Chapter 19
JACQUELINE
We were out of bed in a flash.
“Clothes. Boots. Now,” Brogan ordered, already yanking on his jeans.
I scrambled into the first things I could find while he shoved his feet into his boots. Then he grabbed his gun and phone. The house was pitch black, so he took my hand and led me down the hallway to the breaker box in the utility room.
Using his phone as a flashlight, he cursed. “No tripped breaker. Power’s out.”
We moved toward the front of the house. Brogan opened the door just enough to look outside, and a shot cracked through the night, the bullet slamming into the wood only inches from his head. He yanked the door shut hard and tugged me behind his back.
“Smells like accelerant, dammit,” he growled.
“What about the exterior roof and perimeter sprinklers Grandpa installed for wildfires?” I asked, my pulse thundering in my ears. “They should run on a backup generator.”
He moved us away from the front of the house, careful to keep himself between me and danger. “Won’t do any good if they damaged the water line too.”
“All of this for the notebook?” I whispered.
Brogan’s voice was grim as he murmured, “They gotta eliminate you as a witness too if Wade wants to keep his son outta jail.”
“Crap, right.” I pressed trembling fingers to my lips.
“Thank fuck the club is next door.” At my confused look, he added, “Cipher programmed the alarms to trigger if the power goes out. Most common way for thieves to bypass a security system.”
“Oh.”
“My brothers will be here soon.” He tipped his head toward the door. “Those assholes wouldn’t have counted on that.”
He was right. It didn’t take long for the low roar of multiple bikes and trucks to reach us. Gunfire erupted outside as the Black Crowns engaged the men blocking the main drive.
I grabbed Brogan’s arm. “They also don’t know about the old route through the root cellar. We can get out of here without them ever knowing.”
“Not sure why I’m surprised I had no fucking clue.” He shook his head and interlaced our fingers. “Otis liked his secrets.”
He let me lead him downstairs into the basement. Then he helped me push aside a heavy wooden shelf on the far wall, revealing a narrow door.
“My great-grandfather used this during Prohibition. The way I heard it, he ran bootleg alcohol through here to the back of the property. It comes out near the old oak.”
Brogan nodded. “That’ll work. Good job, baby.”
We moved through the dark, damp tunnel as fast as we could, his phone lighting the way. When we emerged into the cool night air behind the house, the smell of smoke was stronger. The barn nearest us was fully engulfed on one side.
I pointed. “Daisy’s in the third stall on the left. Please—”
“My men’ll get her.” Brogan jabbed his finger against the screen of his phone before putting it to his ear. “Mare’s in the third stall, left side of the barn. Get her out. Now.”
Watching them work together was a sight to behold, even under these dire circumstances. They moved like they knew what each other was going to do before the decision was even made.
Two of them peeled off toward the burning barn. Another group opened fire to draw the attackers’ attention, forcing Wade’s men to turn away from us.
The echo of gunfire only increased as more Black Crowns poured onto the property.
Brogan kept me tucked tight against his side, his body angled to shield me while he scanned the darkness.
But the sound started to fade over the distance as his club brothers drew Wade’s men farther away from the house.
Brogan guided me behind a low stone wall near the root cellar entrance, positioning himself so his body stayed between me and the worst of the fighting. Every time a shot rang out closer than he liked, his hand tightened on my hip, keeping me down. “Don't worry. I’ve got you.”
I gave him a jerky nod and watched as the club worked.
One of the brothers used a ranch truck to drag a water trough closer to the flames while others tossed buckets onto the flames.
The fire still climbed the old barn’s walls, but they were slowing its spread, keeping it from jumping to the dry grass and the house.
A sharp nicker cut through the chaos, and two men emerged from the smoke, leading Daisy by a rope. She was wild-eyed and trembling, but she was alive.
Relief hit me so hard my knees almost buckled. “They got her.”
Brogan tucked me closer against his side. “Damn straight.”
Ghost found us about five minutes later. “Two in custody, but another one rabbited down the rear road with Kessler.”
Brogan’s jaw flexed. “Let them go. Secure the ones you’ve got and keep the fire contained.”
I stared at him. “You’re not going after Wade?”
“Not yet.” His eyes stayed on the flames. “Right now the priority is you and this property. Kessler’s not getting away for long.”
I watched him direct his club brothers while never once moving more than a few feet from me. He wasn’t the uncontrolled force I’d seen the night Trent grabbed me. This was something more calculated but no less lethal.
And every bit of it was focused on keeping me safe.
The old barn was clearly lost, the flames had eaten too much of the structure. But the house only had scorched siding and broken windows on one side. The brothers had contained the worst of it.
I leaned into Brogan’s side, the full power of the Black Crowns still moving around us like a living shield.
He had said I wasn’t in this alone. Tonight, that promise had become physical reality.
Without Brogan and the Black Crowns, I never would’ve made it out of this alive. Too much time had passed between the attack and the flashing lights from the police cars and fire trucks coming down the drive.
The captured men were already on their knees in the dirt, and the last of the flames were being knocked down. Empty accelerant cans and the truck they’d used to ram the fence sat in plain view.
The sheriff climbed out of his car, took one look at the scene, and sighed. “At least we’ve got more than enough for the warrant now. I shouldn’t have any problem getting the judge to sign off in the morning, and then I can move on Kessler’s yard right away.”
Brogan’s expression didn’t change, but something cold settled behind his eyes. “You’d better find him before I do.”
Bex’s dad dipped his chin in acknowledgment of what Brogan left unsaid. The club’s version of justice was bound to look very different from his, but I knew he’d fight for his daughter the same way Brogan was willing to do for me.
With that settled, Brogan turned to me and lifted a hand, beckoning one of his brothers over. “Reaper. Check her.”
The club medic stepped forward and shone a small light in my eyes before listening to my breathing. Then he gently turned my arms to examine the bruises Trent had left the night before and any new ones from tonight.
“Mild smoke exposure,” Reaper finally announced. “No burns. She’s okay.”
Brogan took a deep breath and looked at me. I could feel the barely leashed fury rolling off him. “I have to finish this.”
I didn’t tell him to be careful or stay within the law. After what happened here tonight, Wade Kessler deserved whatever justice was dished out to him by the Black Crowns.
Resting my palm against his chest, I nodded. “I know.”
His eyes searched mine, and whatever he found there settled something in him. He covered my hand with his, squeezed once, then leaned down and pressed a hard kiss to my forehead. “Thank you for being so damn perfect, baby.”
Standing there with the ruined barn still smoking behind us, I felt the full weight of what I’d just accepted. I hadn’t just fallen for the man who protected me. I was in love with the kind of man who would hunt Wade Kessler down and make sure he never threatened us again.
And I trusted both sides of him completely.