All five of our women were in that house.
I could feel the shockwave of panic surge through the atmosphere at the same time as mine.
Every one of my brothers coming to the quick realization of what was happening.
We’d all lost so much.
So many pieces of our hearts had been sheared away by greed and stupidity.
By trauma and abuse.
By broken dreams and envy.
Dumped into the nothingness that had nearly destroyed us all.
Then we’d all found our hearts.
Our meaning.
I’d been terrified of it. Terrified of loving again, sure that I would lose it.
But I wouldn’t.
I refused.
I didn’t know it was possible to ride any harder than I was, but I was in front of that cabin in a flash. Without fully stopping, I let go of the handlebars, jumping off, body in the air for an elongated instant, before I landed on my feet at a sprint.
My bike toppled and rolled as it met the dirt, sliding across the ground behind me and into a bush.
While I ran toward the mayhem happening in front of my cabin.
A group of motorcycles and panicked souls piled in behind me, their spirits lashing and flailing as they, too, took in the scene.
Flames licked from the roof and the noxious smell of smoke filled the air. Trevan and the other guys were on the porch, trying to rip at the steel that covered the windows.
“We can’t get in,” Trevan shouted in torment, his knuckles blanching as he dug at the metal. “The code isn’t working. Your system is fuckin’ jammed.”
No.
Chaos spun my brain, and I paused for a beat, looking around, trying to figure out what to do as the rest of my brothers hustled up beside me.
“Security is down. They can’t get in.” I ripped at my hair, fear saturating me through.
The cabin was a fortress.
No way in if those coverings were locked.
“Oh, fuck. Moonflower.” Otto looked like he’d been shot.
Kane bowed in two, and River and Theo looked like they were going to black out. Blood draining from their faces into a pool of anguish at their feet.
It all happened in one incandescent second, our gazes clashing in questions, before we burst into action.
I ran for the massive detached garage, hands frantic as I plugged in the code. The hinges groaned as the big door began to ascend. I ducked below it, my heart beating so loud it was the only thing I could hear as I ran for the row of tools hanging on the wall.
My brothers were right beside me, each of us grabbing whatever we could find.
Crowbars and sledgehammers.
