Chapter 16 · The Forbidden Forge

"Get your ass moving or we’re both going to be pancakes!" Elise screamed, her voice barely cutting through the roar of collapsing masonry.

Jax didn't need the reminder. He was already sprinting, his boots skidding on a layer of oil and powdered stone. Above them, the ceiling of the old forge didn't just crack—it groaned like a dying beast, shedding slabs of reinforced concrete that shattered where they had been standing seconds ago.

"I'm moving!" Jax yelled back, dodging a falling girder. He felt the tug at his chest—that invisible, cursed tether pulling him toward her. "Maybe if you didn't decide to kick down the front door like a lunatic, the whole place wouldn't be trying to eat us!"

"I'm an Enforcer, Renner. We don't knock," she snapped. She grabbed the collar of his jacket, yanking him violently to the left just as a cluster of rusted pipes crashed down.

They slammed into a wall together. Jax’s back hit the brick hard, but he didn't mind the pain because Elise was pinned against him, her chest heaving, the scent of ozone and gunpowder clinging to her skin. Her eyes were wide, pupils blown, scanning the ruins for the exit.