Page 64 of Cold Foot King

King’s wide back blocked what he did to the man, but the screaming dragged a shocked breath from her lungs as she recognized the voice.

Holy shit.

Couldn’t be.

Couldn’t be!

Chills rippled across her entire body as she took the phone from him and brought the screen closer to her and Silver, who was watching in heavy silence.

“Is that…” Silver looked at Katrina. “Is that Rook?”

Wreck took the phone and scrolled over, then faced the phone toward them again, and the man in the picture was nearly unrecognizable. His face was horribly scarred on both sides, and bloodied and bruised, swollen. His eyes though. His eyes gave him away.

Rook.

Silver clasped her hands over her face and sank back into the cushion of the couch. “He gave him traitor marks.”

“One for each of you,” Wreck murmured low.

“He went back into Cold Foot?” Katrina whispered, staring at the picture of Rook. He would never escape what King had done. He would see it every time he looked in the mirror, like Katrina had to do. Like Silver had to do.

“For you,” Wreck said. “His letter was bullshit. He wrote it because he could get away with lies if he gave you a letter. You would’ve been able to hear the lie in his voice if he said goodbye in person. I told him I couldn’t give him a spot in the Crew, and he chose to hurt you so that you would stay. So you would be safe. So you could have a future.”

“And then he went back inside?” she whispered, shocked.

“He wasn’t going to able to live with that mark on your face, and no consequences for the man who did it to you. He was Karma, for you and for Silver.”

“How do we get him out?” Owen asked from where he sat on the other side of Silver.

“We can’t get him out,” Wreck said low.

“There has to be a way?” Katrina pleaded.

A slow smile stretched Wreck’s lips. “We can’t get him out, because the blue dragon already did.”

“I lied.” Lucia’s voice brought on a shocked silence.

“What?” Wreck asked.

Lucia held her little baby closer and looked at Katrina, then back to Wreck. “I lied,” she repeated. “I’ve seen King all along.”

Wreck stood, and a heaviness emanated from him. “Why would you do that?”

“Because of what I saw him doing.”

“What was he doing? Good God, Lucia, just spill it! Don’t make me ask all these questions. What is happening?” Wreck sounded furious.

“He was torturing himself and Katrina, thinking their bond was formed by the drugs they gave him at the prison.” She lifted her chin higher into the air, and looked utterly remorseless. “Now he can’t question it. He knows. He knows that bond is real. They both know.”

Chills, chills, chills.

“He’s mine?” Wreck asked, his skin catching fire. Flames consumed him, but the floor didn’t burn, and Timber stood and slipped her hand into his. Green flames traveled up his arm, and immediately his fire started to die down.

“He’s not yours,” Lucia murmured. “He’shers.” She jutted her chin toward Katrina. “And because he is hers, he will be a great weapon for you. He will cut down anything that threatens her, and by default, he will cut down anything that threatens her people.You,” she said softly.

“What do we do?” Silver asked.

“You do nothing,” Lucia said. “You stay here and take over planning the Crew party with Katrina, because they will be down an Alpha.”