Chapter 26
Avery
Avery had never seen the clubhouse like this.
Not loud. Not chaotic. Not full of laughter or teasing or Havoc’s ridiculous commentary.
This was different.
This was focused. Sharp. Purposeful.
The Saints were preparing for something big, and she could feel it in the air like static before a storm.
Rook had left Church an hour ago, jaw tight, eyes darker than she’d ever seen them. He’d kissed her forehead, told her to stay in his room, and disappeared down the hall with Stone and Grim.
But Avery couldn’t sit still. She needed to see. Needed to understand. Needed to know what they were walking into. So she stepped out quietly and followed the low hum of voices to the main room.
What she found made her stop in the doorway.
The Saints were gathered around the long table: maps spread out, photos pinned down with beer bottles, laptops open, weapons laid out for cleaning and inspection.
It wasn’t chaotic. It was organized. Every man had a role. Every man knew it.
Ledger was at the head of the table, typing rapidly, screens filled with maps, routes, and surveillance footage. He looked like he was running a military operation.
Grim was checking weapons, not in a threatening way, but with the calm efficiency of someone who’d done this a thousand times. He cleaned each piece with methodical precision, setting them aside in neat rows.
Havoc was pacing, muttering to himself, occasionally stopping to point at the map and say something that made Grim roll his eyes.
Fish stood near the far end of the table, arms folded, gaze steady. He wasn’t talking, he rarely did, but he was watching everything. Tracking movement. Reading the room. Seeing things no one else noticed.
Stone stood at the center, commanding the room without raising his voice. He gave orders, asked questions, redirected conversations — the calm in the middle of the storm.
And Rook…
Rook was leaning over the table, one hand braced on the wood, the other pointing at a cluster of red markers on the map. His voice was low, steady, controlled, but Avery could hear the fury beneath it.
She stepped closer.
Stone noticed her first. “Avery.”
Every head turned.
Rook straightened immediately, crossing the room in three long strides. “You shouldn’t be out here.”
She swallowed. “I wanted to see.”
His jaw tightened, not in anger, but in fear. “This isn’t…”
Stone cut in. “Let her.”
Rook shot him a look, but Stone didn’t budge. “She’s part of this now. Whether we like it or not.”
Avery’s heart thudded. Rook exhaled slowly, then took her hand and guided her to the table. “Stay close.” She did.
Ledger turned his laptop toward her. “This is the Reapers’ movement pattern for the last month.”
Red dots blinked across the map, creeping closer to town, closer to the bakery, closer to her.
Avery’s stomach twisted. “They were watching me.”
Rook’s grip tightened on her hand. “They were watching me.”
Fish’s voice came from the far side of the table, quiet, even. “They thought hitting her would make you react.”
Avery looked at him. Fish didn’t look away.
Stone nodded. “They hit her to pull us in.”
Grim added, “They’re stupid. But not that stupid.”
Havoc snorted. “Stupid enough to piss off Rook.”
Rook ignored them, pointing to three circled locations. “These are their known hangouts. We hit the warehouse first. It’s the least fortified.”
Ledger nodded. “I’ve got camera feeds from the street. Two guards. Maybe three inside.”
Grim cracked his knuckles. “Easy.”
Fish shook his head once. “Easy gets people killed. We go in smart.”
Stone shook his head. “We’re not going in guns blazing. We’re gathering intel. We need to know who’s calling the shots.”
Avery looked at Rook. “You’re going?”
He met her eyes, steady and unflinching. “Yeah.”
Her throat tightened. “Is it dangerous?”
He didn’t lie. “Yes.”
She swallowed hard. “And you’re still going.”
He stepped closer, cupping her cheek with one hand. “I have to. They came after you. They made it personal.”
Her breath trembled. “Noah…”
He leaned in, his forehead resting against hers. “I’ll come back to you.”
She closed her eyes. “You better.”
He smiled, small, soft, but real. “I will.”
Stone cleared his throat. “Rook. We need you.”
Rook kissed her, a quick, firm press before he pulled away.
Avery watched as he returned to the table, slipping seamlessly back into VP mode. His voice was steady, his posture strong, his presence commanding.
He wasn’t just Noah anymore. He was Rook. And the club moved around him like a well-oiled machine.
Stone assigned roles. Grim and Havoc would be the muscle. Ledger would run surveillance. Fish would take the rear flank – silent, steady, eyes on every exit. Stone and Rook would lead the strike team. Prospects would secure the perimeter.
Everyone had a job. Everyone trusted each other. Everyone trusted Rook. Avery felt something shift inside her.
This wasn’t just a club. This was a family. A dangerous one. A loyal one. A family that had taken her in without hesitation.
And Rook… Noah was at the center of it.
Stone clapped his hands once. “We move at sundown.”
Chairs scraped. Weapons clicked. Plans solidified.
Rook walked back to Avery, his expression softening the moment he reached her.
“You okay?” he asked.
She nodded. “I think so.”
He brushed a thumb across her cheek. “Stay in the clubhouse. I’ll come back as soon as it’s done.”
She swallowed. “Promise?”
He leaned in, his voice a low whisper against her ear. “I don’t break promises to you.”
Her heart clenched.
He kissed her forehead, then stepped away, joining the others as they prepared for the first strike.
Avery watched him go, her chest tight with fear and love.