I turn back to the monitors, searching for any sign of Rage or Tommy. The feed from the north storage area shows only empty space now, the figures having moved beyond the camera's range.
"Where did they go?" I ask, unable to keep the anxiety from my voice.
Luna checks each monitor. "I don't see them. They must be in a blind spot between cameras."
The gunfire has intensified, concentrated now in what sounds like the central part of the building. Shouted commands mix with the battle sounds. Impossible to distinguish words or voices through the reinforced walls of our sanctuary.
"How long has it been?" Jenny asks, checking her watch despite the question.
"Twenty-three minutes since they breached the perimeter," Luna answers. "Feels longer."
It does. Each minute stretches like an hour, each moment without information about what's happening, about who's alive and who isn't, a small torture.
I close my eyes, unable to watch the fractured glimpses of violence on the monitors any longer. In the darkness behind my eyelids, I see Tommy's face as it was the last time I saw him—cold with rage, promising retribution if I ever tried to leave.
The memory sends a shudder through me. I open my eyes, forcing myself back to the present, to this room where at least for now, I'm safe from him.
A commotion on one of the monitors catches my attention. Three figures grappling in what looks like a narrow hallway. Two in Savage Riders cuts, one in Eagles colors. Even on the small screen, I recognize Beast's massive frame and Rage's distinctive movement. The third man, facing away from the camera, can only be Tommy.
"They've got him," Luna says, leaning closer to the screen. "North corridor."
We watch in tense silence as the fight unfolds. Beast pins one of Tommy's arms behind his back while Rage delivers a brutal punch to his midsection. Tommy doubles over but manages to break Beast's grip, lunging toward Rage with something in his hand—a knife, glinting in the dim light.
"No!" I cry out, as if Tommy could hear me, as if I could somehow stop what's happening.
Rage sidesteps the blade, grabbing Tommy's wrist and twisting until the knife clatters to the floor. Beast moves in again, and together they force Tommy to his knees, his face finally visible to the camera.
It is Tommy, his handsome features contorted with rage as he struggles against the two larger men. Even without audio, I can tell he's shouting, spitting curses and threats as Rage forces his arms behind his back.
"They've got him," Luna says into the intercom. "North corridor."
"Alive?" comes King's terse reply.
"For now. Rage and Beast have him contained."
There's a pause before King responds. "Bring him to the chapel. We need information."
Luna confirms the order, and we watch as Rage and Beast haul Tommy to his feet, marching him down the corridor and out of the camera's view.
The knot of tension in my chest loosens slightly. Tommy is captured. He can't hurt me now. But the fighting continues elsewhere in the building, the gunfire undiminished.
"What happens now?" I ask quietly.
Luna's expression is grim. "They'll question him about the Eagles' numbers, positions, whether Vulture is here personally. Then they'll decide what to do with him."
I know what she's not saying: that these decisions will likely end with Tommy's death. Despite everything he's done to me, the thought brings no satisfaction, only a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"How's it looking out there?" Amelia asks, still cradling Anna, who has fallen asleep against her shoulder. Eli remains wide awake, watching the adults with solemn eyes.
Luna surveys the monitors. "We're holding. They breached the outer defenses but haven't penetrated the main areas. The brothers are driving them back at the west and south entrances."
A sudden burst of static from the intercom makes us all jump. Five figures move through the shadows. One in the lead, tall and imposing, the others fanned out behind him in protective formation. Even from a distance, there's something menacing in the leader's posture that sends ice through my veins. He's coming. For his cousin. For me. For everyone.
"That's Vulture," I say, though no one asked.
Chapter 8 - Rage
"Keep moving," I growl, shoving Tommy forward as Beast secures our rear. The hallway to the chapel stretches before us, dimly lit and exposed. Not ideal for prisoner transport during an active firefight.
