information from Maddox’s vast, shadowy network had felt like a breakthrough, but it quickly revealed itself as a poison chalice—a dozen tantalizing leads, each one meticulously crafted to send them charging down a dead end.
Jaxon led the charge, astride a sleek, black motorcycle that seemed to roar with his own contained fury. He leaned into the wind, his body a single, focused line of intent, his knuckles bone-white on the grips. Every burst of acceleration was a prayer, every screeching turn a curse thrown at the night. Cain was his phantom, astride a modified street bike, weaving through dense traffic and narrow alleyways with an
