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“You armed?” he asks, his gaze bouncing between Travis and Tate. Tate scoffs and reaches behind her back to pull out her pistol as she nods.

“Always.”

Travis shakes his head. “I didn’t grab mine but I can real quick.”

“No,” Blaze says, looking around at our little group before shaking his head. “I think two should cover it.”

“Three,” Tate calls as she turns toward the door, lifting up her pants leg to reveal a second gun hidden there and Blaze laughs.

“Sorry, I forgot that you never have just one,” he tells her and she glances back over her shoulder, shooting him a look of disappointment.

“How careless.”

They continue giving each other a hard time as we step outside and make our way to the big, black SUV at the end of the driveway. When we pulled up last night and I got my first look at Emma and Nix’s home, I was blown away. It’s a proper southern plantation house set on two acres of land with huge oak trees dripping in Spanish moss scattered around the property, and a large lake in the back with their own personal dock. Once we all got settled, Emma told us how Nix had purchased the house after it had been foreclosed on and fixed it all up himself. It’s honestly so peaceful out here that it’s easier to relax and forget the danger we’re all in for a moment and I think it will be just what we all need. Not that I want us to get careless but each and every person here needs to chill a bit or things will only get worse.

We pile into the SUV with Blaze behind the wheel, Emma in the passenger seat, and Tate in the back with us. Travis is glued to my side, my hand firmly in his as everyone else makes small talk, a lightness settling over the group that is so refreshing after all of the dark we’ve endured lately. I sigh. After the drama of last night, which honestly seems like a dream now in the light of day, today feels so free and peaceful and I’m so thankful for it. We need, at least, a day to relax and decompress before we hit this Warren situation head on again. Peeking over at Travis, I vow to find a way to help him sort this whole thing out and find answers as his comment about going out on a normal date drifts through my mind. I shake my head. I’m honestly so confused by what’s going on between us and I’m working so hard to keep my expectations non-existent but then he says something like he did in the bedroom that makes me think he sees a future in this.

No.

Don’t do that to yourself.

Sucking in a breath, I push all of my thoughts away and focus in on the conversation around me again as they all chat about putting together a big family dinner tonight and my mind drifts to the night after the last time we did that. Travis peeks over at me and we both smile. God, that was a damn good night. He gives my hand a squeeze and I lay my head on his shoulder, unable to wipe the smile off of my face as the city of Baton Rouge comes into view.

The grocery store parking lot is fairly empty when we pull in and Blaze parks the SUV near the back, his eyes scanning the areas around us for any possible danger. Travis’s body tenses, on alert just like Blaze as he nods to me and kisses the back of my hand before ushering me out of the SUV. Adrenaline floods my system, making my muscles feel twitchy as I gaze around the lot and Blaze orders us all to stay together. We don’t even get ten feet from the SUV when a high-pitched whining sound fills the air, pulling all of our attention to a man in all black sitting on a bright red crotch rocket six feet to our right. His face is covered by his full helmet but even through the dark tint of the visor, I swear I can feel his gaze on me and my stomach drops.

It’s him.

He revs his engine, looking straight at us and my heart climbs into my throat as his bike jumps forward, taunting us. I try to retreat to the SUV as Blaze pulls his gun out of its holster and holds it at his side, never taking his eyes off of the man on the bike but Travis grabs me and pulls me firmly into his side as he leans down and presses his lips to the top of my head.

“I’ve got you, baby.”

Time seems to stall as we stand frozen in the lot, watching the man on the bike as he just sits there, revving his engine and teasing us with the possibility of an attack. My heart hammers in my ears and I struggle to draw air into my lungs as tears sting my eyes. We can’t just keep standing here, waiting for his next move. We’re too out in the open, too exposed, and too far from any help we could get in the store. Standing here, in the middle of an empty lot with this psycho is going to get us killed.

“Go back to the SUV,” Blaze orders, his voice hard as he keeps his gaze fixed on the man on the bike, his shoulders tight and posture imposing. We all turn, ready to rush back to the safety of our vehicle. Another sound joins the whining of the bike, similar but deeper, as we all stop in our tracks and turn to the other side. A man, also dressed in all black with his face covered by a helmet, races toward us on a dirt bike. Emma is standing off to the side, a little ways away from the rest of the group and his gaze is focused on her as he twists the handle, accelerating across the lot.

I can’t take my eyes off of him, my legs shaking like crazy and my heart thunders in my chest as bolts of pain stab into me. Squeezing Travis’s hand, I watch in slow motion as he releases one of the handlebars and lets his arm hang at his side, revealing a blade. He gets closer and closer, closing in on us but none of us move, the fear thick in the air around us and all we can do is watch. Images race through my mind, horrific images that I don’t want to see, and a tear slips down my face as a tiny little voice inside screams at me that I need to do something but I can’t.

I can’t move.

I can’t breathe.

I can’t speak.

All I can do is watch as the cold claws of dread wrap around my heart, crushing it as he closes in on Emma, fear filling her eyes as she stumbles back a few steps and a gun shot rings out. The dirt bike swerves out of the way before he corrects his course, just mere feet from Emma.

Oh, God.

“No!” Blaze yells, pulling her back and jumping in front of her to shield her with his body just as the man on the dirt bike passes us, lifting his arm up to slice through the air and my breath catches in my throat as everything around us blurs and time stands still. A pained groan drifts through the air as Blaze clutches his stomach and crumples to the ground. Emma screams, her eyes wide as she rushes over to his side and drops to her knees. Blood pours out of his stomach and my stomach churns, my chest aching as I shake my head, turning to the man on the dirt bike as he stops next to the other man and lifts the visor of his helmet, revealing his face to me.

Warren.

For so long, I’ve wondered what he looked like, what I would see in the face of the man tormenting this club and I guess I always assumed it would be pure evil shining in his gaze but instead, his brown eyes are burning with rage and pain as he stares at me. Travis was right about his appearance – completely average, the kind of man you would walk straight past on the street and not even spare a second glance. I study him, trying to commit his every feature to my memory for later as his gaze bores through me. Slowly, a smile stretches across his face and ice seeps into my bones. He winks, sending a shiver twisting down my spine and tears gather in my eyes but I can’t look away.

Another gunshot rings out and my gaze snaps to the side. Tate is holding her pistol in her shaking hand, her phone pressed to her ear as she glares daggers at Warren but when I turn back, the visor is down again and he turns with his partner, racing out of the parking lot as the roar of their bikes fill the air. My stomach rolls and I turn back to the others, hoping one of them saw what just happened but Emma is frantically pressing her sweater to Blaze’s stomach, blood all over her and Tate is relaying his condition to the nine-one-one operator, her gun at her side again. Travis is staring down at the whole scene with wide, blank eyes, his hand gripping mine so tightly that I don’t know how it hasn’t broken.

Ow.

“Rowan!” Emma screams and my head snaps to her. “Help me, please!”