Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Adalynn
Motorcycles roar into the front yard the next morning, pulling me from sleep.
My eyes snap open. Panic hits me like a tidal wave before I’ve even realized where I am.
Engine noise rattles the windowpane. That brutal sound drags me back into the nightmare of splintering wood and heavy footsteps.
I vault upright in bed. Sheets tangle around my legs like bindings.
My breath catches in my throat and my pulse hammers against my ribs.
Beside me, Amelia stirs and whimpers. Her small frame reacts to the noise outside.
Carter’s already on his feet by the door.
His posture is rigid and his hand’s buried in his pocket near his weapon.
As reality finally clears the fog from my mind, I exhale a long, relieved breath. Turning to Carter, I reassure him, “It’s fine. Dodge mentioned that a few of his men would be arriving today.”
Noah crawls out from under the bed. He’s shaking all over from the adrenaline spike caused by the motorcycles rumbling outside. I reach out and pull him up onto the mattress. “Sissy, they’re so loud,” he whines.
“They are,” I confirm, hugging him as I drag him onto my lap. Out of my peripheral view, I notice Amelia snap upward, her eyes still dazed from sleepiness. “What’s that noise?” she asks.
I smooth back her messy hair and keep my voice steady despite the lingering tremor in my own chest. “It’s just Dodge’s friends.
They’re here to help us stay safe. There’s no reason to be scared.
” The engines cut one by one, leaving a ringing silence that feels almost as heavy as the roar.
I can hear the muffled sound of boots hitting the dirt and the low rumble of men’s voices through the walls.
Carter lets out a grounding breath and finally relaxes his shoulders.
He steps away from the door and moves toward the foot of the bed.
“Dodge wouldn’t let anyone through that he didn’t trust with his life.
Take a minute to breathe. We aren’t going anywhere.
” His calm tone cuts through the tension, and I feel the kids start to go limp against me as the immediate threat fades into the morning light.
Noah glances up, his eyes widening with that familiar boyish wonder.
The fear is already ancient history for him.
He nudges my arm, eager to get outside. “Can we go check out the bikes?” he asks.
I shake my head at his selective memory.
It’s like Dodge didn’t just let him sit on his own custom chopper a few days ago, but he’s already itching to see what else rolled into the yard.
Carter chuckles from the end of the bed, the sound vibrating in his chest. “Give them a minute, Noah,” he says, catching my eye with a wry grin. “I’m sure they need to talk before we go crashing their reunion.”
“What’s a reunion?” Amelia asks.
Carter leans his weight against the bedpost and looks at her.
He stays quiet for a heartbeat as he searches for the right words.
“It is when people who belong together get back in the same place after being apart for a while,” he explains.
His voice is soft but there is a weight to it that makes the kids go still.
He looks toward the window where the sunlight is cutting through the dust motes.
“In our world, it is about making sure the people on your left and your right are still standing.”
“Carter,” I hiss. “You don't need to scare him. He's just a boy.”
Carter holds up his hands in surrender, his expression shifting to something softer. “My mistake,” he says, giving me a knowing glance. “They just need to learn how to keep their eyes open. That's all.”
Noah tugs on my sleeve, his earlier fear completely forgotten. “Can we see them now?”
I slide out of bed and set him on the floor. “Go ahead. Just stay close to the patio.”
He scrambles toward the door, Amelia hot on his feet as they talk about the motorcycles, their excitement spilling out into the hallway.
Carter watches them before he returns to me.
His gaze lingers on my face, searching for any remaining traces of the nightmare.
“You're doing fine,” he murmurs. “We're all still standing.” He reaches out to steady me as I find my footing on the floorboards. “Should we get dressed and go meet Dodge’s friends?”
“I suppose we should,” I answer, though my mind drifts back to the kiss we shared. The memory of his lips against mine still burns, a persistent reminder of the barrier I built between us.
Carter holds my gaze for a heartbeat. He likely knows exactly what is running through my head. He reaches out and gives my shoulder a firm squeeze. It is a grounding touch that anchors me to the here and now.
“Dodge is a good man,” he says softly. “He just wears his heart on his sleeve.” I snort at his comment, Dodge does not wear his heart on his sleeve.
The man still lets his past dictate his emotions and he doesn’t let many people in.
I can tell that much from our interaction and the things he’s said to me.
I pull away to reach for my bag. “I know he is, Carter. That is part of the issue. I'm just not sure if I'm ready to handle his intensity right now.” He’s like a damn yo-yo. He goes up, then he swings down, I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep up with him.
Carter watches me grab a clean shirt. He doesn’t press me. Instead, he turns toward the door. “I’ll wait in the hall. Take the time you need.” He knows from experience that when I get wound up, I need a minute. In this case, I need to find my bravery and plaster it on my face.
I stand there for a second after he exits.
The silence in the room feels suffocating.
I need to get my head on straight before I step outside to face them.
I pull the shirt on and smooth the fabric, step into my jeans and toss on a pair of sandals.
I can do this. I take a deep breath and walk toward the door.
“Your turn,” I say, brushing past him. I head for the kitchen to help Miranda prep breakfast for the men Dodge brought.
I need to feed them, sure, but I also need answers.
Who are these people, and what do they really want from us?
We don’t know enough about them to tell the police anything useful if that’s their concern.
None of us could point a finger at them and blame them for our folks murder.
When I walk into the main room, I stop in my tracks because the room is riddled with men. “Adalynn,” Dodge calls my name. “Come meet a few of my brothers.”
“A few?” I mutter beneath my breath. Dodge catches it, though, and a spark of amusement flickers in his gaze.
Dodge pulls me into his side as I approach, gesturing toward each of the men in turn. They offer respectful nods as he introduces them one by one. “Meet Rebel, my Sergeant At Arms,” Dodge says. “This is Cobra, our road captain, and these two are Pyre and Hulk, a couple of our prospects.”
“Nice to meet you,” I murmur, my voice sounding thin against the heavy silence of the room.
I keep my chin tucked, wary of holding any of their eyes for too long.
Dodge's palm stays firm against my waist, a grounding weight that keeps me from bolting.
Rebel assesses me with a piercing stare, his jaw set, but he offers a polite dip of his head.
Cobra just gives a curt nod, his attention shifting back to Dodge as if he's already done with the formalities.
The two prospects, Pyre and Hulk, look younger than the rest. They shuffle their boots, appearing uncertain, their eyes darting between me and Dodge like they're waiting for a cue.
I feel like an interloper in a world built on unspoken rules and rough edges.
I don't belong here, but as long as Dodge has his hand on me, I suppose I'm staying.
“Dodge," Rebel says, his voice gravelly as he breaks the quiet. “We've got the perimeter secure for now. But you know they won't stay away forever.”
Dodge's expression hardens instantly. The relaxed warmth he showed me vanishes, replaced by the grim determination of a leader. “I know,” he answers, his voice dropping an octave. “Let's move this to the back. Adalynn, you're good to help Mom?”
That request isn't a question, but I nod anyway. I’m just a bystander in their world, waiting on the sidelines while the real work happens.
I lack the luxury of protesting. The itch to ask who won’t stay away forever burns, but I swallow the words.
The air in the room feels thick with unsaid threats and secrets I’m not meant to hear.
Dodge shifts. His posture locks, his shoulders squaring off as he transforms into a commander rather than the man who held me just a moment ago.
I keep my mouth shut. I’m new here and I don't know the specific rules, but I understand the hierarchy.
You don't challenge a man like him, especially when his brothers are watching.
Walking toward the kitchen, I can't shake the question that's been a loop in my mind.
“Have they found us?” I breathe, the thought sending a chill down my spine.
“Did they manage to creep up on us without anyone noticing?” Every urge in my body screams at me to run, but reality quickly sets in.
We wouldn't even make it past the edge of the yard before being intercepted and brought straight back. “How did this become my life?”
“Talking to yourself, dear?” Miranda asks, concern sketched on her face.
“Slightly,” I reply, turning away to search the room for a task to keep my hands busy and my mind occupied.
“Are you feeling anxious?” she inquires, her gentle, protective tone immediately causing my shoulders to sag. She is the perfect embodiment of a mother, forever eager to look after her brood.
I let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Anxious doesn’t cover it, Miranda. I’m drowning in this. Did Dodge tell you why he brought us here?”
Miranda pauses, her movements slowing as she sets a plate on the counter. Her eyes meet mine, and there is a flicker of something guarded beneath her warmth. “He tells me what I need to know, Adalynn. No more, no less. And right now, he thinks we are safer not asking too many questions.”
“Safer?” I repeat, the word tasting like a metallic tang of copper. “It feels like I am walking through a minefield blindfolded.”
She steps closer, resting a hand on my arm. Her grip is firm and reassuring, yet I can feel the tension in her fingers. “Then keep your eyes open wide. This is not a game, and Dodge is not playing one.”
The weight of her words sits like lead in my gut. I want to argue and demand real answers, but I hold my tongue. The kitchen feels suddenly smaller, closing in on me. I stare at the counter, trying to find a way to make myself useful.
“You can slice the red potatoes,” she directs, gesturing toward the sink where they have already been rinsed and set out for breakfast.
“We’re in danger, Miranda,” I say, my voice barely a whisper.
I grab the colander from the sink, the metal biting cold into my skin.
I carry the potatoes to the chopping block, my movements uncoordinated.
I can’t stop the tremor in my hands as I set them down.
“You know it, I know it, and ignoring it won't make the threat disappear.”
She sets the dishrag aside and locks eyes with me.
“My boy and his men lead a morally gray life, hun, but they do what they have to do to keep us breathing. If they say you’re safe, then you are.
They wouldn’t have it any other way. You think the world is black and white, but out here, the lines blur. It is survival.”
I stare at the potatoes, feeling the knife firmly gripped in my hand as I mull over her words. “Survival for them is not the same as safety for me, Miranda. It feels like we are just waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“When the other shoe drops, we will just pick it up and slip it right back onto your foot,” Miranda reassures me.
The panic that nearly drove me to run finally releases its hold on my lungs.
My breathing hitches once before smoothing into a steady rhythm.
I still don't trust the circumstances, but I find myself trusting the unwavering confidence in her voice.
Pressing the knife's edge into a small red potato, the blade pierces the skin with a deafening snap.
I feel the solid flesh resist against the handle right before the metal strikes the wooden board with a muffled thud.
That physical vibration travels up my arm, grounding me to the kitchen counter.
I continue slicing, concentrating entirely on the exactness of each cut until the trembling in my hands finally fades.
“You make it sound so simple,” I whisper, gathering the chopped pieces into a small mound.
Miranda doesn't look up from the stove as she cracks an egg into a skillet. The sizzle of the grease punctuates her words. “I’ve seen those men when they set their minds to something. Right now, that’s set on you, your siblings, and dismantling the threat against y’all.”