He frowned at her.
She leaned forward, dropping her voice to a whisper, though everyone could hear. “It’s okay if you’re a pussy. Or if you’re the pussy, if you know what I me—“
His face turned red and in an instant he was throwing the first punch. Heather didn’t finish her sentence before Channing yanked her behind him. He ducked under Caldron’s arm, then rounded up with an uppercut.
After that, it was on.
I heard screaming, yelling, and people crying out in pain, but for a moment before any of that, there’d been total silence. After Caldron lashed out, everyone needed time to comprehend that the brawl was on, and in that second, I heard my own gasp for breath. It sounded deafening to my ears, and I knew—I would remember that gasp for the rest of my life.
Chad yanked Taylor and me backward, pulling us out of the bar and off to the side down a hallway. Moose went with us, bringing up the rear and pushing away others who tried to get to me. So far, no one was trying for Taylor. I looked back to find Heather, but I couldn’t see her. There was just a mass of people fighting.
“Come on.” Chad shoved open a door, and we saw an egress window. He pulled out the screen and climbed out, then ripped through the covering. He lifted Taylor and tossed her out onto the lawn. I was next, falling half on top of Taylor. We rolled to our feet quickly, and Chad and Moose climbed out behind us.
“Let’s go.” Chad pointed to the cars and started running, holding Taylor’s arm.
I began running with them, following Moose. They could get Taylor to safety, but I had to go back to find Mason and Logan. I knew they were here; Mason’s black Escalade was parked on the lawn. Moose fell back, glancing at me.
I waved him on. “I’m right behind you.”
He nodded, and the three of them ran faster.
I couldn’t wait any longer. I turned and sprinted back for the house.
“Sam!” Taylor yelled after me.
I kept going, shouting over my shoulder, “Mason and Logan are here. I have to!”
I heard a smattering of curses and knew at least one person was coming after me. An arm wrapped around my waist, and I was suddenly in the air.
“No!” I began fighting. I needed to get free.
“Fuck’s sakes. You’re insane.” It was Chad. He grunted, evading my legs. “Okay, okay. I’ll go with you if you stop hitting m—” My elbow smacked his chin.
“Oh.” I cringed. “I’m sorry.”
“Stop, okay? Stop.”
I nodded, waiting till my feet were on the ground. He set me down and backed away with his hands in the air. “I’m not going to stop you, but I have to go with you. Okay? I have to. Channing told me to protect you.”
I nodded again. “They’re my family.”
“I get that.” He glanced at the house. The fighting had spilled out to the yard. He cursed, then yanked off his sweatshirt. He held it out to me. “Put that on.” As I did, he pulled the hood forward. “Maybe this will help camouflage you a bit.”
I pulled my hair forward, too, and started running ahead. Chad caught up and ran next to me, and we began shouldering our way back inside.
There were more screams, more shouts, more everything.
I could smell blood in the air. Blood and sweat.
Then everything slowed down, and I watched my nightmare come to life. I couldn’t get to Mason and Logan. They were going to be hurt, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. I was pushing, pulling, and clawing my way through, and still I couldn’t see them.
Then, suddenly, there was a clearing in the crowd.
I saw Mason and began to yell his name—
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Three shots rang out.
MASON
“Mason!”
I turned, hearing my name, and there was Sam. She stood in the back, next to a guy I recognized as one of Channing’s friends. The guy I was holding threw a punch, and I caught his arm. Twisting it backward, I heard a satisfying pop and knew he’d be useless for the rest of the night. I clipped him across the face, just enough to daze him, and shoved him into another group of Caldron’s friends. Logan was exchanging punches next to me.
When we heard the gun, we both froze a moment, but it seemed to have come from a ways away, so we kept going. That was when I heard Sam yelling for me, and seeing her now, I grabbed Logan and yanked him with me.
“Hey!” He snarled until he realized it was me. “What are you doing?”
I pointed. “It’s Sam. Let’s go.”
We took off, back the way we’d just come. Some guys tried to rush us, but we dodged and punched, or evaded and caught them, tossing them to the side.
“What about Channing?” Logan asked as we went.
“Channing’s fine. Caldron wants our heads on a platter, not Channing’s. We have to get Sam and Taylor to safety.”
Then we were out, and Sam began running ahead of us. The guy with her helped push our way through. Logan and I joined him to encircle Sam and form a barrier. She could just run and not have to worry about fighting.
I reached out once, my hand sliding over hers. I couldn’t help myself. I needed to reassure myself she was safe. She was, and her hand squeezed mine as we kept running.
“Taylor.” Logan spotted his girlfriend ahead, waiting inside my Escalade.
I recognized Moose with her and glanced around. No Nate. I stopped. “Wait.”
“What?”
Logan hurried forward, climbing inside my vehicle and hugging his girlfriend. Sam and the guy who’d been helping her stayed back with me. Once Moose saw Taylor was fine, he headed over to us.
I looked at Sam. “Nate’s not here.”
“Was he in there with you?” the guy asked.
I shook my head. “The fighting was already happening. Two guys were shoving each other when we went in through the basement door. I looked back, but it was only Logan with me. I don’t remember Nate at all. I thought he went in with us?”
Sam slipped her hand in mine, but I was already looking back.
I had to go in again.
“Wait.” The guy touched my shoulder. “Let me and Moose go in. I’ll text Channing and Heather, let them know you guys are good, but we’re searching for Nate. Monson, right? That’s his last name?”
I nodded, scanning the house. People were beginning to run out, heading for their cars. Some were just running down the sidewalk.
“Hey!” Logan shouted from the vehicle, waving his phone in the air. “It’s Matteo. He and Nate are headed back to the house. They’re safe.”
“Matteo?” Sam asked.
I didn’t care. That was enough for me. I swung back around, my hand out. “Thank you for watching Sam and Logan’s girl.”
The guy shook my hand, a strong, steady grip. “No problem. I know you’re good with Channing. That makes you good with me. I’m Chad, by the way.” He nodded to Moose. “And this is—”
“Moose.” I held my hand out to him, too. “Thank you. I remember you from the fight night. Thank you for helping then.”
“Oh yeah.”
Another strong handshake.
“We should go. Cops are going to show up.” Chad started to head for the street, and Moose went with him. “I’ll be in touch with Channing,” he added before they left. “We need to find out who got shot, if anyone.”
A guy running past us stopped. His chest heaved for breath, and he raked a hand through his hair. “It was two bikers from rival clubs. They saw each other, and one pulled a gun.”
“Are you serious?” Chad frowned.
The guy started to run off, but Chad grabbed him and hauled him back. The guy nodded. “Yeah.” His eyes were wild. “I saw it myself. I was smoking up.”
The sound of sirens had him jerking around to see where they were coming from. “I gotta go.” He pawed at Chad’s hand. “If they arrest me, they got more than just fighting on me, if you know what I mean. Let me go, man!”
Chad released him, and the guy scrambled, darting through people and disappearing into the crowd.
Sam pulled on my hand. “Let’s all go. We’re all okay.”
She leaned forward, dropping her voice to a whisper, though everyone could hear. “It’s okay if you’re a pussy. Or if you’re the pussy, if you know what I me—“
His face turned red and in an instant he was throwing the first punch. Heather didn’t finish her sentence before Channing yanked her behind him. He ducked under Caldron’s arm, then rounded up with an uppercut.
After that, it was on.
I heard screaming, yelling, and people crying out in pain, but for a moment before any of that, there’d been total silence. After Caldron lashed out, everyone needed time to comprehend that the brawl was on, and in that second, I heard my own gasp for breath. It sounded deafening to my ears, and I knew—I would remember that gasp for the rest of my life.
Chad yanked Taylor and me backward, pulling us out of the bar and off to the side down a hallway. Moose went with us, bringing up the rear and pushing away others who tried to get to me. So far, no one was trying for Taylor. I looked back to find Heather, but I couldn’t see her. There was just a mass of people fighting.
“Come on.” Chad shoved open a door, and we saw an egress window. He pulled out the screen and climbed out, then ripped through the covering. He lifted Taylor and tossed her out onto the lawn. I was next, falling half on top of Taylor. We rolled to our feet quickly, and Chad and Moose climbed out behind us.
“Let’s go.” Chad pointed to the cars and started running, holding Taylor’s arm.
I began running with them, following Moose. They could get Taylor to safety, but I had to go back to find Mason and Logan. I knew they were here; Mason’s black Escalade was parked on the lawn. Moose fell back, glancing at me.
I waved him on. “I’m right behind you.”
He nodded, and the three of them ran faster.
I couldn’t wait any longer. I turned and sprinted back for the house.
“Sam!” Taylor yelled after me.
I kept going, shouting over my shoulder, “Mason and Logan are here. I have to!”
I heard a smattering of curses and knew at least one person was coming after me. An arm wrapped around my waist, and I was suddenly in the air.
“No!” I began fighting. I needed to get free.
“Fuck’s sakes. You’re insane.” It was Chad. He grunted, evading my legs. “Okay, okay. I’ll go with you if you stop hitting m—” My elbow smacked his chin.
“Oh.” I cringed. “I’m sorry.”
“Stop, okay? Stop.”
I nodded, waiting till my feet were on the ground. He set me down and backed away with his hands in the air. “I’m not going to stop you, but I have to go with you. Okay? I have to. Channing told me to protect you.”
I nodded again. “They’re my family.”
“I get that.” He glanced at the house. The fighting had spilled out to the yard. He cursed, then yanked off his sweatshirt. He held it out to me. “Put that on.” As I did, he pulled the hood forward. “Maybe this will help camouflage you a bit.”
I pulled my hair forward, too, and started running ahead. Chad caught up and ran next to me, and we began shouldering our way back inside.
There were more screams, more shouts, more everything.
I could smell blood in the air. Blood and sweat.
Then everything slowed down, and I watched my nightmare come to life. I couldn’t get to Mason and Logan. They were going to be hurt, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. I was pushing, pulling, and clawing my way through, and still I couldn’t see them.
Then, suddenly, there was a clearing in the crowd.
I saw Mason and began to yell his name—
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Three shots rang out.
MASON
“Mason!”
I turned, hearing my name, and there was Sam. She stood in the back, next to a guy I recognized as one of Channing’s friends. The guy I was holding threw a punch, and I caught his arm. Twisting it backward, I heard a satisfying pop and knew he’d be useless for the rest of the night. I clipped him across the face, just enough to daze him, and shoved him into another group of Caldron’s friends. Logan was exchanging punches next to me.
When we heard the gun, we both froze a moment, but it seemed to have come from a ways away, so we kept going. That was when I heard Sam yelling for me, and seeing her now, I grabbed Logan and yanked him with me.
“Hey!” He snarled until he realized it was me. “What are you doing?”
I pointed. “It’s Sam. Let’s go.”
We took off, back the way we’d just come. Some guys tried to rush us, but we dodged and punched, or evaded and caught them, tossing them to the side.
“What about Channing?” Logan asked as we went.
“Channing’s fine. Caldron wants our heads on a platter, not Channing’s. We have to get Sam and Taylor to safety.”
Then we were out, and Sam began running ahead of us. The guy with her helped push our way through. Logan and I joined him to encircle Sam and form a barrier. She could just run and not have to worry about fighting.
I reached out once, my hand sliding over hers. I couldn’t help myself. I needed to reassure myself she was safe. She was, and her hand squeezed mine as we kept running.
“Taylor.” Logan spotted his girlfriend ahead, waiting inside my Escalade.
I recognized Moose with her and glanced around. No Nate. I stopped. “Wait.”
“What?”
Logan hurried forward, climbing inside my vehicle and hugging his girlfriend. Sam and the guy who’d been helping her stayed back with me. Once Moose saw Taylor was fine, he headed over to us.
I looked at Sam. “Nate’s not here.”
“Was he in there with you?” the guy asked.
I shook my head. “The fighting was already happening. Two guys were shoving each other when we went in through the basement door. I looked back, but it was only Logan with me. I don’t remember Nate at all. I thought he went in with us?”
Sam slipped her hand in mine, but I was already looking back.
I had to go in again.
“Wait.” The guy touched my shoulder. “Let me and Moose go in. I’ll text Channing and Heather, let them know you guys are good, but we’re searching for Nate. Monson, right? That’s his last name?”
I nodded, scanning the house. People were beginning to run out, heading for their cars. Some were just running down the sidewalk.
“Hey!” Logan shouted from the vehicle, waving his phone in the air. “It’s Matteo. He and Nate are headed back to the house. They’re safe.”
“Matteo?” Sam asked.
I didn’t care. That was enough for me. I swung back around, my hand out. “Thank you for watching Sam and Logan’s girl.”
The guy shook my hand, a strong, steady grip. “No problem. I know you’re good with Channing. That makes you good with me. I’m Chad, by the way.” He nodded to Moose. “And this is—”
“Moose.” I held my hand out to him, too. “Thank you. I remember you from the fight night. Thank you for helping then.”
“Oh yeah.”
Another strong handshake.
“We should go. Cops are going to show up.” Chad started to head for the street, and Moose went with him. “I’ll be in touch with Channing,” he added before they left. “We need to find out who got shot, if anyone.”
A guy running past us stopped. His chest heaved for breath, and he raked a hand through his hair. “It was two bikers from rival clubs. They saw each other, and one pulled a gun.”
“Are you serious?” Chad frowned.
The guy started to run off, but Chad grabbed him and hauled him back. The guy nodded. “Yeah.” His eyes were wild. “I saw it myself. I was smoking up.”
The sound of sirens had him jerking around to see where they were coming from. “I gotta go.” He pawed at Chad’s hand. “If they arrest me, they got more than just fighting on me, if you know what I mean. Let me go, man!”
Chad released him, and the guy scrambled, darting through people and disappearing into the crowd.
Sam pulled on my hand. “Let’s all go. We’re all okay.”
