Chapter 33
Elena’s eyes flew open to the piercing wail of the fire alarm.
Her heart slammed against her ribs, yanking her violently from sleep.
The shrill, relentless blare shredded the stillness, unforgiving and sharp as shattered glass.
Moose was already on his feet, muscles taut and ready, the tension in his movements mirroring the chaos rippling through the dark hotel room.
The stale air hung heavy, thick and suffocating against her skin, but it carried no acrid smoke or burning scent.
Beneath the shriek, the faint mechanical hum of the emergency system buzzed steadily, an eerie backdrop to the unfolding scene.
Outside, heavy footsteps pounded down the corridor, voices urgent but muffled through the thin walls.
Moose yanked on his jeans without bothering to button them, shirtless and bare-chested, his every motion razor sharp.
Phone in hand, he edged toward the door with caution.
Pressing the back of his palm flat against the wood, he frowned.
Cool, unnervingly cool. No heat, no fire.
The silence beyond the door felt loaded, as if some unseen menace waited just out of reach.
A solid knock jarred the door, followed by the rattle of the handle. Elena’s breath caught in her throat. Then Bear’s voice broke through, calm, steady, unyielding. “Moose, it’s us.”
Before she could even reply, the door swung inward. Bear stood framed in the narrow hallway, flanked by Jax, Viper, and Shadow. Their faces were hard lines of resolve, their eyes sharp beneath furrowed brows. Go bags slung over shoulders, hands gripping straps.
Elena’s pulse quickened. The alarm’s clang hammered in her ears as tears welled, but she forced slow, measured breaths. Moose shot a warning glance toward the window, pulling her gaze with him.
Outside, flashing emergency lights splattered the asphalt in harsh red and white streaks, casting long, lurid shadows.
Guests spilled into the streets, faces pale, clustered tight in panic.
But Elena’s eyes locked on two figures moving quietly across the opposite side, a slow, deliberate glide through the night.
Their forearms bore faded, inked scars, the unmistakable colors and markings of the Latin Counts. Her every nightmare given flesh. More than threats, they were predators, watching, waiting.
A cold steel claw tightened around Elena’s ribs, squeezing breath from her lungs.
Moose’s voice dropped low and fierce as he pulled her close, anchoring her with the hard strength of his body. “They’re not coming in.” His arms locked around her like immovable walls. “No stepping out that door until it’s safe.”
She didn’t take her eyes off the gang members. Bear stepped forward, voice heavy with warning. “It’s a setup. They want to trap you the moment you walk out.”
Jax’s low voice carried a cautious edge. “They’ve got watchers everywhere. This isn’t a warning. It’s a snare.”
Before a plan could form, the building groaned. A deep, savage rumble shook walls and floor alike. An explosion erupted, deafening and brutal, rattling windows loose in their frames and sending a shower of plaster and glass raining down.
Without hesitation, Moose yanked her down, pressing her flush against his chest. His arms became steel bands against the chaos. The impact jolted through her, but his steady heartbeat at her ear was a tether.
The rest of the team dropped instinctively. Bear crouched by the far wall, eyes scanning the ceiling’s fractures. Jax pulled Viper close to the floor, backs pressed against crumbling plaster. Shadow slid to block the doorway, a silent sentinel bracing for whatever came next.
Her ears rang, high-pitched and burning, muffling the world beyond the thick cocoon of dust. Breathing became sharp and ragged, each inhale scraping rough fingers along her throat. The floor creaked beneath them, threatening collapse.
A ragged grunt tore from Moose’s chest, biting and rough. Something heavy landed on him. Panic surged, wrenching tight her throat and squeezing her stomach. Dust choked his cough, blurring her vision with tears that stung fierce and bright.
Emergency lights flickered faintly above, casting twisted, uneven shadows that writhed along cracked walls and scattered debris.
When the tremors finally ceased, silence fell, heavy and suffocating. Bear was first to move, carefully easing Moose from Elena’s grasp. His body sagged, limp and pale, breaths shallow: unconscious.
Elena’s chest tightened, panic gnawing at the edges. Bear’s voice, low and commanding, cut through the haze. “I’m taking Moose to the hospital. The rest of you get Elena out. Find a safe place. Keep her safe, the trial starts in four hours.”
As Bear lifted Moose, Elena’s eyes flicked frantically over the room, settling on her suitcase tucked beneath a pile of debris. A fleeting surge of relief ignited. Clothes. Something clean. She had to hold herself together.
“I need my suitcase,” she whispered, voice barely steady. “I need clothes.”
Bear’s eyes softened for a moment, a flicker of something almost gentle crossing his rugged face, but his voice stayed steady and commanding.
“Forget the suitcase. Viper will sort you out once you’re safe.
Right now, all that matters is getting you to the courthouse. Everything else will have to wait.”
She swallowed hard, biting down the panic rising in her throat. Nodding, she forced herself to breathe, to focus.
Elena was so focused on Moose, barely registering the sounds around her, that she hadn’t even realized the others had left the room.
, a shadow shifted near the doorway. Shadow, Jax, and Viper slipped inside silently, their movements coordinated.
Their eyes locked with Bear’s in a quick, wordless exchange—communication sharpened by years in the field.
“We found a route,” Shadow said quietly, his voice clipped and direct.
Without hesitation, they closed ranks, circling her like sentinels. Elena felt their presence press close, a wall of steel and vigilance. Their gaze swept the shadowed corridor ahead, every muscle coiled, nerves razor-sharp.
Viper brushed her arm reassuringly around Elena’s waist, voice low but steady. “We stay close. Fast and quiet.”
Jax stepped to the front, eyes piercing the dark, alert to every whisper of movement.
Shadow took rear guard, scanning relentlessly.
They crept through twisting hallways and back stairwells, skirts of light avoided, crowds skirted. Elena’s pulse drummed in her ears when a flicker of movement to her right caught her attention—too fluid to be chance. Something slipped behind a cracked door.
Shadow’s eyes narrowed sharply. “Contact. They’re on us.”
They doubled back, twisting through service corridors cluttered with crates and waste. Elena stayed close to Viper’s side, heart hammering as footsteps pounded steadily, close but unseen.
At last, the stale, familiar air of the parking garage greeted them. Their SUV sat waiting in the shadows.
Jax scanned the lot then nodded sharply. “Move.”
They darted across the open stretch. Each second stretched thin until a pair of eyes glinted from behind a parked car. A gang member spotted them.
Elena’s stomach clenched as the man stepped forward and fired a quick shot. The bullet slammed into the side of the SUV, rattling the metal with a sharp clang.
Shadow yanked the car door open without hesitation. “Get down!” Jax ordered sharply. Elena dropped to the floorboard as Viper slid in beside her, pressing close and shielding her protectively. The door slammed shut behind them, and Jax’s hands moved quickly to start the engine.
Tires screeched against concrete as they peeled away, the shouting fading behind them. But Elena knew better. This escape was just beginning.
Sudden, fierce acceleration threw the SUV into a tight spin. Jax pulled hard on the wheel. Elena’s breath hitched.
Shadow’s voice broke the tense silence. “We got a tail.”
Jax didn’t waste a breath, slamming the gas. The tires screeched louder as they wove back toward the nearby garage entrance.
“Backtrack,” Viper ordered sharply. “We circle around. Lose them.”
Outside, the early morning light struggled against the dawn haze as Detroit’s streets erupted into rush hour chaos.
Tail lights bloomed red in endless lines, weaving through the heavy traffic.
The roar of engines and blare of horns filled the air, a relentless background to the urgency inside the SUV.
Elena’s knuckles went white as she gripped the seat edge, nerves taut with every sharp turn and weaving maneuver through congested streets and narrow alleys.
Shadow’s eyes flicked between the windows like a predator scanning for prey amidst the sea of cars. “Eyes sharp. No shots,” he muttered, voice low but tense.
Minutes stretched taut, the city’s veins winding beneath them as the chase persisted.
Then Viper leaned forward, voice calm but resolute. “Forget the second hotel. Courthouse. Safer. Fortified. Crowds help us disappear.”
Elena swallowed and nodded, heart seizing. The trial loomed nearer. This fortress might be their only chance.
Jax angled the wheel down main avenue, swift and sure.
The courthouse rose into view, bathed in the pale early light.
Viper’s fingers moved quickly over her phone. “Dispatch, we need an escort immediately. High risk situation. Key witness headed to the courthouse, gang members in pursuit. Requesting protection to get her inside, ASAP.”
Elena watched, grateful swell rising as determination echoed in Viper’s tone.
“Units en route,” Viper said, ending the call. “They’ll meet us at the steps. No one breaches with cops around.”
Tension eased fractionally but nerves stayed sharp as sirens wailed closer.
Jax brought the SUV curbside. Officers swarmed, blue and red lights painting the street.
Two uniformed cops advanced, signaling them out swiftly.
Viper stayed close, forming a shield at Elena’s side as the escort locked arms around them, a living barrier against danger.