She sat up too fast, the room spinning. The apartment above the bakery was usually silent at night, but this sound wasn’t the building settling.
Someone was trying to break in.
Her hands shook violently as she grabbed her phone.
Another bang — harder, angrier — rattled the door below. The sound shot up the stairwell like a crack of thunder, echoing through the walls, vibrating through her bones.
Avery stumbled backward, breath stuttering, pulse roaring so loudly she could barely hear anything else. She didn’t think. Didn’t plan. Didn’t weigh her options.
Her fingers moved on instinct.
She called Noah.
The phone barely rang once.
“Avery?” Rook’s voice was sharp, alert, instantly awake. “What’s wrong?”
“S-someone’s trying to break in,” she whispered, breath shaking. “The back door…I can hear…”
A heavy bang echoed through the bakery.
Rook heard it.
“Aves.” His voice dropped, low and lethal. “Stay with me. Don’t hang up.”
She heard rustling on his end: keys, boots, the scrape of metal.
“I’ve got you,” he said. “I’m coming. Keep talking to me.”
Another violent crash slammed into the door below. Avery flinched so hard the phone nearly slipped from her hand.
“Noah…”
“I’m here,” he said immediately. “I’m right here. Where are you?”
“Upstairs. I…I locked the door but…”
“That’s good. Stay there. Don’t move.”
She heard the roar of his bike firing to life, loud enough to rattle her phone speaker.
“Noah…hurry…”
“I’m already moving,” he said, voice vibrating with controlled fury. “I can hear you breathing. You’re okay. Just keep talking.”
Her breath snagged in her throat. “They’re still trying the door.”
“I know. I heard it.” His engine revved hard, the sound rising like a growl. “I’m two minutes out.”
Another bang. Harder. The frame shuddered.
Avery choked on a sob. “Noah…please…”
“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” he said, voice rough, steady, grounding her. “I’m coming. I’m almost there. Don’t go quiet on me.”
She pressed a hand over her mouth, tears burning hot. “I’m scared.”
“I know.” His voice softened, even over the roar of the bike. “I know, Aves. Just breathe for me. In and out. I’m right here.”
