Page 103 of Steel Vengeance

Stitch felt his grip tighten on Phoenix’s jacket, white-knuckling the fabric. His mind raced, the pulse pounding in his ears nearly drowning out the words coming from Phoenix’s mouth.

"I looked up and saw him," Phoenix muttered, his voice hoarse, slurred from the blow. "Just before he took off with her."

Matthew.The name was like acid burning through Stitch's brain, his fists clenching, every muscle in his body coiling like a spring ready to snap. He’dhadher—right here, where she was supposed to be safe—and now she was gone.

“How long?” The words were more of a growl, raw and guttural. His mind was already racing with calculations—how long it would take Matthew to get out of D.C., how far he could’ve gone by now.

Phoenix swayed again, grabbing the doorframe tighter. “Maybe... half an hour. I don’t know, Stitch. Everything’s... hazy.”

“Half an hour...” Stitch released him, mind reeling. He turned sharply, heading back toward the SUV, his heart thudding like a drumbeat. Matthew had a head start, but it wasn’t enough to disappear—not yet.

“Pat!” he yelled as he stormed back toward the car, where Pat had stayed behind, watching from the vehicle. He slammed a fist on the hood to get his attention.

Pat opened the door, eyes narrowing as he saw Phoenix leaning weakly against the doorway. “What the hell’s going on?”

“Matthew’s got her,” Stitch ground out, his breath coming in short, harsh bursts. “He hit Phoenix, took Sloane. He’s on the run.”

Pat’s expression hardened instantly. “Goddamn it.”

“We don’t have time to wait for backup,” Stitch snapped, already yanking open the passenger door, his mind racing through every possible escape route Matthew could have taken. He could feel the rage bubbling under his skin, the desperation. “He’s not getting away this time. I swear to God, Pat?—”

“I know,” Pat said, sliding into the driver’s seat with grim determination. “We’ll find him.”

They had to. There was no other option. Sloane was out there, with a man who would stop at nothing to destroy them both. But this time, Stitch wasn’t going to let him get away.

Not again. Not with her.

Pat started the engine, and with a screech of tires, they tore out of the motel parking lot, heading into the dark, toward whatever hell awaited them next.

CHAPTER 41

The blow came out of nowhere, a sharp, searing pain exploding across the side of Sloane’s head. Her vision blurred instantly, stars dancing in front of her eyes as she stumbled backward, clutching the side of her face. Matthew stood over her, his expression cold and calculating. The friendly charm she once knew was gone—replaced with something ruthless, terrifying.

“Matthew?” Her voice was shrill, a mix of shock and fear. He was supposed to be in hiding—half the police force in D.C. was hunting him down, and yet here he was. In the flesh. Her pulse thudded so hard in her ears she could barely hear herself.

“Yes, it’s me, darling.” His smile twisted as he towered over her. “Now, don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

He reached for her, but she stumbled back, adrenaline flooding her body.Run,her brain screamed, but her legs felt like lead, her head still spinning from the hit. She tried to make a break for the motel door, her hand reaching for the handle, but Matthew’s fingers closed around her arm like a vice.

“Let go of me!” she screamed, trying to twist free, but he yanked her back with brutal strength, his grip digging into her skin.

“You’re only going to make this worse for yourself,” he growled, pulling her out of the room and toward the parking lot. She fought against him, kicking and thrashing, trying to break free, but Matthew was too strong. He grabbed her by the waist, dragging her across the tarmac, his arm clamped around her like a steel band.

Her heart pounded with terror. Where was Blade? Pat?

The sharp sting of cold metal dug into Sloane’s back as Matthew shoved her into the backseat of the car, her body slamming against the door. Her pulse was racing so fast she could barely hear anything but the pounding in her ears. How had this happened? How had Matthew found her here? She struggled to keep her thoughts straight, but everything was slipping into chaos. Phoenix had gone outside to check out that noise, and the next thing she knew, he was down, and Matthew was dragging her out of the room.

She was trapped.

Her heart twisted in her chest as the full weight of her predicament pressed down on her. The man she once thought she knew—the man who’d shared his bed with her—had turned into a stranger, a monster. She didn’t know who he was any more. How could he be capable of such violence?Of wanting her dead.

She tried to move, push herself up, but her arms were shaky and the dizziness from the blow to her face made it impossible to sit up straight. Everything around her seemed to blur and spin.

Phoenix.

The last thing she’d seen was him hitting the ground outside the motel, blood running from his head.

Was he okay? Would someone find him? Would Pat find him?