A particularly loud burst of gunfire filters down through the vents, and I flinch hard. My mind keeps flashing back to Thorne’s face right before I came down here. The fierce determination in his eyes. The way he kissed me like it might be the last time. He’s up there right now, risking everything. For me.
“I feel horrible,” I whisper, the words slipping out before I can stop them. My voice cracks. “This is all because of me. Magnus and his men. I brought this to your doorstep. To your home. To your children.”
Harper turns to me immediately, her expression gentle but firm. She crosses the room and takes both my hands in hers. “Sadie, listen to me. This isnotyour fault. You didn’t invite them here. They came because they’re bad men who think they can takewhatever they want. You ran to safety. That is what you were supposed to do.”
Kayley looks up from where she sits with Aidan. “Harper’s right. We built this place knowing danger might follow some of us one day. Every woman who has come through these gates has brought some kind of trouble with her. That’s why Haven 7 exists. To protect people who have nowhere else to go.”
Hannah nods from her cot. “I felt the same way when I first got here. I thought I was bringing my own mess to everyone’s front door. But these men, they chose this life. They chose to stand between us and whatever is chasing us. You’re not a burden. You’re family now.”
Daisy stops pacing and comes over, placing a hand on my shoulder. “We protect our own. That’s the rule here. And you became one of us the moment Thorne decided you were staying. The moment any of us decided you were staying.”
Emma finally speaks from the communication panel. Her voice is steady, but I can hear the tension underneath. “We can’t just sit here and hope they hold them off. We need to call for help. Real help. The police. Silas has contacts, but we need everyone the force can spare.”
Harper nods. “Do it, Emma. Tell them to bring the cavalry. Tell them it’s an active shooter situation at the Haven 7 compound on Wedding Cake Mountain. Multiple armed assailants trying to breach the property. We have women and children in a secure bunker, but the men are engaged in heavy gunfire. They need backup now.”
Emma picks up the receiver and dials. Her voice stays clear and professional as she speaks to the dispatcher. “This is Emma atHaven 7. We have an emergency. Armed men are attacking the compound. They’ve breached the outer fence and are ramming the main gate. There’s heavy gunfire. We need every available officer. Send the cavalry. Tell them Sheriff Silas James is already on scene and requesting immediate assistance.”
She repeats the information, gives coordinates, and stays on the line as the dispatcher asks follow-up questions. The rest of us listen in silence. Poppi starts to whimper, and Harper picks her up again, rocking her gently. Aidan crawls into Kayley’s lap and hides his face against her shirt.
When Emma hangs up she exhales slowly. “They’re mobilizing. Said they will send everyone they have. It’ll take them twenty to thirty minutes to get up the mountain, but they’re coming.”
Thirty minutes feels like forever when every second upstairs could mean Thorne getting hurt. I sink down onto one of the cots, my legs suddenly weak. “I can’t stop thinking about Thorne. He’s up there fighting because of me. What if something happens to him? To any of them? I would never forgive myself.”
Fiona sits beside me and puts an arm around my shoulders. “None of us would forgive ourselves if we didn’t fight for each other. That’s the deal we all made when we came here. The men know the risks. They train for this. Thorne especially. He spent years in special forces. He knows how to handle himself.”
“But he shouldn’t have to,” I say, voice small. “Not for me.”
Harper settles on my other side, Poppi now dozing against her shoulder. “Sweetheart, love doesn’t come without risk. And what these men feel for us is not casual. Thorne looks at you the way Rafe looks at me. The way Gavin looks at Kayley. They don’t fightbecause they have to. They fight because they can’t imagine a world without us in it.”
Kayley nods, stroking Aidan’s hair. “When I first got here with Aidan, I was running from my own nightmare. I thought the same thing. That I was putting everyone in danger. But the men sat me down and told me straight. This compound is not just a hiding place. It’s a fortress for the people we love. You’re loved here, Sadie. Thorne made that clear to all of us.”
Daisy brings over a bottle of water and presses it into my hands. “Drink. You’re shaking. We all are. But we stay strong down here so they can focus up there. If we fall apart, it doesn’t help them.”
I take a sip, the cool water helping a little. The muffled sounds of gunfire continue above us. Every burst makes me flinch. I imagine Thorne behind a window or crouched behind cover, rifle steady, eyes sharp. I picture him thinking about me the same way I’m thinking about him. The thought both comforts and terrifies me.
“I just want him to come back,” I whisper. “I want all of them to come back.”
Emma sits across from us at the table. “They will. These men are tough. They built this place with their own hands. They’ve faced worse in their pasts. Military, law enforcement, personal demons. They know how to survive.”
We fall into a heavy but supportive silence for a while. Harper hums a soft lullaby to Poppi. Kayley reads a quiet story to Aidan from one of the books on the shelf. Daisy checks the medical supplies again, organizing bandages and antiseptic as if keeping busy will keep the fear at bay. Hannah sits close to me, offering silent companionship.
After some time the conversation picks up again, softer now. Harper tells stories about the early days of the compound. How the men first arrived, broken in different ways, and slowly built something worth protecting. Kayley shares how Aidan has blossomed here, how he sleeps better and laughs more. Hannah talks about the garden she helps tend and how she can’t wait for spring when everything turns green again. Emma describes the first time she drove up the mountain road and knew she had found her place.
Their voices wrap around me like another blanket. I listen to every word, letting their strength seep into me. These women are not just surviving. They’re thriving in spite of the fear. They have chosen this life, chosen these men, chosen each other. And now they’re choosing me too.
“I never had anything like this,” I say quietly when there’s a lull. “A real family. People who stand together no matter what. I thought family was something you were born into. Blood. Obligation. But this… this is different. This is chosen. And it feels so good it almost hurts.”
Harper smiles at me over Poppi’s head. “That’s exactly what it is. Chosen family. And once you are in, you’re in for good. No take-backs.”
Kayley grins. “Welcome to the sisterhood of the mountain. We drink coffee, raise babies, patch up bullet wounds, and love our stubborn men with everything we have.” She smiles wider. “And I have a secret to share.”
Everyone’s eyes widen.
“I’m pregnant,” Kayley says and the women all laugh and smile.
Fiona hugs her. “I’m going to be an aunt. I’m so happy for you and my brother.”
Kayley has tears in her eyes. “I couldn’t be happier.”
