I point the gun at Buzz Cut. "Your backup or mine. Wonder who'll get here first."
He runs.
Actually turns and runs. Shoulder-checks the doorframe on his way out. His remaining men scramble after him. I don't follow. Don't need to. Because I can hear them now. Boots on stairs. Lots of them. Coming up fast. And motorcycles outside. Killing their engines. Doors slamming. The Riders are here.
I lower the gun. Turn toward the bedroom.
Nora's standing in the doorway. White as a sheet. Staring at the three men on my floor. At the blood. At me.
"You—" She can't finish the sentence.
"Told you I'd be fine." I'm breathing hard but I'm not hurt. Don't feel hurt anyway. Could be bleeding and wouldn't know it yet. "You okay?"
She nods. Doesn't look okay.
Heavy footsteps in the hallway. I move in front of Nora automatically. Position myself between her and whatever's coming. But it's not Castellano's men.
It's Rampage.
Six-foot-three and built like a truck. He takes in the scene. Broken door, three men down, me holding a gun.
"Reckless." He uses my pit name. "The fuck happened here?"
"Castellano's men. Thirteen of them. These three tried to get to Nora." I gesture with the gun. "The rest ran when they heard your bikes."
"They're running now." Rampage's voice is flat. Deadly. "Riders are chasing them down. They won't make it far."
More men file in behind him. Savage Riders MC patches on their cuts. Hard faces. Harder eyes. Men who make violence look easy.
One of them, Chaos, whistles at the three on my floor. "Damn, Reckless. You didn't even need us."
"Always need backup." I hand the gun to one of them, Tank, the VP. "This one's evidence. Probably traceable."
He takes it. Looks at Nora. "You the girl?"
"I—yes. I'm Nora Hayes."
"You hurt?"
"No. Marcus kept me safe."
"Good." He turns to his men. "Clean this up. Get these three somewhere they can talk. I want to know everything about Castellano. Where he is, how many men he has, what he wants."
"What about the ones that ran?" someone asks.
"Find them. All of them." Tank's voice goes cold. "Nobody hunts in Blackwater Falls without our permission. Time to remind people of that."
The Riders drag the unconscious men out. Securing the hallway. Turning my apartment into a command center in under two minutes. Rampage stays. Looks at Nora again.
"You're under the Riders' protection now. That means Castellano's men can't touch you without going through us or them. Understand?"
Nora nods. Still pale. Still shaking.
"Good." He looks at me. "Take her somewhere safe. Lay low until we handle this."
"Where?"
"The Pit. Private room in the back." He hands me keys. "Take my truck. Yours is too recognizable."
