Chapter 132

ASHER

It had been days since the explosion. Days since Knox was taken, and the weight of his absence hung over me like a dark cloud. I wasn’t used to feeling helpless—not when it came to my brothers, not when it came to my family. But Knox was still missing, and the gnawing frustration of not knowing where he was, or if he was safe, ate away at me.

I had regained my strength. My body had healed, but mentally, I was far from whole. Every spare moment was spent strategizing, reaching out to old contacts, scouring every source I could think of for a lead on Knox’s whereabouts. It wasn’t until yesterday that something finally surfaced.

Jax and I sat in the study, both of us tense, yet hopeful. One of our deltas had gotten word from a contact in the south. A place. A name. It wasn’t much, but it was a start—a thread we could pull to unravel this nightmare.

"We have to move fast," Jax muttered beside me, his voice low but determined. "If this lead pans out, we can’t give them a chance to relocate Knox. We’ll need to hit them hard."

I nodded, my thoughts racing. "I’ll call in a team of deltas. Only the best. We go in, get him out, and get back before they even know we were there."

Jax clenched his jaw, his usual easygoing demeanor replaced by the same fierce resolve that had settled in me. Knox was more than our brother; he was part of us. And we weren’t going to lose him.

But as we started gathering our gear, the door swung open, and Isabella appeared. Her eyes flashed with that fiery determination I had come to know well. She walked straight up to me, arms crossed, shoulders tense.

"I’m coming with you," she declared, her voice leaving no room for argument.

I sighed, already knowing where this was going. "Isa, we’ve been through this. It’s too dangerous."

"I don’t care," she shot back, stepping closer. "Knox is my family too. I’m not going to just sit here while you run off and risk everything without me."

Her words hit hard. I knew she meant it, and I couldn’t blame her for feeling this way. She had been through enough already, and now with Knox missing, the need to protect her family was driving her. But this wasn’t just about her. It was about all of us.

"You have Luca to think about," I said, trying to keep my voice calm, though I could feel the tension building between us. "You can’t put yourself in danger like this."

Her eyes softened slightly at the mention of Luca, but the fire didn’t die out. "And what about you? Are you thinking of him when you put yourself in danger? What am I supposed to do if something happens to you or Jax? You can’t ask me to stay behind while you go off and fight for our family."

Jax stepped in, his voice a little softer but just as firm. "Isa, we get it. We do. But this isn’t just about fighting. We need to focus, and we need to know you and Luca are safe. If you’re with us, we’ll be distracted—worried about keeping you safe instead of getting Knox out."

She glared at both of us, her fists clenched. I could see the internal struggle, the fear, the anger, and the love all swirling inside her. "I’m not some helpless damsel," she said, her voice trembling. "I can help. I want to help."

"And you do help," I said, stepping closer to her. "You keep Luca safe, you keep us grounded. I’m not asking you to stay because I think you’re weak. I’m asking you to stay because I need to know that you and our son are protected. If something happens to you... Isa, I wouldn’t survive that."

Her shoulders slumped slightly, and I saw the fight waver. But she wasn’t done yet.

"This isn’t fair, Asher. None of this is fair."

I took her hand, feeling the weight of the situation between us. "I know. But I need you to trust me. Trust us. We’ll bring him back, I swear it."

There was a long pause. Jax stood silently beside me, waiting for the decision. Isabella looked at both of us, her eyes searching mine for some kind of reassurance. After what felt like forever, she finally sighed and nodded, though I could see how much it hurt her.

"Fine," she muttered. "But if you don’t come back with him, I swear—"

"We will," Jax cut in with a smirk, though the tension in the room remained thick. "You know Knox, he’s probably charming his way out as we speak."

A ghost of a smile crossed her face at that, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She looked at me one more time, then turned and left the room, leaving behind a silence that felt heavier than before.

Jax and I exchanged a look, both of us knowing we needed to move now, before things got any worse. But as we prepared to leave, my mind stayed with Isa. She had always been strong, and I knew she’d fight alongside us if she could. But keeping her and Luca safe was the only thing I could think about now. We would get Knox back.

We had to.