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I started down my driveway, and for the first time since I’d joined Fury, I wasn’t thinking about the brothers or the club. I wasn’t thinking about the Vipers or any of the other bullshit. My mind was on one thing and one thing only. Getting to Emery.

12

EMERY

Ihated the dark. Not because I was scared that something might be coming after me. I’d learned a long time ago that whatever is going to get you will get you, be it light or dark. I hated the dark because it reminded me of the night my parents died.

I was sleeping in my bed when the babysitter came in with tears streaming down her face and a voice that shook so hard she couldn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t have to. I knew what she was trying to say. I knew she was telling me that I would never see my parents again, that I would never talk to them again, never hug them, or hear them tell me they loved me.

I hadn’t felt that lost, that scared, until tonight. I was sitting on the floor in my closet, and darkness seemed to swallow me whole, leaving me alone with only the sound of my own breathing and the pounding of my heart.

I had my knees pulled up against my chest with one hand covering my mouth and the other clutching my phone. I heard movement downstairs, and that made my heart slam against my ribs like it was trying to break out of my chest. I held my breath and listened, and for a moment, there was nothing.

I’d spent years with Jax and the brothers. I’d seen enough to know that fear wasn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes, it was the very thing that kept you alive. It made you listen. It made you think before you acted. I wasn’t going to fall apart. I repeated it in my head over and over, but it didn’t stop my hands from shaking.

I had to pull it together. I tried to control my breathing, slow and quiet.

In through my nose. Out through my mouth.

I could do this. I thought back to all the times I’d watched Jax and the brothers walk out of the clubhouse with guns tucked under their cuts, jaws set, eyes fierce, only to come back hours later soaked in blood that wasn’t their own.

I’d always known the world my family lived in wasn’t a safe one, but I’d never been alone in it.

Until now.

Tonight, it was just me and whoever was downstairs, rummaging through my studio. There was another noise, and my hand shook so bad I almost dropped my phone. I pressed my hand harder against my mouth, praying my breathing wouldn’t give me away. For a split second, I considered calling the police. If I were anyone else, it would be the logical thing to do.

But I knew how the brothers felt about the police.

They didn’t trust them, and if this break-in was connected to the club, I didn’t want to make the situation worse by involving the police. It was just too dangerous. So, I had no choice but to hang on and hope that Ravage would get here soon.

I tried to guess how long it would take him to get to the apartment. If he was at the clubhouse when I called, it would take him ten minutes or more with traffic. If he was at home, he would be closer, and it would only take him five or six minutes. If there wasn’t any traffic, he could be here…

My thoughts trailed off when the commotion downstairs grew louder. There was a loud thud, followed by a crash. Every muscle in my body tensed as I waited for the next sound. I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed, “Please hurry.”

I heard something that sounded like a man’s voice, followed by a muffled pop. And then another. My heart stopped as pure terror washed over me. I’d heard that sound before. It was a gunshot, but not the sharp crack I’d heard before. This one was softer, muffled, and more terrifying.

I pulled my knees tighter against my chest and pressed myself farther into the corner. I tilted my head and listened. Then came the footsteps, fast and heavy, and they were headed up the steps. I prayed that it was Ravage and not whoever had been downstairs, doing God knows what in my studio.

I braced myself for whatever was about to come next, and after several seconds, I heard his voice. Tears filled my eyes the second he whispered, “Em… It’s me.”

The closet door opened, and I didn’t think. I just got to my feet and threw myself at him. I wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him as I buried my face in his chest. For a second, he didn’t move. Then, his arms came around me, pulling me even closer.

“You’re okay… I’ve got you,” he murmured. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

The fear and tightness in my chest seemed to fade away at the sound of his voice. He was there. He was holding me. I held on a little tighter, and for the first time since I’d first heard the noises downstairs, I felt safe.

He slowly loosened his arms, and the second I looked up at him, everything inside me went still. I’d seen Ravage look at me a hundred different ways. Amused, annoyed, protective, and even angry. But never once had I seen him stare at me like this. The look wasn’t friendly or brotherly. It was something else entirely.

Something that made my breath catch.

His palm was still on the small of my back like he wasn’t quite ready to let me go. Neither was I. His eyes dropped to my mouth, and my heart started pounding for an entirely different reason. He leaned in closer, and my lips parted. This was it. He was right there. He was going to kiss me. I could literally feel the warmth of his breath against my skin.

I was so lost in the moment I almost missed the sounds of footsteps storming into my apartment. But I didn’t miss Jax calling out, “Em!”

Ravage’s face was void of expression as he stepped back and lowered his hands. A blink later, Jax was charging into the room with Vicious and Coop following right behind him.

“Thank Christ.” He pulled me into his arms, hugging me as he said, “You scared the hell out of me.”