I slammed the door directly into their faces and latched the lock. I stood there with my gun still aimed at the door, just in case they wanted to pull some bullshit. But as they cackled and headed back down the stairs, I allowed the panic I’d held back to cascade through my system.
As I shoved my hand into my pocket.
“Fucking hell, come on,” I hissed as my trembling hand kept fumbling with my phone.
I barely got Fangs on the line before I started blabbering away.
“Reaper, you got any—”
“Listen, because I don’t have much time,” I said as I fixed my gun and holstered it on my hip. “We’re being followed by the Devil’s Rage. They just showed up at my place and—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down. Where exactly are you?”
“Just listen!” I bellowed.
I drew in some deep breaths to calm myself down as the door at the end of the hallway cracked itself open.
“Fangs, tell Goose to get Harley and come back to the clubhouse. We need church. Everyone needs to know what I just found out. Get it done.”
“Reaper, what the hell happened?”
“Just do it! I’ll be there in ten minutes!” I roared into the phone.
“Caleb?” Rose asked softly.
I raised my head as I shoved my phone back into my pocket. “Hey there. Are you okay?”
She studied me with her wary gaze. “What just happened?”
I walked over to her and gripped her shoulders. “Don’t act like you didn’t just hear everything that happened.”
She blinked back tears. “We’re in trouble, aren’t we?”
I brushed her tears away with my knuckles. “I told you, things aren’t safe with the club right now. This is why I wanted to see if there was any other way to do this with Blake.”
“I understand.”
“I’m so sorry for dragging you into this bullshit.”
She leaned against my chest and let out something akin to a giggle. “Well, I dragged you into my bullshit, so it seems only fair.”
I wrapped her up in a tight hug. “You always had such a way of cracking jokes at the worst possible time.”
She slithered her arms around my waist. “Hey, it’s either laugh or cry. And I’ve done enough crying here lately to last me a lifetime.”
I kissed the top of her head. “Leave your things here. You’re coming to the clubhouse with me. Being with the guys right now is the only way to keep you safe.”
“Will it be okay with them for me to be there?”
I stroked my fingers through her hair. “They won’t have a choice. Come on, let’s go.”
And as I stood there, holding Rose in the hallway of my dingy little apartment, a thought struck me.
Why the hell didn’t I hear motorcycles outside?
* * *
“Who the fuck is this chick?” Fangs snapped.
