Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
SADIE
The heavy steel door of the bunker clangs shut behind us with a final, echoing thud that vibrates through my bones.
The sound cuts off most of the gunfire from above, but I can still hear the distant cracks and thuds, muffled now like thunder rolling far away.
My heart pounds so hard it feels like it might break through my ribs.
I stand frozen at the bottom of the stairs, one hand still gripping the cold metal railing, the other pressed to my stomach as if that might stop the terror from spilling out.
The bunker is larger than I expected. Concrete walls painted a pale gray, reinforced beams overhead, bright emergency lights humming softly from the ceiling.
Rows of metal shelves line one wall, stocked with water jugs, canned food, medical supplies, and blankets.
There are cots along the far side, a small chemical toilet behind a curtain, and a sturdy table in the center with chairs bolted to the floor.
It feels both safe and suffocating at the same time.
Harper moves first. She sets Poppi down on one of the cots and wraps a blanket around the little girl’s shoulders, murmuring soft words to calm her.
Poppi’s eyes are wide and teary, but she clutches her stuffed rabbit and stays quiet.
Kayley settles Aidan on the floor with a pile of coloring books and crayons she must have grabbed on the way down.
The little boy’s lower lip trembles, but he starts drawing shaky lines, trying to focus on the paper instead of the noises from above.
I look around at the other women. Hannah sits on the edge of a cot, arms wrapped around her knees, her face pale.
Daisy paces slowly near the shelves, checking supplies even though we all know they’re already stocked.
Emma stands by the small communication panel on the wall, fingers hovering over the buttons.
Fiona leans against the table, jaw tight, eyes sharp as if she is ready to fight even from down here.
None of them panic. Their movements are practiced, efficient. They’ve done this before, or at least drilled for it. I feel like an outsider who brought the storm with her.
A particularly loud burst of gunfire filters down through the vents, and I flinch hard.
My mind keeps flashing back to Thorne’s face right before I came down here.
The fierce determination in his eyes. The way he kissed me like it might be the last time.
He’s up there right now, risking everything. For me.
“I feel horrible,” I whisper, the words slipping out before I can stop them. My voice cracks. “This is all because of me. Magnus and his men. I brought this to your doorstep. To your home. To your children.”
Harper turns to me immediately, her expression gentle but firm.
She crosses the room and takes both my hands in hers.
“Sadie, listen to me. This is not your fault. You didn’t invite them here.
They came because they’re bad men who think they can take whatever they want.
You ran to safety. That is what you were supposed to do. ”
Kayley looks up from where she sits with Aidan. “Harper’s right. We built this place knowing danger might follow some of us one day. Every woman who has come through these gates has brought some kind of trouble with her. That’s why Haven 7 exists. To protect people who have nowhere else to go.”
Hannah nods from her cot. “I felt the same way when I first got here. I thought I was bringing my own mess to everyone’s front door. But these men, they chose this life. They chose to stand between us and whatever is chasing us. You’re not a burden. You’re family now.”
Daisy stops pacing and comes over, placing a hand on my shoulder. “We protect our own. That’s the rule here. And you became one of us the moment Thorne decided you were staying. The moment any of us decided you were staying.”
Emma finally speaks from the communication panel. Her voice is steady, but I can hear the tension underneath. “We can’t just sit here and hope they hold them off. We need to call for help. Real help. The police. Silas has contacts, but we need everyone the force can spare.”
Harper nods. “Do it, Emma. Tell them to bring the cavalry. Tell them it’s an active shooter situation at the Haven 7 compound on Wedding Cake Mountain.
Multiple armed assailants trying to breach the property.
We have women and children in a secure bunker, but the men are engaged in heavy gunfire. They need backup now.”
Emma picks up the receiver and dials. Her voice stays clear and professional as she speaks to the dispatcher.
“This is Emma at Haven 7. We have an emergency. Armed men are attacking the compound. They’ve breached the outer fence and are ramming the main gate.
There’s heavy gunfire. We need every available officer.
Send the cavalry. Tell them Sheriff Silas James is already on scene and requesting immediate assistance. ”
She repeats the information, gives coordinates, and stays on the line as the dispatcher asks follow-up questions. The rest of us listen in silence. Poppi starts to whimper, and Harper picks her up again, rocking her gently. Aidan crawls into Kayley’s lap and hides his face against her shirt.
When Emma hangs up she exhales slowly. “They’re mobilizing. Said they will send everyone they have. It’ll take them twenty to thirty minutes to get up the mountain, but they’re coming.”
Thirty minutes feels like forever when every second upstairs could mean Thorne getting hurt.
I sink down onto one of the cots, my legs suddenly weak.
“I can’t stop thinking about Thorne. He’s up there fighting because of me.
What if something happens to him? To any of them? I would never forgive myself.”
Fiona sits beside me and puts an arm around my shoulders.
“None of us would forgive ourselves if we didn’t fight for each other.
That’s the deal we all made when we came here.
The men know the risks. They train for this.
Thorne especially. He spent years in special forces. He knows how to handle himself.”
“But he shouldn’t have to,” I say, voice small. “Not for me.”
Harper settles on my other side, Poppi now dozing against her shoulder.
“Sweetheart, love doesn’t come without risk.
And what these men feel for us is not casual.
Thorne looks at you the way Rafe looks at me.
The way Gavin looks at Kayley. They don’t fight because they have to.
They fight because they can’t imagine a world without us in it. ”
Kayley nods, stroking Aidan’s hair. “When I first got here with Aidan, I was running from my own nightmare. I thought the same thing. That I was putting everyone in danger. But the men sat me down and told me straight. This compound is not just a hiding place. It’s a fortress for the people we love.
You’re loved here, Sadie. Thorne made that clear to all of us. ”
Daisy brings over a bottle of water and presses it into my hands. “Drink. You’re shaking. We all are. But we stay strong down here so they can focus up there. If we fall apart, it doesn’t help them.”
I take a sip, the cool water helping a little.
The muffled sounds of gunfire continue above us.
Every burst makes me flinch. I imagine Thorne behind a window or crouched behind cover, rifle steady, eyes sharp.
I picture him thinking about me the same way I’m thinking about him.
The thought both comforts and terrifies me.
“I just want him to come back,” I whisper. “I want all of them to come back.”
Emma sits across from us at the table. “They will. These men are tough. They built this place with their own hands. They’ve faced worse in their pasts. Military, law enforcement, personal demons. They know how to survive.”
We fall into a heavy but supportive silence for a while.
Harper hums a soft lullaby to Poppi. Kayley reads a quiet story to Aidan from one of the books on the shelf.
Daisy checks the medical supplies again, organizing bandages and antiseptic as if keeping busy will keep the fear at bay.
Hannah sits close to me, offering silent companionship.
After some time the conversation picks up again, softer now.
Harper tells stories about the early days of the compound.
How the men first arrived, broken in different ways, and slowly built something worth protecting.
Kayley shares how Aidan has blossomed here, how he sleeps better and laughs more.
Hannah talks about the garden she helps tend and how she can’t wait for spring when everything turns green again.
Emma describes the first time she drove up the mountain road and knew she had found her place.
Their voices wrap around me like another blanket. I listen to every word, letting their strength seep into me. These women are not just surviving. They’re thriving in spite of the fear. They have chosen this life, chosen these men, chosen each other. And now they’re choosing me too.
“I never had anything like this,” I say quietly when there’s a lull. “A real family. People who stand together no matter what. I thought family was something you were born into. Blood. Obligation. But this… this is different. This is chosen. And it feels so good it almost hurts.”
Harper smiles at me over Poppi’s head. “That’s exactly what it is. Chosen family. And once you are in, you’re in for good. No take-backs.”
Kayley grins. “Welcome to the sisterhood of the mountain. We drink coffee, raise babies, patch up bullet wounds, and love our stubborn men with everything we have.” She smiles wider. “And I have a secret to share.”
Everyone’s eyes widen.
“I’m pregnant,” Kayley says and the women all laugh and smile.
Fiona hugs her. “I’m going to be an aunt. I’m so happy for you and my brother.”
Kayley has tears in her eyes. “I couldn’t be happier.”
A warmth feeling spreads through my chest. For a moment the fear eases just enough for me to breathe deeper.
I think about the Sunday dinner we shared.
The long table full of food and laughter.
The way everyone passed dishes and told stories.
The way Thorne looked at me across the table like I already belonged.
“I want to stay,” I tell them. “Not just until Magnus is gone. I want to stay forever. I want to be part of this. The dinners, the gardens, the quiet mornings, even the hard days. I want all of it with Thorne and with all of you.”
Fiona reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Then that’s what you’ll have. We’ll make sure of it.”
The room all centers around Kayley as we ask questions about her pregnancy and if Gavin knows.
More time passes. The gunfire above seems to shift, sometimes louder, sometimes quieter.
We take turns checking on the children. Poppi falls fully asleep in Harper’s arms. Aidan curls up on a cot with a blanket, eyes heavy but still fighting sleep.
We share water and a few granola bars from the supplies.
Emma keeps the communication panel close, ready if the police need more information.
I talk more than I expect. I tell them about my life before Magnus.
The small things I miss. The way my grandmother used to make biscuits on Sunday mornings.
How I always wanted a big noisy family but never thought I would find one.
The women listen without pity, only understanding.
They share pieces of their own pasts. The heartbreaks.
The running. The moment each of them decided Haven 7 was home.
Every story strengthens the bond forming between us. By the time an hour has passed, I no longer feel like the outsider who brought trouble. I feel like one of them. A sister. A daughter. A woman who belongs.
The muffled sounds of the fight continue, but I hold onto the words the women keep repeating. This is what we do. We protect family. And I’m family now.
I close my eyes and send a silent prayer upward. Come back to me, Thorne. All of you. Come back safe.
The bunker stays steady around us. The women stay strong beside me. And somewhere above, the men I have come to love as my own fight to keep the life we are building intact.
I will wait here as long as it takes. Because for the first time, I truly believe there’s a future waiting on the other side of that steel door. A future filled with Sunday dinners, laughter, children, and a man who calls me his. A future on this mountain where I never have to run again.