A warmth feeling spreads through my chest. For a moment the fear eases just enough for me to breathe deeper. I think about the Sunday dinner we shared. The long table full of food and laughter. The way everyone passed dishes and told stories. The way Thorne looked at me across the table like I already belonged.
“I want to stay,” I tell them. “Not just until Magnus is gone. I want to stay forever. I want to be part of this. The dinners, the gardens, the quiet mornings, even the hard days. I want all of it with Thorne and with all of you.”
Fiona reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Then that’s what you’ll have. We’ll make sure of it.”
The room all centers around Kayley as we ask questions about her pregnancy and if Gavin knows. More time passes. The gunfire above seems to shift, sometimes louder, sometimes quieter. We take turns checking on the children. Poppi falls fully asleep in Harper’s arms. Aidan curls up on a cot with a blanket, eyes heavy but still fighting sleep. We share water and a few granola bars from the supplies. Emma keeps the communication panel close, ready if the police need more information.
I talk more than I expect. I tell them about my life before Magnus. The small things I miss. The way my grandmother used to make biscuits on Sunday mornings. How I always wanted a big noisy family but never thought I would find one. The women listen without pity, only understanding. They share pieces oftheir own pasts. The heartbreaks. The running. The moment each of them decided Haven 7 was home.
Every story strengthens the bond forming between us. By the time an hour has passed, I no longer feel like the outsider who brought trouble. I feel like one of them. A sister. A daughter. A woman who belongs.
The muffled sounds of the fight continue, but I hold onto the words the women keep repeating. This is what we do. We protect family. And I’m family now.
I close my eyes and send a silent prayer upward. Come back to me, Thorne. All of you. Come back safe.
The bunker stays steady around us. The women stay strong beside me. And somewhere above, the men I have come to love as my own fight to keep the life we are building intact.
I will wait here as long as it takes. Because for the first time, I truly believe there’s a future waiting on the other side of that steel door. A future filled with Sunday dinners, laughter, children, and a man who calls me his. A future on this mountain where I never have to run again.
SEVENTEEN
THORNE
The gunfire cracks through the night like endless thunder. I stay low behind the overturned table near the shattered front window of the lodge, rifle steady against my shoulder. My breathing is controlled, each shot deliberate. Every time I squeeze the trigger, another one of Magnus’s men drops or dives for cover. The air is thick with the smell of gunpowder and burning rubber from the crashed trucks outside. My shoulder aches from the recoil, but the pain is distant. All that matters is keeping these bastards from reaching the bunker door downstairs.
Silas fires from his position behind the stone fireplace, voice steady as he calls out targets. Rafe moves like a shadow along the side wall, picking off anyone who tries to flank us. Boyd and Wyatt have taken up positions near the east windows, their shots precise and unrelenting. The rest of the men cover every angle, working together like the well-oiled unit we became years ago.
Magnus’s crew fights hard, but they’re starting to falter. Their numbers are thinning. The gate hangs crooked on its hinges, twisted metal screaming every time another truck tries to ramthrough. I drop another attacker who tries to sprint toward the porch. He crumples before he makes it halfway.
Then the tide turns.
Distant sirens cut through the chaos, growing louder by the second. Red and blue lights flash through the trees as police cruisers and SWAT vehicles tear up the mountain road. Backup has arrived. Thank fucking god.
The attackers notice too. Panic ripples through their ranks. Some try to retreat toward the broken gate, but it’s too late. Sheriff’s deputies and state troopers pour out of their vehicles, shouting commands and returning fire. The fight becomes a coordinated takedown. Magnus’s men are outnumbered and outmaneuvered now. One by one they drop their weapons or fall.
I keep firing until Silas yells, “Hold! Let the police handle the rest!”
I lower my rifle but stay ready, eyes scanning the darkness. Then I see him. Magnus. He stands near the mangled gate, rifle raised, screaming orders at his remaining men. His face is twisted with rage. He spots me through the broken window and levels his weapon in my direction.
Before he can pull the trigger, multiple shots ring out from the police line. Magnus jerks backward, body convulsing as bullets strike him. He collapses in a heap near the wrecked truck, motionless. Dead.
The remaining attackers throw down their weapons and drop to their knees as deputies swarm in, cuffing them one by one. The gunfire finally stops. The night falls into an eerie quiet broken only by the crackle of police radios and the low hum of engines.
No one from Haven 7 is hurt. A few minor grazes, nothing serious. Eli already moves among the men, checking everyone quickly. Silas steps out onto the porch, badge visible, and begins coordinating with the arriving officers. Rafe lowers his rifle and exhales slowly. Boyd claps Wyatt on the back. The relief in the room is palpable.
I set my rifle down and run.
My boots pound across the lodge floor toward the back hallway. I reach the bunker door and slam my fist against the heavy steel. “It’s over! Open up! It’s safe!”
The locks disengage with a series of heavy clunks. The door swings open. Harper stands there first, Poppi still in her arms. Kayley follows with Aidan. The other women file out behind them. Then I see Sadie.
She flies up the stairs and straight into my arms. I catch her, lifting her off the ground as she wraps her legs around my waist and buries her face in my neck. Her whole body trembles. I hold her tight, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other supporting her weight.
“You’re safe,” I murmur against her hair. “It’s over. Magnus’s dead. His men are in custody. No one here got hurt. You’re safe, baby girl.”
She pulls back just enough to look at me, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her hands frame my face, fingers tracing my jaw as if she needs to convince herself I’m real. “I was so scared for you. I kept thinking about you up here fighting and I couldn’t do anything.”
“I know,” I say softly. “But I had to keep you safe. That was all I could think about the whole time. Keep Sadie safe. Nothing else mattered.”
