Page 43 of Razor
I thought of my son sleeping peacefully down the hall, finally feeling secure enough to sleep through the night in his race car bed.Thought of Razor, who had upended his entire life to protect us, who was even now building alliances and risking his position in the club for our safety.
A third alert: MOTION DETECTED – FRONT DOOR.
I switched cameras in time to see a figure retreat quickly, face obscured by a dark hood, but their posture spoke of professional efficiency rather than casual mischief.
My fingers were already typing, the message to Razor simple but devastating:
"They found us."
I hit send, then immediately typed more details:
"Black SUV across street—father's lawyer.Mom texted about 'family meeting' tomorrow at Bellini's.Someone watching the property line."
I didn't wait for a response before activating the panic protocol Razor had established—three quick texts to Socket, Fury, and Loch with the code word we'd agreed upon: "Weathered."
Within seconds, I heard Loch's quickened footsteps approaching the front door, followed by the sound of his voice on his radio.The cavalry was coming.
But as I stared at the monitors, watching the black SUV still sitting motionless across the street, I knew this was just the beginning.My parents hadn't come personally tonight—this was just their opening move, a declaration that the game had begun.
Tomorrow at Bellini's, they'd expect me to surrender, to hand over both myself and Dante to their control.To sign whatever documents that leather portfolio would contain, relinquishing my independence, my inheritance, and possibly even custody of my son.
They had no idea who they were dealing with now.I wasn't the same terrified woman who'd fled from Tyler in the night.I had protection now.I had Razor.
And I would die before I let anyone take my son from me again.
Razor
I slammed my fist against the war room table hard enough to rattle the surveillance photos spread across its surface.The timestamp on the security footage showed 3:17 AM—less than an hour after Ophelia's text had yanked me from the club meeting like a hook through my gut.The black SUV was still there in the grainy image, parked across from my house like a vulture waiting for something to die.Socket had already run the plates, confirming what Ophelia suspected—the vehicle belonged to Kenneth Walters, her father's attack dog disguised as a respectable attorney."Tell me everything," I demanded, my voice dropping to that dangerous register that made even seasoned brothers straighten their spines.
Socket, on loan from Hades Abyss for his tech expertise, didn't flinch.He'd been typing furiously on his laptop since I'd called the emergency meeting, his fingers flying across keys with practiced precision.Across from me, Ace and Fury exchanged glances loaded with meaning—they recognized the look on my face, knew what it meant when the calculator started running emotional equations instead of financial ones.
"Your father-in-law's been busy," Socket said, turning his laptop around to show me a series of documents."Phone records show he's made seventeen calls to various security firms in the past week.Finally settled on this outfit."He flipped to another screen showing a sleek corporate website."Aegis Protection Services.Fancy name for what's essentially mercenaries in suits."
"Ex-military?"I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Ex-everything," Socket confirmed."Former special forces, ex-cops, black ops washouts.The kind of men who know how to make problems disappear without leaving evidence."
Fury moved to stand beside me, studying the screen with narrowed eyes."I recognize a few of these faces," he said, pointing to headshots displayed on the company's 'Our Team' page."That one—McCauley—was dishonorably discharged for excessive force in Afghanistan.This one," he tapped another photo, "worked for Blackwater before even they decided he was too brutal."
"How many?"I demanded.
Socket scrolled through more records."Financial transfers suggest your in-laws hired a four-man team.Two were spotted doing surveillance on your house tonight.The other two are likely handling advance work for tomorrow's meeting."
The thought of these men watching my home, where Ophelia and Dante slept, sent a surge of rage through me that I tamped down with practiced control.Cold calculation would serve my family better than hot fury.
"They're planning to take her tomorrow," Socket continued, pulling up a new window."Intercepted texts between your mother-in-law and Walters lay it out pretty clearly.The 'family meeting' is just cover.They'll have the legal documents ready for her to sign, but they're not expecting compliance."His expression darkened."One way or another, they intend to escort her and the boy back to Connecticut."
"Over my dead body," I growled, the words escaping before I could filter them.
"Over theirs, more likely," Ace commented dryly from his position against the wall."What's the play, Razor?"
I reached for my phone, scrolling through contacts."We lock down the restaurant perimeter.Set up counter-surveillance.Have extraction routes ready if things go south."My thumb landed on Loch's name first.I hit call, putting it on speaker as I continued reviewing the intelligence spread before me.
"Talk to me," Loch answered on the first ring, his voice tight with alertness despite the hour.
"Ophelia's parents made contact.Planning to take her and Dante at a 'family meeting' tomorrow.Need you to coordinate surveillance teams around Bellini's downtown.Full coverage, all angles."
"On it," he replied without hesitation."How many men we looking at?"
