"Please," she begs, "just let him go. I'll come with you. I'll work off the debt. Whatever it takes."
"Holly, no!" James roars, thrashing harder. I slam him into the wall again, harder this time, and he goes momentarily limp.
"Listen to me," I growl into his ear. "Your sister is trying to save your worthless hide. The least you can do is shut up and—"
The sound of screeching tires outside cuts me off. I freeze, every instinct suddenly on high alert. Through the window, I catch the flash of motorcycles racing past. Not ours.
"Get down!" I yell, releasing James and lunging toward Holly just as the first shots tear through the front of the apartment.
I tackle her to the ground, covering her body with mine as glass shatters and bullets punch through the thin walls. The rattling burst of automatic gunfire is unmistakable—Iron Eagles.
"Stay down!" I shout at James, who's scrambling for cover behind the couch.
Keeping low, I draw my Glock from my waistband and army-crawl to the shattered window. Holly is trembling beneath me, her breathing rapid and shallow. I position myself to shield her while getting a line of sight outside.
Two motorcycles are making another pass, riders raising their weapons for another volley. I steady my aim and squeeze the trigger three times in rapid succession. One rider jerks, his bike wobbling before he regains control. They veer off, disappearing around the corner, but I know they might circle back.
"Are you hit? Are you hurt?" I ask Holly, running my hands over her to check for injuries. Her eyes are wide with shock, but she shakes her head.
"James?" she calls out. "James, are you okay?"
A groan from behind the couch answers her. I move cautiously toward him, gun still at the ready. James is huddled in a ball, arms over his head, but appears uninjured.
"They're gone for now, but they might come back," I say, moving quickly to the door to secure it. "We need to get out of here."
"Why were they shooting at us?" Holly asks, her voice remarkably steady despite her trembling hands.
"Not at you," I explain, helping her to her feet. "At me. The Iron Eagles are targeting anyone connected to the Savage Riders." I turn to James, who's still cowering. "Get up. We need to move. Now."
"I can't go out there," he whimpers. "They'll kill me."
"They'll definitely kill you if you stay here," I snap, grabbing his arm and hauling him to his feet. "They know I'm here now. This place isn't safe anymore."
I pull out my phone and text King with our situation: "Eagles hit Mercer's apt. Taking targets to the corner store. Need backup." His response is immediate: "Crew on way. 10 min."
"Holly, grab anything essential you need. Quick. We've got about three minutes before they might circle back."
To my surprise, she's already moving, grabbing a small backpack and stuffing it with medications from the bathroom cabinet, a framed photo, and a few items of clothing.
"James, move your ass," I order, as he's still standing frozen. "You've got debt to the club, and dying doesn't pay it off."
That seems to snap him out of it. He stumbles to his bedroom, emerging moments later with a duffel bag.
"My bike's out front," I say, checking the street through what's left of the window. "We can't all fit, but we can make it to the corner store. My brothers will meet us there."
"I'm sorry," Holly says suddenly, her green eyes meeting mine. "About before. James attacking you."
"Not the time," I reply, though something in her gaze makes my chest tighten. "Ready?"
She nods, adjusting her backpack straps.
"James, you go first," I instruct. "Then Holly in the middle. I'll cover the rear. Stay low, move fast, don't stop for anything. Clear?"
They both nod, tension etched into every line of their faces.
I take a deep breath, gun ready. "On three. One. Two. Three."
Chapter 2 - Holly
