Fuck wearing a bra; there was no time for that shit. I hurried down to Lucas's bedroom while still buckling my shoulder holster—with my new gun to replace the Desert Eagle.
Lucas roused as I entered his room, blinking at me like an owl when I crouched beside his bed.
"Hey babe," he mumbled, his lids barely open a crack.
"Zed and I have to go take care of something at Anarchy," I told him in an urgent whisper. "Seph's asleep, but Cass is still gone."
He understood perfectly, nodding as he pushed himself to sitting. "Guard duty. Got it. Stay safe, okay?"
I flashed him a grateful smile and leaned in for a quick kiss. "Always. We'll be back soon." Confident he would keep Seph safe, I raced back downstairs to meet Zed, only pausing momentarily to grab a pair of shoes.
Zed's Ferrari was already in front of the house, and he took off before I’d even fully closed my door. But I sure as shit wasn't chastising him for it. The faster we got to Anarchy, the better. I could smell another setup, and this time I wanted to beat those douchebags at SGPD to it.
"How long ago did Alexi find the break-in?" Zed asked as he navigated the streets between his place and Anarchy with ease.
I pulled my phone back out, rereading the message Alexi had sent informing us that he'd found a busted lock on the door to the Anarchy underground storerooms—the same area that Chase had held and tortured Lucas not so long ago. Most of the tunnels had been permanently sealed up, but some were still accessible as they were useful storerooms.
The fact that Anarchy had been vacant, thanks to the police shutdown, meant we had no clue when the break-in had happened.
"He texted us the minute he found it," I replied. "I've told him to hold off on investigating in case it’s a trap. I wouldn't put it past Chase to have rigged the fucking tunnels with explosives or some shit."
Zed flicked a sharp look at me. "Then why the fuck would we go down there?"
I snorted. "Because Chase doesn't want me dead. So I'm the best insurance policy against him blowing shit up."
Zed huffed in disagreement. "Tell that to your apartment building. Or 7th Circle, for that matter."
I wrinkled my nose. "The apartment building was deliberate. He waited until I was within sight but not in danger. As for 7th... I actually think he fucked up on that one. I wasn't supposed to be there at that time, and I definitely wasn't supposed to have tissues stuffed up my nose to block the smell of the gas."
Zed scowled. "Even so, I'd rather not experience any more fuckups. I just got my hands on you, Dare; I'm not losing you now. Not for anything or anyone. Clear?"
A heady rush of love shuddered through me, and I clamped my lips shut before I started simpering like an idiot over how infatuated with him I was. Instead, I turned my attention to the window and smiled when Zed's hand found my knee.
The twenty-minute drive to Anarchy was over in ten, and when we skidded to a stop beside Alexi's car, there wasn't a single other vehicle in sight. That was a good sign, at least. The main lights for the park were off, seeing as the venue was closed, but we knew where we were going and hurried to meet up with Alexi using nothing but the light of the moon.
"Bosses," he called out as we drew close, stepping out of the shadows near the door in question. "You got here quick."
"It seemed time sensitive," I replied, grim. "Have you gone in?"
Alexi shook his head. "No, sir. As advised, I haven't moved from this spot."
"How'd you find it?" Zed asked, his eyes narrowed at our head of security. Alexi had been with us since before I massacred two-thirds of the former Timberwolves. We'd known him a long time, and I was confident in his loyalty to us. Or... I had been until Agent Hanson had gotten into my head with her suspicions.
"Bulldog drove past here earlier," he told us, his expression serious. "Said he saw people with flashlights inside the park. He figured it was just dumb teens or some shit, but I came to check it out and found that." He nodded to the broken lock on the door that led to our underground storerooms. It wasn't just broken; it had been obliterated, like someone had shot the whole