by K. C. Lynn
“Okay,” she agrees, a sob escaping her.
“Don’t cry, baby, everything’s going to be all right.” He turns back to Cade, Sawyer and Sarge. “We cover them until they’re up the stairs, then go into the den. I’ve got everything we need in there.” He glances at me next. “You stay with us.”
I nod.
“No!” Anna whispers harshly. “I want him with me, upstairs.”
I shake my head. “They’re here because of me. I need to stay down here with them.”
“But—”
“This is not the time to argue, Anna!” Jaxson snaps, cutting her off. “Just do what we say and help with the kids.”
She grinds her teeth, tears welling in her eyes. I drop a quick kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be okay, baby, I promise.”
We get to our feet, making a wall as the others stand. “Faith, give me Mia,” Christopher says, taking the crying two-year-old from her arms.
Cade gives Ruthie’s hand to Faith. Anna takes Hope in her arms then leans down and grabs Bandit’s leash. Grace grasps Parker and Beckett’s hands so Kayla can hold the baby.
“I can hear your kids crying, send Knight out before any of them get hurt,” the voice threatens from outside.
Jaxson points the gun ahead of him, violence pouring off him, a similar brand of fury pumping through my own blood. He leads us to the entrance of the living room and reaches around the wall to shut off the lights, blanketing the house in complete darkness. “Everyone move quietly but as quickly as possible,” he orders, before having Julia lead the way with Annabelle in her arms. The gun remains trained in front of him while shielding them with his body.
As we move to the stairs my gaze strays to the shattered window on the other side of the living room, but I can’t see anyone. Christopher is the last to hit the stairs, a crying Mia tucked close to his chest.
“I see you need some more motivation,” the voice shouts, before gunfire explodes again.
“Fuck!” Sawyer bellows. “Go, go, go!”
All quiet caution is thrown out the window as everyone races up the stairs. As soon as Christopher makes it up we jump for the den door and take cover inside the room.
“Motherfuckers!” Jaxson roars as he maneuvers across the floor to the locked gun cabinet. “Come and shoot up my house with my fucking family inside, I’m going to fucking kill them!” All gunfire ceases just as he hits a bunch of numbers on a keypad and the cabinet opens, revealing enough weapons to start World War Three.
Jesus.
Reaching up, he starts throwing out guns to Sawyer, Cade and Sarge. They catch and load them within seconds. “You know how to use one of these, Knight?”
“Fuck no,” I hiss back. “I know how to use a handgun, a rifle, but not a…whatever the hell that is.”
Jaxson tosses me the handgun he had from the kitchen then grabs one of the other big-ass machines.
“My patience is wearing thin. I don’t like waiting!” the deep voice calls out.
“Yeah, don’t worry, motherfucker, you won’t be waiting much longer because I’m going to blow you away, you piece of shit,” Jaxson murmurs, barely loud enough for us to hear let alone whoever is outside calling the shots.
The guys take up positions on either side of the windows while I move closer to the door so I can see if anyone comes into the house. I’m able to spot a few guys through the shattered vertical window. They’re all decked out in leather and matching bandanas. I don’t recognize any of them.
“Check out the emblem on their vests,” Cade remarks.
“Yeah, I see it,” Jaxson responds, his voice hard.
“Who are they?” I whisper, not having any idea.
“Sons of Death.” Sawyer spits the name out.
“Who the hell is that?” I ask, having never heard of them before.
“They’re a biker gang. There aren’t many of them but they’re no joke,” Sarge explains. “They have half the city in their pockets and they’ll kill you without a second thought.”
Well fuck!
“How many do you count?” Jaxson asks.
“I’ve got six in sight, but I count eight bikes,” Cade replies.
“If you’re waiting for the cops, they aren’t coming. They’re all a little tied up right now,” the voice taunts.
“Shit!” Jaxson seethes. “The call Cooper went on, they fucking knew he would be here.”
Sawyer looks at Jaxson. “Yeah, well, they didn’t do their fucking research because the cops are the least of their fucking worries. We need to act now, Jaxson. They shot up the place with our women and kids inside. I say we fucking end them!”
“I agree,” Sarge whispers, his tone deadly. “I say we blow the motherfuckers away!”
“Not until they’re all in sight. I want to know where the other two are before we start firing.”
“Let me go out there,” I suggest, knowing this is my fault. “I know the woods across the way better than they do. I’ll lead them away from the house.”
Jaxson points his finger at me in warning. “You’re not fucking going anywhere. You stay here!”
“My patience is starting to wear thin. You have no idea who you’re messing with.”
Jaxson finally responds to him. “Wrong, asshole. You don’t know who you’re fucking with. This is your only warning: get off my fucking property before I bury every single one of you pieces of shit.”
“We’re not going anywhere until I get Knight! That son of a bitch has cost me a lot of fucking money and trouble. His girlfriend was warned; he should have listened when he had the chance. Now he’s mine!”
I go still, a dangerous rage pumping through me when I realize it was these fucks who threatened Anna outside the shelter.
“We need to move, Jaxson,” Cade says, his voice hard.
He gives a resolute nod.
“Wait!” Sawyer hisses, a flash of panic in his hard gaze. “Is that fucking gas I smell?”
As soon as the words leave his mouth I smell it—strong and foul. Oh fuck! Panic seizes my chest as I think about the kids upstairs and…Anna.
“Times up, if Knight isn’t out here in the next three seconds I’m burning you all out. One!”
“Shit.” Cade curses. “If they’ve doused the fucking house and this turns into an all-out war, it will light up like the Fourth of July.”
“It’s going to anyway. If we don’t get them first,” Sawyer argues.
“Two!”
My gut turns to lead, heavy and sinking. Knowing what I have to do, I glance up the stairs, my teeth grinding at the pain staking my chest like a hot spear as I think of Anna.
“Three!” Just as the final number is called I’m up and rushing to the front door, my heart thundering in my ears at my resolution. My sacrifice.
My redemption.
“Knight! What the fuck are you doing? Get back here!” Jaxson’s furious bellow doesn’t deter me.
A sudden calmness fills me as I step outside to the unknown, my arms raised in surrender as I decide how the fuck I’m going to get out of this.
I don’t get the chance to think about it.
My gaze meets the asshole calling the shots, a smile forming his lips. “Now!” The order is given only a split second before bullets start flying from every direction. I try to move away from the house but I don’t make it far. A searing fire burns through my chest as I’m pumped full of lead. Each small piece of hot metal piercing my body is excruciating, but not as painful as the agony when I think about Anna and what this is going to do to her. She’s the last thing I think about before I slip into darkness.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Anna
After calling 9-1-1 and not being able to get through, we called the police department only to find out there was a big accident on I-90, about twenty miles south, that had most of Charleston and Sunset Bay authorities tied up. While Julia tried explaining the severity of our situation, Kayla used her cell phone to call Cooper. Thankfully, he answered and
promised he was on his way with back up, but precious time was wasted. Time we might not have.
“Mama, I’m so scared for Daddy.” Annabelle cries, clinging to Julia as she sits, leaning against the bathtub.
“It’s okay, honey. Daddy knows what he’s doing and the police are on their way,” she assures her, her own voice quivering as she tries to remain strong. My heart aches to hear all the kids crying and for everything they witnessed. I run a hand through Bandit’s fur, feeling him quivering beneath my fingers as I try to soothe my own fear.
They want Logan; they’re here to hurt him.
My eyes fall closed at the terrifying thought. I look over at Julia when she grabs my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. “It’ll be okay, Anna,” she assures me, but there is no denying the fear in her eyes, the same one that’s in everyone else’s.
“How far is he, Kayla?” I ask, sensing our time is running out.
“He’s less than five minutes away.”
Out of nowhere a sudden wave of terror strikes me, rocking me to my core. It’s so strong it robs me of breath and makes me gasp to pull in air.
“Anna? What is it?” Faith asks.
“Something’s wrong,” I choke out, getting to my feet. I can’t describe how I know, but I feel it to the depths of my soul. Something is very wrong.
“Knight! What the fuck are you doing? Get back here!” Jaxson’s distant roar has me reaching for the door handle, panic tearing through me.
“Anna, wait!” Julia shouts.
I don’t wait. I can’t, not even if I wanted to. Fear has my body moving on its own accord.
I open the door to see Christopher, with the massive gun trained out the window. “Shit! What’s he doing?” His words have my hysteria escalating to a whole new level. It’s the last thing spoken before explosive chaos sounds throughout.
“Logan!” I cry out his name, my legs buckling beneath me in unadulterated terror. I cover my ears from the deafening sound of gunfire as tortured screams tear from me, burning my throat and searing my soul. The pain is so powerful I could have sworn every bullet was plowing through my chest. Within seconds everything is silent, except for the painful pounding of my heart.
“Logan?” His name falls on a sob as I get to my knees. Christopher spins around to look at me, his expression revealing my worse fear. “Oh god!” Getting to my feet, I run.
“Anna, stop!” he shouts, but fear has me pushing harder and faster. I fly down the steps, stumbling on the hardwood, but I feel no pain. Only desperation.
Please, God. Please, God. Please, God!
The front door is half open, bodies scattered across the front yard, but I see him there on the steps, the guys on their knees surrounding him. Horror slams into me like a freight train, agony slicing through me like a hot blade. “Logan!”
“Fuck!” Before I can make it outside, Sawyer runs in and grabs me around the waist.
“No! Let go of me!” I thrash against him. “Logan!” I scream for him again and again, begging him to answer. “Let me fucking go! I need to see him! He needs me!” I hit Sawyer with every bit of strength I possess, clawing at him as desperation robs me of all coherent thought.
“Anna, stop! Just fucking stop!” He takes me down to the ground, pinning me. “Please, just stop!” His tortured voice cracks and stops me cold.
I stare up at him through blurry vision, and for the first time in my life I see Sawyer’s eyes filled with unshed tears, his expression desolate. It’s then that I know this is as bad as I fear. “No! Please, let me go. I can help him.”
He shakes his head, his jaw flexing. “No…you can’t! I’m sorry. So fucking sorry.”
At the finality of his words a piercing scream rips from my chest, the agonizing sound shattering the silence. I scream until I can’t feel anything. I scream until I’m completely dead inside because without Logan, I am.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Anna
I sit in the waiting room of the hospital, numb and frozen, staring at the stained white walls in front of me. Jaxson sits next to me with an arm around my shoulders, holding me close. His warm strength has always brought me comfort but not this time. Only one person can bring me solace right now, and I shudder to think I may never feel his soothing touch again.
An image of the paramedics trying to resuscitate Logan plays through my head. How they shocked his lifeless body over and over again is something I will never forget. A fresh wave of agony rips through me at the thought, but I’m too dead inside to feel it.
Cade walks in from around the corner and sits next to a grim Sawyer. I try not to look directly at him, knowing he’s covered in Logan’s blood just like the others.
So much blood.
“I just talked to Faith,” he says, breaking the heavy silence. “She said they finally got all the kids to sleep. Christopher and Sarge are both staying with them at the main house until we get back.”
I feel Jaxson nod before he hugs me closer. “Can I get you anything?” he asks, his voice gruff. “Something to drink? Eat?” I shake my head. He blows out a frustrated breath at my silence. “Say something, kid. You’re scaring me. You haven’t said a word.”
I shake my head again, not able to give him what he wants. I’m not capable of it. I’ve lost all feeling. That’s until two men round the corner in a rush, men that have my blood temperature rising to a dangerous level.
“What the hell happened?” Agent Davis asks, glancing at all the guys in shock. Probably from the amount of blood covering them.
Logan’s blood.
Fury surges through my numb body like a jolt of electricity, shocking me with the dose of reality I need. It only takes me a few strides before I’m in his face. “How dare you show up here!” I grind out through my painfully raw throat. “You have no right to be here!” Before I can control myself I lunge for him, fists swinging. Both agents jump back, their eyes wide with shock. Cade intercepts me just before I reach him, but I don’t give up. “I hate you! This is all your fault!” I scream, sobs erupting from deep within my chest again.
“Save your strength, Anna. They’re not worth it,” Cade murmurs close to my ear.
“We just want to know what happened,” Agent Davis says, his voice quiet.
“Why don’t you tell us!” Jaxson comes to stand in front of me, a quiet rage pouring off of him.
“What do you mean? How the hell would I know?”
He reaches for the agent, grabbing him by the shirt. “Because it’s your fucking case, you son of a bitch!” he seethes, pinning him against the wall. “My house was shot up with our goddamn families inside. So you tell me what the fuck happened. You tell me how this turned into the clusterfuck that I knew it would be!”
“I don’t know!” Davis shouts, pushing Jaxson away from him. “We kept everything under wraps. The only person who knew about Knight’s cover is Charity Allan and she’s still in custody. We have no idea how it got leaked.”
“Well it doesn’t matter any more, does it?” I bite out bitterly, my words dripping with disdain. “Because the damage is done, but why would you care. He’s just an ex-convict, right?”
The agent grinds his teeth. “That’s not true.”
“Get the fuck out of here, Davis. Go do your job and find out what the fuck happened before I lose my control and bury you like I promised I’d do if anything like this happened.” Davis glares back at Jaxson for the threat, but thankfully takes his warning seriously. Both he and Agent Brooks turn and storm off.
I stare at the empty space they just left, my heart thundering furiously. I hate it because I can feel again, and the pain is so powerful it has my knees weakening. Jaxson grabs me from Cade and pulls me against him. “This can’t be happening.” I sob against his chest. “I can’t lose him, not again. I won’t survive it.”
“It’s going to be okay, Anna, he’s tough. If anyone can survive this, it’s him.”
I shake my head, having a hard time finding hope, especially when
all I can think about is how his heart wasn’t beating.
“Excuse me, I was told my son is here—Logan Knight.” I tense, recognizing the familiar voice that trembles with emotion. I spin around to see Logan’s mom, Miranda, and his sister, Janey, at the nurses station. “Please, can you tell us if he’s okay?”
The nurse puts a hand on her shoulder and leans in close. Whatever she tells her has Miranda clutching her chest as grief overcomes her. Janey buries her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking in agony. The nurse points at the waiting room and their gazes snap to mine.
“Oh my god, Anna.” Janey runs to me and wraps her arms around my neck. I hug her close as she cries, but my gaze remains glued to Miranda as she stares back at me. She shifts uncomfortably and stays where she is. It’s clear she’s unsure of her welcome with me.
Jaxson is about to go to her but I stop him with a hand to his chest. I give Janey one final squeeze before stepping back and walking to Logan’s mother. I stop in front of her, and for a moment all we do is stare at one another. The same midnight blue eyes as her son’s are filled with a comparable devastation to mine.
“Anna.” Her breath hitches as she greets me by name, trying to hold in the pain threatening to take her. Her heartbreaking expression has me leaning over and hugging her. She clings to me tightly, weeping in my arms. “I don’t understand. I just saw him earlier today. He finally forgave me, how could this happen?” She asks the same question that I’ve been asking myself over and over again. Since I don’t have the answers for her I do the only thing I can. I hold her and offer my comfort. Janey joins in, wrapping her arms around both of us.
A minute later Jaxson comes over and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Why don’t you guys have a seat? Sawyer just went to get coffee and food.”
With a sniffle we step back from each other. Miranda looks up at Jaxson through her tears and gives him a nod. “Jaxson.”
