Eli chose that exact moment to pull a knife, and Buck's instincts took over. He twisted, caught Eli's wrist as the blade slashed across Buck's side instead of his stomach. Pain exploded instantly. Buck barely felt it. Eli screamed when Buck broke his arm—the crack echoed across the snow.
Buck stood slowly as Eli stared up at him from the ground. Fear finally replaced his arrogance. "You should've killed me," Eli hissed. Buck looked toward the burning warehouse and toward the rescued women. He looked over to where Ghost was protecting Wren and back down at the man who caused all of this.
"No." Eli blinked up at him, confused. Buck's voice turned deadly calm. "Because now everybody gets to see what happens to men who traffic women through King's territory." Eli went pale as the implications hit. Buck wasn't going to kill him—not yet. Death would be easy, but this would hurt.
Reaper appeared beside Buck, carrying restraints. The older biker looked at Eli and shook his head slowly. "Dumbest bastard I ever met." Buck grabbed Eli by the front of his jacket and hauled him to his feet despite his screams.
"Take him,” he ordered.
Reaper smiled coldly. "Gladly." The moment Eli disappeared into King's custody, Buck turned toward the warehouse. The fire had worsened, and a section of the roof collapsed inward with a thunderous crash. People shouted and hostages cried as Kings ran in every direction, and then Buck heard something that made his blood run cold—a woman screaming from inside. Ghost heard it too, and their eyes locked instantly across the snow. No words were needed. There were still people trapped in the warehouse. Buck started moving immediately, and Ghost met him halfway.
"You heard it?” Buck asked.
"Yeah,” Ghost said. Both men looked toward the building, and then toward Wren, who immediately knew exactly what they were thinking.
"No,” she breathed. Buck winced. She was already shaking her head. "No. Absolutely not." Ghost actually looked guilty, and Buck felt a little guilty himself. Not enough to stop, though. The scream came again, and it was closer this time and sounded more desperate.
Wren cursed viciously. "You're both idiots."
"Probably," Ghost admitted.
"Definitely," Buck agreed. The fire continued spreading, and time was running out. Wren looked between them—furious and terrified. Buck could see all of her emotions at once as she marched directly up to him and grabbed the front of his kutte. The force of it surprised him.
Her eyes blazed. "You come back."
Buck's chest tightened. "Wren?—"
"No." Her voice cracked slightly. "You do not get to tell me you love me and then run into a burning building."
Ghost looked startled, and Buck froze. Everything around him seemed to stop. "You know?" he asked quietly. Wren looked ready to cry and punch him simultaneously.
"I'm a scientist, Buck. Not an idiot,” she said. Ghost barked out a startled laugh. Buck felt something dangerously close to happiness despite the chaos surrounding them.
Then Wren grabbed Ghost, too. "Both of you."
Ghost's expression softened instantly. "Sweetheart?—"
"Both of you come back to me,” she choked. Emotion clogged Buck's throat because nobody had ever looked at him the way she was looking at him right now. Like losing him would destroy her, like he mattered—like he was loved. The realization nearly broke him. Buck leaned down and kissed her—hard, fast, and desperate. He was promising her everything with that kiss.
When he pulled back, Wren looked stunned, and Ghost immediately looked offended. "Oh, come on." Buck actually laughed. Then Ghost cupped Wren's face and kissed her too—softer, longer, and gentler.
When he pulled away, her cheeks were bright red despite the freezing temperatures. "There," Ghost said. "Now we're even." A section of the roof collapsed behind them, and reality crashed back instantly.
Buck looked toward the flames and then toward Ghost. Ghost nodded as Buck looked back at Wren one final time. And for the first time in years, he wasn't afraid to say it. "I love you." Her eyes filled with tears, and Ghost smiled softly beside him.
"So do I,” Ghost said. And then the two Kings turned toward the burning warehouse and ran straight into the fire.
The heat from the fire hit him like a wall. One second, he was standing in the snow with Wren's taste still on his lips, and the next, he was charging through smoke and fire beside Ghost. The warehouse groaned around them as metal screamed overhead.Flames climbed support beams and exploded through stacks of wooden crates.
"Take the left side!" Ghost shouted. Buck nodded, and they split instantly. Years of fighting together made it automatic. There was no hesitation or confusion, only trust.
Buck pulled his shirt over his nose and pushed deeper into the smoke. "Kings of Anarchy!" he roared. His voice echoed through the burning structure. "If anybody can hear me, answer!" For one terrifying second, he heard nothing, and then came a cough. It was faint, but he heard it.
Buck changed direction immediately as the smoke thickened with every step. His eyes burned, and heat soaked through his clothes while burning debris crashed around him. There was another cough; this one was closer. Buck rounded a stack of half-collapsed pallets and found her—a teenage girl, maybe seventeen. She was pinned beneath a fallen metal beam and looked terrified.
"Please," she sobbed. Buck was already moving towards her. He tried to lift the beam, but it weighed a ton—maybe more, but that didn't matter. He wrapped both hands around the twisted metal and lifted as his muscles screamed. The cut along his side reopened instantly, and pain shot through him, but it still didn't matter. The beam shifted, and the girl crawled free.
"Move!" Buck barked. She stumbled toward the exit immediately, and he knew better than to let his guard down because there were probably others trapped in the building. He heard another voice, but this time, it wasn’t another hostage. It was Ghost.
