Page 56 of Rook
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.
