It's 6:10 PM, and I've been here for just over half an hour, ushered in by Luna as the sun began its descent. Jenny and Amelia arrived shortly after, followed by a last-minute decision that sent Beast and Torch to retrieve Anna and Eli from their respective playdates and sitter.
"Better to have them here," King had explained tersely. "Last thing we need is Eagles figuring out where they are."
The kids sit on a pile of blankets in the corner now, oblivious to the tension filling the room. Anna, a sweet-faced little girl with blonde pigtails, shows Eli how to make a cat's cradle with a piece of string, their heads bent together in concentration.
Eli looks so much like his father. The same green eyes, the same determined set to his jaw. He glanced at me curiously when they arrived, but accepted Luna's brief explanation that I was "a friend who needs help" without question.
"How are your ribs?" Amelia asks, sitting beside me on one of the cots. She's pretty in a wholesome way, with kind eyes that remind me of a kindergarten teacher.
"Sore," I admit. "But the wrapping helps."
She nods knowingly. "Broken ribs are the worst. They take forever to heal, and there's not much you can do for them."
I don't ask how she knows this. The sympathy in her eyes tells me she's experienced similar injuries. Another survivor, like me.
Luna stands near the monitors, her eyes scanning each screen. Jenny paces the length of the room, unable to settle, stopping occasionally to check on the children before resuming her nervous circuit.
"They'll be fine," Amelia says softly, noticing my gaze following Jenny. "Rage and the others. They know what they're doing."
"I know," I say, though I don't, not really. How can anyone know how a gunfight will end?
The intercom on the wall crackles to life. "Luna, check camera three," King's voice, calm but urgent. "Movement at the east gate."
Luna leans closer to one of the monitors. "I see it. Two vehicles. Looks like they're setting up something... could be a battering ram."
"Copy that. Tank's on it."
This is real. Men with guns are surrounding the clubhouse, intent on killing everyone inside, and the woman beside me is discussing it like a weather report.
A sudden booming sound makes me jump. Distant but powerful enough that we feel it through the floor.
"What was that?" Jenny stops pacing, her face pale.
"Breaching the east gate," Luna says grimly, eyes still on the monitors. "They're using explosives."
My pulse races, fear climbing up my throat like bile. "Tommy's with them," I whisper. "He has to be."
Amelia places a gentle hand on my arm. "Even if he is, he can't get to you in here. This room is built like a bunker."
On the monitors, I can see figures moving around the perimeter of the compound. Dark shapes against the twilight, carrying weapons. The Savage Riders are nowhere to be seen, having taken defensive positions inside the building.
"Here they come," Luna says into the intercom. "Main approach, at least six, heavily armed. Two more groups circling to the west and south entrances."
"Copy that," comes King's response. "Stay alert. Eyes on all sectors."
The tension in the room is suffocating. Jenny has stopped pacing and now stands frozen, staring at the monitors. Amelia moves to the children, positioning herself between them and the door, her body language protective.
I remain on the cot, feeling useless and exposed despite the safety of our concrete surroundings. This is happening because of me, because I ran, because I came to the Savage Riders, because I told them what I knew.
No, I remind myself firmly. They already had this planned. This is happening because of Tommy and the Eagles. Because they chose violence and vengeance over peace.
Another explosion rocks the building, closer this time. The lights flicker but remain on.
"Generator's holding," Luna says, more to herself than to us. "West entrance breached. They're inside the outer perimeter."
Eli looks up from his game, suddenly alert. "What was that noise?"
"Just thunder, buddy," Amelia says smoothly. "We're having a storm tonight. That's why we're all camping in here, remember? Like an adventure."
