“Yeah, she’s mine.”

I don’t mention the fact the club didn’t officially give me their support to claim her. This, what we’re doing right now, is a huge endorsement from my brothers.

“We’ll get her back.”

I nod. “Yeah, we will.” There’s no alternative. We have to get her back, because the thought of living without Lucy is not one I can stomach.

It feels like it takes forever to get to Isaac’s house. We stop the bikes in a field close to the house and my brothers fade into the trees, walking in the direction of the property.

I fight my way to the front, just in time to see Fury stab his knives into the security guard in the booth next to the gate. Blood sprays up his face. There’s a hole in his forehead.

I turn forwards and focus on the lit-up house.

My heart sinks. Blackwood’s house is a fucking mansion. It’s huge. How the fuck are we going to find Lucy in this place?

As we approach the house, I see movement. Blackwood isn’t a coward. He steps onto the porch area with a few men, far fewer than we’ve brought. Leon and Elijah are at his side. Good little dogs.

“Get off my property,” he demands, as if we’re going to listen. I’m not leaving here without Lucy.

I snort as I move to stand next to my president, my gut’s blazing with righteous anger.

“Bring Lucy out and we’ll leave.”

“Lucy? Oh, you mean Natasha.” He stares at me like I’m shit under his shoe. “I thought I shot you.”

“Aim better next time,” I growl out.

And in one swift movement, I pull my gun from my holster and aim it. My breath is loud in my ears as I pull the trigger. The bullet finds its mark, but unlike Blackwood, my aim isn’t shit. It hits its target, only it’s not Isaac it hits. At the last second, Leon pushes his boss down and my bullet hits him right between the fucking eyes. His body turns boneless as he slides to his knees before eating the concrete.

There’s a moment of silence as Blackwood pulls himself free of the body, his white shirt now splattered with blood.

Then all hell breaks loose.

29

Lucy

I watch from the window as Nox raises his gun and fires. There’s no hesitation, no uncertainty, and for a moment I glimpse the hardness beneath the softness he’s always given me. It scares the shit out of me, even as it leaves me breathless that he’s come for me.

My heart leaps into my throat when Isaac and Leon go down in a heap of bodies. Then everything goes crazy. A cacophony of gun fire reverberates into the air, loud cracks and pops as if it’s the fifth of November punctuated by shouts from the men. Bodies are moving everywhere and screams punch the air.

I try to swallow down my fear as I track Nox’s movements, holding my breath as he ducks and shouts before jumping back up. He evades the bullets flying, but he gets lost in the mass of kuttes rushing around the front lawn.

Panic grips my heart as I watch the firefight taking place, helpless to do anything. I tear my eyes from the window and rush over to the door, trying the handle again. It doesn’t budge, so I tug it back hard, my ribs screaming in pain. Still nothing. I slam my palm against it, shouting until my throat feels raw.

I glance around the room for something I can use to break down the door, but there’s nothing. Frustration roars through my veins, my blood turning to ice as helplessness washes over me.

I hurry back over to the window and peer down at the full-blown battle taking place. Spots of dark red patches cover the ground. Fear creeps up my spine as I search the faces, not seeing Nox among them and unable to tell who is winning. If anything happens to Nox, I won’t survive it.

The sound of a key in the lock has my head snapping around and Isaac steps into the room. He looks dishevelled, his usually slicked back hair falling loose around his face, and his eyes are wild. It’s not that my gaze goes to, though. It’s the large spattering of blood covering his pristine white shirt.

He lumbers towards me and I take a step back, my heart thumping beneath my ribs. All moisture has fled from my mouth, leaving my tongue feeling too thick.

“Just let me go.” It’s a plea, and I hate that it is. I don’t want to beg him for anything, but I don’t want this bloodbath to happen because of me either.

He stalks towards me and I back up until I hit the wall. His fist lashes out and I duck to avoid it, but it smashes the side of my already bruised face. My vision blurs from the force, my eyes already swollen from my previous beating. It hurts like a bitch, pushing my teeth against the sensitive skin, and I stumble beneath the force, spitting out blood.

Anger flares through my body. I’m not going down like this, not with Nox so tantalisingly close. He’s not taking anything else from me. I kick out at him, catching his leg, but he doesn’t flinch, and comes back with a punch to my gut.

I double over, gasping for air, my lungs aching fiercely and my ribs screaming out in pain.

“Leon’s dead because of you,” he roars in my face.

I’m too focused on the pain throbbing through my stomach to care about his words. It’s like a fire has been lit in my belly and my breath rips out of me as I struggle to draw in air. Every inhalation is like I’ve swallowed razor blades because of my bruised throat.

His fingers fist into my hair and he wrestles me onto the bed, his weight coming down on top of me, pinning my hips to the mattress. I fight him, clawing at his face, his neck, his chest—anywhere I can reach as his fingers wrap around my throat. Pain erupts immediately and I choke beneath his grasp. Spots dance across my vision as panic sets in that I can’t breathe past his grip.

The seconds seem to slow as my life is being drained from my body. The savage look in his eyes scares me more than anything else, as his true evilness is revealed. I’ve seen Isaac lose control before, but I’ve never seen him completely check-out. My body begs for another breath, but none come. I fumble at his sides, trying to grab anything to stop this happening, and my fingers scrape over something hard and metal. I manage to get it free and realise it’s a knife. I fumble blindly and push the blade between us and push upwards with all the force I can muster. I stab over and over, not thinking about the wetness covering my arms and stomach. I continue with so much force my arm aches.

Isaac gasps, his eyes widening.

The metallic smell is heavy in my lungs as my vision starts to blur, the last of my oxygen squeezed out of me.

A smile appears on my face as I think I’m finally free, and a tear falls from the corner of my eye for Nox.

Then his hand relaxes on my throat, letting me suck in a much needed breath. I pull in a huge lungful of air, letting oxygen flood my body. My hands shake, especially the one holding the knife, which suddenly feels like lead in my grip.

Isaac’s mouth moves, as if he’s trying to say something, then he sags back on the mattress. I scramble up, heaving in breaths as a wet red patch spreads across his shirt.

He doesn’t move again and my shaking increases as I stare at him, my heart racing. Did I… did I kill him? Oh God, did I kill him?

I drop the knife onto the cream carpet, leaving a smear of red on it and stumble backwards. My mouth dries and my hands are sweaty as I stare at his body, willing him to get up. He doesn’t move. He doesn’t do anything, just lies there, his chest still. His white shirt is now stained red, glistening in the lights.