"Put him down!" I'm sobbing now, stumbling forward on shaking legs. "Please, please don't hurt him!"
"Shut up," the guy snaps, holding Liam against his chest while my son flails and cries. "We're just taking what belongs to Marcus."
"He's not Marcus's! He's mine!"
Behind me, I hear the sickening thud of a bat connecting with flesh. Chaos grunts, and I turn just in time to see him drop to one knee. Blood pours from a gash on his forehead, running into his eyes.
"Chaos!" His name comes out as a broken sob.
He's trying to get up, trying to keep fighting, but there are too many of them. One guy kicks him in the ribs and he goes down hard, his body hitting the floor with a crash that makes me feel sick.
They're going to kill him. They're going to kill him and take Liam and there's nothing I can do. This is how it ends. After everything I've survived, everything I've fought through, this is how it ends.
Marcus walks over to where Chaos lies on the floor, his bat raised. There's something dark and twisted in his expression, something that tells me he's going to enjoy this.
"Should've stayed out of our business, biker trash," Marcus says, positioning the bat over Chaos's head.
"No!" I scream, but I'm too far away. Too powerless.
Marcus swings—
The roar of motorcycle engines drowns out everything else. Not one engine. Multiple engines. A whole fleet of them, getting louder and closer until the sound vibrates through my chest.
Marcus freezes, the bat still raised. His friends all turn toward the broken door, their faces going pale.
Through the splintered doorway, I see them. Motorcycles pulling up in front of my house. One, two, three—I lose count. Men in leather vests climb off their bikes, and even from here I can see the fury on their faces.
The Savage Riders.
"Oh shit," one of Marcus's friends whispers.
The bikers don't hesitate. They storm into my house like an army, and suddenly the numbers shift dramatically. What was six against one becomes six against at least six, maybe more.
A massive man with a thick beard grabs Marcus by the throat and slams him against the wall so hard the pictures rattle. "You picked the wrong fucking day to mess with our brother."
"Tank," Chaos gasps from the floor, relief flooding his voice.
Another biker, this one with cold blue eyes that remind me of winter, surveys the scene. He must be King, the president Chaos talked about. His gaze lands on the guy holding Liam, and his expression goes absolutely murderous.
"Put. The child. Down." Each word is spoken quietly, but the threat in them is unmistakable.
The guy holding Liam looks around wildly, realizing he's completely surrounded. His hands shake as he slowly sets Liam on the floor.
Liam runs to me immediately, and I scoop him up, holding him so tight he squeaks in protest. But I can't let go. I can’t loosen my grip even a fraction.
"You're okay, baby," I sob into his hair. "You're okay, you're okay, you're okay."
"Mama," he whimpers, his little arms wrapping around my neck.
The bikers move with precision, grabbing Marcus and his friends, forcing them to their knees. Within seconds, the situation is completely reversed. The men who came here to hurt us are now the ones looking terrified.
A woman pushes through the crowd of bikers, and comes straight to me, her expression soft with concern.
"I'm Luna," she says gently. "King's girlfriend. Are you hurt?"
I shake my head, still clutching Liam. "I'm okay. But Chaos… He's hurt. They beat him—"
"We'll take care of him." She touches my shoulder gently. "You're safe now. I promise."
