I cocked my chin at the silent mercenaries. “They work for you?”

Tex nodded. “I told you I’d hired help. I found them before you came to take Nila.”

My nostrils flared. “Before?”

If he had them before, why not use them to protect Nila from ever falling into my hands?

Tex swallowed, looking away. “I meant after you took Nila. I gathered an army. I won’t let you take another of my loved ones, Hawk. I won’t.”

His slip-up and sudden lie to switch timelines didn’t make sense. There was no one else to take. Nila was the firstborn girl. We never went after Weaver sons.

So what is he hiding?

Pushing aside my curiosity, I nodded. “I know. And you won’t have to.” Searching for the ringleader, discarding ex-Army and Marines by the way they held their shoulders and weapons, I ordered, “Who’s in charge here?”

Vaughn stomped closer, poking his annoying finger in my chest. “We are, motherfucker.”

I gritted my teeth. “Fine, if that’s how you want to play it. How about you give them orders on how best to infiltrate. If you know where Cut will have Nila and how to get inside the estate undetected, be my fucking guest.”

Tex growled under his breath. “Watch it. We’re tolerating you right now. Doesn’t mean we’ve agreed to be your taskforce when you’ve already taken so much. We’re here for Nila and that’s it. You hear me?”

I swiped a hand over my face. “If you’re here for Nila, prove it. She’s in trouble. The longer we stand here comparing dick sizes, the worse she’ll need help.” Spreading my arms, I snarled, “You decide. You want my insider knowledge so this goes well or would you rather do things your way and risk Nila dying and yourself in the crossfire?”

Tension smouldered between us, itching for a naked flame to incinerate.

Tex looked at Vaughn. They shared a silent conversation until finally Tex exhaled heavily. “Fine. We agree to cooperate.”

“Good.” I crossed my arms. “I’m in control from here on out. I’m the only one who knows where to go, how to get in, and what we need to do.”

“Like fuck you are. I’ve stayed in your house of horrors. I know enough to guess—”

Tex placed his hand on his son’s shoulder. “Enough, V. Let him. I just want my daughter back, and if he says he can do that, then…let him get her back.” Twisting to face an elderly man with a black beanie on his head, Tex motioned him to come forward. “Change of plans, Dec. Follow Hawk’s orders. Let’s move out.”

The silent journey through the estate twisted me with fear.

The driveway went on for a fucking eternity, revealing our black line of cars clearly. I just hoped Cut was busy elsewhere and didn’t look out the south-facing windows onto the sweeping vista as we crept over Hawksridge.

Rolling hills and soft dirt hindered but didn’t slow; we chewed up distance, bringing me closer to Nila and my dreaded birthright.

I rode with the ringleader, Declan. He’d given me his resume in a few short bullet points.

Retired military.

Awarded service.

Highly trained and skilled with the best men loyalty and money could buy.

Sitting with him, I suffered flashbacks of hunting animals for food and sport. For someone like me—someone who felt not just human emotions but even the emotions of the basest of creatures—I struggled to hunt like a normal, unfeeling being.

Cut knew that.

He’d forced me to hunt until I could switch off the panic of the prey and focus on the joy of the predator.

It’d been one of his most valuable lessons.

Focus on the hawk stalking the rabbit, not the rabbit running for its life.

Focus on the dog’s infectious joy bounding after a deer, not the deer galloping from death.

Those two parallels had been so fucking hard to choose between, but I’d done it. I’d even been so successful, the predator’s joy infected me enough for hunting to become almost…fun.

And now I was on another hunt. About to hurt others, about to feel their pain.

But I could do it because I was the beast, not the quarry. And I was surrounded by men who focused on the same sweet victory.

That was all I needed to know. I trusted Declan and his men. I just hoped they’d be enough if the Black Diamonds decided to fight against us.

I hope Flaw came through.

I didn’t want bloodshed. The Hall had seen enough fucking death. I wanted to end terror without more of it. But I was prepared for either scenario.

Hawksridge appeared above us, watching us with its impressive turrets and spires. The ancient building had been my home all my life. The grounds had been my salvation. The animals, my lifeblood.

I’d grown up running away from this place, but now, I wanted to turn my legacy around. I would rule a different dynasty from the one Cut envisioned, and I would do it on my own terms with Nila by my side.

Pointing at a service track—an un-tarmacked path with weeds growing through pebbles, I said, “Follow that road. It’ll cut across the chase and head in behind the main entrance. We might prevent being seen a little longer.”

Hawksridge sat perched on a hill. The design was deliberate for times of war and protection from enemies who might try to topple the estate. No ambush could happen. No entrapment. We would be seen—it was a matter of time. I just didn’t want to show my hand before we were close enough to launch an attack.

Where are you, Nila?