Chapter 52 #2
“We need to organise a girls’ night once this is over because it’s been too long since we hung out,” she says as she throws her arm over my shoulder and pulls me against her side. “So, how’s life with your three guys?”
“Good, if a little frustrating sometimes,” I say as I wind my arm around her waist.
“Oh? Too much sex?” she teases.
“I wish,” I snort. “I’ve barely seen them since they’ve been busy preparing Haven for the attack, and two of them are still injured. The doc said they couldn’t do any strenuous activity for at least another two weeks, and sex is well… strenuous.”
“With men like that? Oh, I bet it is.” She leans closer. “You lucky bitch.”
I shove her. “And you have Tamsin.”
“True, but just because I can’t touch doesn’t mean I can’t look. I’m still bi regardless of who I’m in a relationship with.” She makes a show of checking out all three of my guys. “And let me just say, you’ve done real good for yourself.”
I huff out a laugh and shake my head, but she’s not wrong. My three guys are hot as hell, and I still can’t believe they’re mine.
There’s a creak and a snap as the guys free the pieces of wood concealing the exit, revealing a small gap just big enough for us to squeeze through.
“Come on, ladies. Let’s get moving,” Rhys calls as he steps back from the exit.
Rachel and I make our way over. Alex is the first to go through since he’s the least injured out of the guys, followed by Theo, who blows me a kiss before disappearing. Tobias and Rachel are hot on his heels until it’s just me, Harlow and Rhys left. I start to move, but a hand on my arm stops me.
“Princess, I need you to be safe out there,” Rhys says softly as he steps closer. “I don’t know what I’d do if something were to happen to you, so please follow my orders.”
I turn to face him and reach out to cup the side of his head. “You know I can’t promise to follow orders blindly, Rhys.”
He blows out a harsh breath. “I know, I just…” He swallows hard, like he’s battling conflicting emotions. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I hate seeing you hurt, too, but I also know that in the heat of the moment, you’ll do what you think is right. Just like I will.”
He leans down and plants a hard kiss against my lips, catching me completely off guard. It’s a brief, but passionate kiss that has my mind spinning and heat building in my lower stomach. From the darkening of Rhys’s eyes, I’m not the only one affected.
“I won’t say it now, because that’s a shitty thing to do, but know that you mean more to me than anything on this earth.”
All I can do is nod and try not to swoon because my brain still hasn’t come back online. Unfortunately, the reality of our situation slams into us as loud gunshots blast through the air, causing our intimate bubble to burst.
“Come on, princess,” Rhys says as he puts distance between us. “Let’s show these pricks that we aren’t a community to be fucked with.”
I force myself to focus on our plan and hurry over to the narrow exit. It’s a tight fit, even for me, which makes me wonder how the hell the guys got through.
On the other side, everyone is waiting. Alex and Theo shoot me knowing smirks, while Rachel is almost vibrating with how excited she is.
Although I’m not sure if that excitement is for the impending fight or for my relationship; it’s hard to tell with that woman sometimes.
Tobias has his back to the exit and is staring out at the thick forest around us, his back tense and his hands flexing around his shotgun.
I go over to him and place a hand on his shoulder.
He startles and snaps his gaze to me. I smile reassuringly and squeeze his upper arm.
We can’t speak on this side of the wall, just in case there are gang members around, so I try to offer silent comfort.
Tobias covers my hand with his and squeezes back with a small smile in return.
I turn back to the exit just as Harlow scurries through the gap, followed by Rhys.
The heat and tenderness on his face from the moment before are gone, replaced with his usual stoic expression.
He scans everyone, making sure we’re all armed and ready before motioning us to follow him into the trees.
Navigating through the dense forest to flank the horde of enemies is harder than we expected.
While they’re making enough noise to cover up any we might make, they’re more spread out and disorganised than Rhys expected.
It makes avoiding being spotted ten times harder when one of them accidentally stumbles close to us.
Thankfully, it’s dark enough in the trees that they can’t make us out in the shadows, but there are a few close calls.
Because of this, it takes us twice as long to get to our staging area, and in this fight, every minute counts.
“Does everyone understand where they need to go?” Rhys asks quietly as we huddle around him.
We murmur our affirmatives, having created the op only yesterday.
“Good. Break off into your groups and keep quiet until we’re sure everyone is in place.
I’ll set off the first firework and then you guys can do the rest. Remember, once those fireworks go off, every gang member is going to be shooting at where they think you are, so run like hell and make it back here in one piece. ”
Rachel and Tobias are the first to leave since they’re the ones with the farthest to go.
Alex and Theo are next, both of them pressing kisses to my lips and murmuring their love to me before they disappear into the trees.
Rhys, Harlow and I are the only ones left, and we head towards our starting area about four hundred metres away.
Once there, we crouch behind the first firework planted in the soft, wet earth to wait. The sun is already dipping below the horizon, lengthening the shadows and making the forest around us even darker. My legs are just starting to ache when Rhys finally shifts to look at me.
“Here,” he says, handing me a small flip lighter. “You light and I’ll keep an eye out. Remember, once this starts, we need to get through these as quickly as possible and then run like hell.”
I nod and turn my attention to the fuse on the first firework. The lighter makes a small snit sound before a small orange flame appears, and in the blink of an eye, the first fuse is lit. I scramble away from it and rush to the next one, lighting it as fast as I can before moving onto the next.
I’m at the fourth firework when the first finally explodes with colourful lights in the sky.
It’s not as bright as it would be during the night, but we’re not using the fireworks for that.
The sound is almost deafening compared to the distant cracks and shouts from the ongoing battle, causing Harlow to yelp as she stays glued to my side.
“Move it, Ollie,” Rhys snaps just before the second goes off. “Two more to go and then we need to book it.”
I do as he says, all but sprinting to the next two fireworks as another goes off.
And then, in the distance, we hear two more go off, letting us know the others are alive and lighting their own.
By the time we finish lighting ours, several more have gone off, and the shouts from the gangs are getting louder.
There’s a crack in the air, followed by the whizz of a bullet and a snap as it hits a nearby tree.
That was close. Too close.
Rhys curses, grabs my arm and drags me away from our firework display and back into the safety of the thick forest. Even then, he doesn’t let me go and doesn’t slow down, making traversing the fallen logs, bushes and brambles into an assault course from hell.
Harlow sprints beside me, tongue lolling out the side of her mouth as she navigates the overgrown forest with ease.
We don’t stop running until we reach the staging area, and even then, Rhys forces us to hide among the thick bushes.
There we wait and hope that the others are okay.
The seconds turn into minutes, and with each breath, my stomach knots itself tighter and tighter.
I need to see Alex and Theo and make sure they’re okay.
Please be okay. It’s all I can do to keep myself from fidgeting and giving us away as my heart hammers against my chest. In the distance are the loud bangs and flashes of colourful light from the fireworks.
Harlow huffs quietly and presses her warm, furry body closer against me, offering me some comfort. I sink my shaking hands into her fur to keep them still.
Finally, I hear rustling and footsteps. A part of me relaxes, and I blow out a breath. They’re okay. I peek around the side of the bush, only for my relief to turn to stone. It’s not Alex and Theo emerging from the darkness. It’s Rachel and Tobias.
Oh God.
“Oh, fuck no,” Rhys says softly, coming to the same terrifying conclusion I have.
There’s no way Rachel and my brother should have beaten Theo and Alex back here.
Not when the guys had the shortest distance between their fireworks and the staging area.
A conscious decision made because Theo is still injured and there was no one else we trusted enough who could be a part of the op.
And yet they’re still not here.
No, no, no!
The dread in my stomach turns into full-blown panic as Rachel and Tobias look around the staging area in confusion.
“Alex and Theo aren’t back yet?” Rachel asks with a frown.
Rhys shakes his head. “No, but they set off their fireworks. So they can’t be—”
A masculine shout cuts him off that has my blood turning to ice in my veins. I know that voice. I’m in love with that voice.
Because it’s Theo, and from the sound of it, he’s in trouble.