Chapter 16
Avery
Avery woke to the sound of metal scraping.
Not the soft creak of old wood. Not the hum of the bakery’s ancient fridge. Not the wind.
This was sharp. Deliberate. Wrong.
She held her breath, listening.
Click.
Her blood ran cold.
Another sound followed — the low, grinding twist of a lock being tested. Then a heavier thud, like someone putting their shoulder into the back door. The floor vibrated beneath the bedframe.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
She sat up too fast, the room spinning. The apartment above the bakery was usually silent at night, but this sound wasn’t the building settling.
Someone was trying to break in.
Her hands shook violently as she grabbed her phone.
Another bang — harder, angrier — rattled the door below. The sound shot up the stairwell like a crack of thunder, echoing through the walls, vibrating through her bones.
Avery stumbled backward, breath stuttering, pulse roaring so loudly she could barely hear anything else. She didn’t think. Didn’t plan. Didn’t weigh her options.
Her fingers moved on instinct.
She called Noah.
The phone barely rang once.
“Avery?” Rook’s voice was sharp, alert, instantly awake. “What’s wrong?”
“S-someone’s trying to break in,” she whispered, breath shaking. “The back door…I can hear…”
A heavy bang echoed through the bakery.
Rook heard it.
“Aves.” His voice dropped, low and lethal. “Stay with me. Don’t hang up.”
She heard rustling on his end: keys, boots, the scrape of metal.
“I’ve got you,” he said. “I’m coming. Keep talking to me.”
Another violent crash slammed into the door below. Avery flinched so hard the phone nearly slipped from her hand.
“Noah…”
“I’m here,” he said immediately. “I’m right here. Where are you?”
“Upstairs. I…I locked the door but…”
“That’s good. Stay there. Don’t move.”
She heard the roar of his bike firing to life, loud enough to rattle her phone speaker.
“Noah…hurry…”
“I’m already moving,” he said, voice vibrating with controlled fury. “I can hear you breathing. You’re okay. Just keep talking.”
Her breath snagged in her throat. “They’re still trying the door.”
“I know. I heard it.” His engine revved hard, the sound rising like a growl. “I’m two minutes out.”
Another bang. Harder. The frame shuddered.
Avery choked on a sob. “Noah…please…”
“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” he said, voice rough, steady, grounding her. “I’m coming. I’m almost there. Don’t go quiet on me.”
She pressed a hand over her mouth, tears burning hot. “I’m scared.”
“I know.” His voice softened, even over the roar of the bike. “I know, Aves. Just breathe for me. In and out. I’m right here.”
The banging stopped.
Silence.
Worse than the noise.
“Noah?” she whispered.
“I’m pulling up now,” he said. “I’m getting off the bike. You’re okay. I’m going inside.”
She heard his boots hit pavement. Heard the jangle of keys. Heard the back door rattle as he tested it from outside.
Then—
“Avery,” he said, voice low and deadly. “I’m in. Keep the line open.”
Footsteps moved through the dark below her. Fast. Purposeful. She heard the faint metallic click of a safety being switched off, a sound sharp enough to cut through the pounding in her ears.
“Noah…”
“Stay upstairs,” he ordered, voice a razor’s edge. “Do not move.”
She heard him sweep through the bakery, fast and efficient.
Then more footsteps. Heavy. Confident. Men who didn’t hesitate. She didn’t know them, but she felt the shift in the air. Rook hadn’t come alone.
They moved through the building like a trained unit: checking windows, doors, storage rooms, the alley behind the bakery. Avery stood at the top of the stairs, gripping the railing so hard her knuckles ached.
Finally, Rook appeared at the bottom of the staircase, gun still in hand, chest rising and falling with controlled fury.
“Aves,” he said softly. “Come here.”
She didn’t walk. She ran.
He caught her halfway down the stairs, arms wrapping around her, pulling her against him like he needed to feel her breathing. She buried her face in his chest, shaking so hard she could barely stand.
“I was so scared,” she whispered.
“I know.” His voice was rough, thick. “I know, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”
He held her until her trembling eased, not completely, but enough for her to breathe again.
Stone stepped into view. “Perimeter’s clear. Whoever it was is gone.”
Grim’s expression was darker than she expected. “But they left something behind.”
Avery stiffened. “What?”
Havoc held up a small object between two gloved fingers — a metal patch, torn from a cut or jacket. The emblem was unmistakable.
A skull with a serpent coiled through the eye sockets.
Ledger’s voice was quiet, grim. “Reapers.”
Avery’s stomach dropped. “Who are they?”
Rook’s jaw clenched so hard she thought it might crack. “A rival MC. One that doesn’t give a damn about rules.”
Avery didn’t know much about MCs, but the way the room shifted at that name told her everything she needed to know.
Stone crouched near the back door, running a gloved hand over the lock. “They tried to pry it open. Hard. This wasn’t a drunk or a random thief.”
Grim kicked the door, testing the frame. “They weren’t trying to rob the place. They were testing it. Seeing how fast someone would respond.”
Havoc scanned the alley with a flashlight. “Found footprints. Boot treads. Not ours.”
Ledger tapped his phone. “We knew they were circling the county line. What we didn’t know is that they’d cross it. This is their first move into town.”
Rook’s grip tightened around Avery. “They were testing us.”
“Why?” she asked.
Rook didn’t answer.
He didn’t have to.
The look in his eyes said everything.
She was a target.
And he was one breath away from losing his mind over it.
Stone stood. “We’ll sweep the block. Make sure they’re not still nearby.”
Grim cracked his knuckles. “If they are, they’re not walking away.”
Havoc grinned darkly. “I hope they’re still close.”
Ledger adjusted his glasses. “Highly unlikely, but not impossible.”
The men disappeared into the night, spreading out like a silent, deadly net.
Rook turned Avery toward him, hands firm on her shoulders. “Pack a bag.”
She blinked. “What?”
“You’re not staying here.”
“Noah…”
“You heard me.” His voice was low, dangerous. “Pack a bag. You’re staying at the clubhouse tonight.”
“I…Noah, I can’t just…”
“Yes,” he said, stepping closer, eyes burning into hers. “You can.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off, voice dropping to something dark and possessive that sent a shiver down her spine.
“You call me,” he said. “Always me.”
She felt something inside her shift.
He wasn’t asking. He wasn’t suggesting. He was claiming.
And God help her, she didn’t want to fight it.
He brushed a thumb over her cheek, gentler than she expected. “Go pack a bag, Aves.”
She nodded, legs still shaky, and headed upstairs.
Behind her, she heard Stone return. “Tracks lead toward the highway. They had a bike waiting.”
Grim growled. “Cowards.”
Havoc spat. “Reapers don’t get to sniff around our territory.”
Ledger added, “This wasn’t random.”
Stone’s voice was low. “No. It wasn’t.”
Rook didn’t respond.
But when Avery glanced back, he was watching her climb the stairs, eyes fierce, protective, and full of something she wasn’t ready to name.