over and took her hand. The contact was all the reminder Riley needed. She schooled her expression and stared back as if bored.
Soul_Reaper actually laughed at that. Whoever he was playing this up to impress, he wanted to make them think he was some big man. Sadly, it wasn't working the way he wanted. The girls were the ones looking brave and tough. None of them were crying, not even Dez. Not even Zara! She looked terrified, but she was still holding in there.
"You got this, baby," he breathed.
"What?" Braden asked.
"Not you," Jason promised.
The problem was that Jason really needed Soul_Reaper on the other side. He needed that man to go down first, so that when Braden hit the door, Jason could tag another. He needed the fucker to keep making his little laps, doing whatever he was doing.
Then Bradley spoke up. "Knock says Ruin has access to his phone. They're able to view the stream. It's being sent to the new KoG page. Means we've got that as well." He paused. "Jason? Soul Reaper's talking about the money behind the operation, and how there are more than just him willing to invest in making sure that women remember where they belong."
"What?!" he asked.
"That's what Knock's hearing on the stream. He's just taunting the ladies, though, right?"
"Has to be," Jason decided.
Not that it mattered anyway. Soul_Reaper was the man who'd done this. He'd started with Dez, even if Jason couldn't figure out why. He'd struck so many since, and he'd bragged about his kills. He'd targeted any woman who stuck her nose into games, and it seemed a few who hadn't. He was the one who'd organized the attacks on the original group's exes and the women who'd turned them down. He'd incited incel men who couldn't get a date, and convinced them to blame women for their problems.
And now he was screaming out his rage at five women who'd done nothing more than refuse to sit down and shut up.
"Where you at?" he asked Braden.
"Three feet from the door," Braden whispered. "I was breathing too hard and didn't want to be heard."
"He's on the wrong side," Jason explained. "Hold there. When you hear the big bang, that's your sign to go."
"Say it anyway," Braden told him. "I don't want to miss the go."
"Can do."
Soul_Reaper shoved at Riley, but the woman just staggered back into Dez, who helped her brace. When Riley returned to her place in their circle, the man moved on, turning to spit right in Rhaven's face. Jason felt his anger beating against that barrier in his mind, but he did nothing. Thankfully, that was all the interest the man had in her. He moved again, stopping right before Zara.
Jason couldn't hear what Soul_Reaper said, but he could see Zara's face. She looked at him, her eyes just a little too wide, and her skin was much too pale. Then her lips moved, proving she had to answer. He'd told her to be quiet, though. To do what they said, to make sure she didn't provoke them. She needed to keep the gunman calm.
But what if she didn't? Through the scope, he could see the green flecks in her eyes. They were one of the many things he loved about her. That woman was everything he'd ever wanted, and he would not lose her. He couldn't. She was carrying his child. Right there stood his entire family, everything he had left to hope for.
Then Zara reached up, grabbed the band in her hair, and pulled it free. Long, dark chocolate tresses fell free, lying against her back in soft and sensual waves. Still waves, that didn't move at all. And her eyes flicked to the window.
In that instant, he knew. She was waiting for him. She was standing there, staring down her biggest fear, because she knew he was coming to save her. Many times, she'd said she loved him. Hundreds, maybe even thousands. She'd called him her hero almost as much, but that? Of all the things she could've done to prove how completely and totally she trusted him, that one move said it all.
But Soul_Reaper didn't seem impressed. The man snarled, and then he lifted his gun and pressed the muzzle against Zara's brow. Jason's wife froze, but she didn't lose control. She wasn't melting down. The love of his life was facing this, and Soul_Reaper's finger wasn't on the trigger. If the asshole would just move the gun a little bit, he'd be in