The cabin exploded into chaos again as glass rained across the floor, and everyone dove for cover instinctively. The sharp red laser sight cut through the darkness like a warning straight from hell. Luna hit the floor hard beside the overturned kitchen island, pain shooting through her palms while another gunshot cracked through the front window.
Wood splintered somewhere behind her. “Oh my God,” she shouted.
“Stay down!” Rocco barked. His voice sounded different now. Not just angry, but commanding. It was the kind of voice people obeyed without thinking.
Tony was already moving toward the side wall while Luca cursed violently near the front room. “We got another shooter!” Tony shouted.
Rain blasted through the shattered window now, cold wind tearing through the cabin while thunder shook the walls hard enough to rattle dishes from the cabinets. And somehow, in themiddle of all of it, Gunner looked just as shocked as everyone else. Luna saw it clearly—the confusion, the anger, and even the betrayal.
“What the fuck?” Gunner snarled.
Rocco froze halfway toward him. “You didn’t come alone?” Another gunshot exploded through the cabin before Gunner could answer. The bullet slammed into the wall inches above Tony’s head.
“Jesus Christ!” Tony shouted. Luca fired back immediately through the broken window while Jonesy dragged an old bookshelf sideways for cover. The cabin was filled with deafening noise, and still, Rocco kept staring at Gunner, because something had changed. The look on Gunner’s face wasn’t tactical anymore. It was furious—at the shooter.
“Oh no,” Luna whispered. Rocco heard her instantly, and his eyes snapped toward hers. She saw the exact moment he realized it, too. Gunner wasn’t working with whoever was outside. Which meant that there was another threat—another player. There was another nightmare entering the situation.
“Down!” Luca roared. Everybody ducked again as more bullets tore through the front side of the cabin. Gunner swore viciously and rolled behind the kitchen counter near Rocco. It was pure instinct and years of training. The movement happened naturally, and the horrifying part was that Rocco let him. For one insane second, both men crouched beside each other like they were back overseas again—brothers, soldiers, survivors. Luna saw it hit them both at the same time. Gunner looked wrecked by it, and Rocco looked sick.
Another shot slammed into the cabin. “Who the hell is out there?” Tony snapped.
Gunner dragged a hand over his face roughly. “I don’t know.” Nobody looked convinced.
“Bullshit,” Luca snarled.
“I came alone!” Gunner shouted. A laser sight suddenly flashed across the kitchen wall as it searched for its next victim.
Luna’s pulse stopped as the red dot slid directly across Rocco’s chest. “No!” she shouted. Luna moved before thinking. Rocco turned at the exact second Luna launched herself into him, knocking both of them sideways just as the rifle cracked outside. The bullet tore through the cabinet behind them instead, and Rocco hit the floor hard beneath her with a stunned grunt.
“Luna,” he breathed. Her heart slammed wildly against her ribs while she clung to the front of his shirt. He was still alive, but for one terrifying second, all she could think about was losing him.
Another gunshot snapped her back into reality, and Rocco grabbed her face immediately. “What the hell are you doing?”
“You were about to get shot!” she said.
“That doesn’t mean you throw yourself in front of the bullets!” he said, his voice shaking.
Luna stared down at him, breathing hard, rain and broken glass scattered around them while chaos ripped through the cabin. And somehow, she still loved him enough to risk herself without hesitation. That realization hit hard.
A rough laugh suddenly sounded beside them, and both of them turned. Gunner stared at them from behind the counter,looking almost dazed. “He really got someone to love him,” he murmured. The raw disbelief in his voice nearly shattered Luna, because no one had ever taught this man that he was worth loving, too.
Another bullet tore through the wall above them. Tony fired back immediately. “Can we unpack the emotional trauma later?”
“Working on it!” Luca shouted.
Rocco pushed Luna behind the overturned table again before looking toward Gunner. “Who would come after both of us?”
Gunner’s expression darkened instantly, and then, understanding flashed across his face, followed immediately by horror. “Oh no,” he breathed.
Rocco’s jaw tightened. “What?”
Gunner looked toward the shattered window like he could already see the answer out there in the storm. “When I disappeared—” His breathing roughened. “I wasn’t alone.” The cabin went dead silent except for the storm.
Rocco stared at him. “What are you talking about?”
Gunner swallowed hard. “There were others who survived the attack.” Every hair on Luna’s body stood upright. “They covered it up,” Gunner whispered. “And some of the men never forgave the ones who came home.”
Thunder cracked violently overhead, and then a deep voice echoed from outside the cabin through the rain—cold, and deadly. You should’ve stayed buried with the rest of them.”
