Page 13 of Peak’s Code

Warden answered him quickly. "Three SUVs with no plates just rolled up to the front gate."

Maeve was on her feet before she realized she'd moved. "No." Peak looked at her. "They found me." The words came out barely above a whisper.

"They couldn't have,” Peak insisted.

"They did." Her breathing quickened. "I shouldn't have come here."

Peak grabbed her shoulders. "Look at me."

She did. "How many men do you think they sent?"

"I don't know."

"Maeve.” His voice was calm, steady, and even grounding. "Think." She squeezed her eyes shut, and her stomach dropped.

"Oh, God."

Peak's grip tightened just enough to keep her focused. "What?"

"They're not here to negotiate." Outside, a horn blared, then another. The unmistakable sound of tires crunching across gravel echoed through the clubhouse. Motorcycles fired to life, and someone hit the emergency alarm mounted near the front entrance. Its shrill tone echoed through every room. Peak looked toward the hallway and then back at Maeve.

"You stay here,” he ordered.

She laughed once—a hollow, hopeless sound. "They aren't after your clubhouse."

She looked him straight in the eye. "They're after me." A deafening explosion shook the front of the building. Dust rained from the ceiling, glass shattered somewhere down the hall, the lights flickered and then went out, allowing darkness to swallow the room. And from somewhere outside came the unmistakable sound of automatic gunfire.

Peak

The blast rattled every window in the clubhouse. Peak reacted before his brain caught up. His hand shot to Maeve's arm, dragging her down behind the heavy steel table as another burst of automatic gunfire ripped through the front of the building.

Someone outside yelled, "Contact!" And another explosion rocked the walls. The emergency lights flickered to life, bathing the room in a dull red glow.

"Stay down!" Peak barked.

Maeve glared at him. "They're here for me."

"They're shooting at my clubhouse,” Peak growled.

"They'll kill everyone if they think I'm still here."

Peak pulled his Glock from the holster at the small of his back. "They're gonna have to get through us first."

His phone crackled. "Peak”

Peak thumbed the button. "I'm here, Warden."

"They breached the front gate,” Warden shouted.

"How many are there?" Peak asked.

"Six confirmed, maybe more." Peak's stomach tightened. "They're organized. They hit us with breaching charges,” Warden said.

“Are they military?” Peak asked.

“Looks that way,” Warden growled. Peak looked at Maeve. She'd gone pale because she knew exactly who was attacking.

"They're wearing body armor," Warden continued. "They have night vision and are carrying suppressed rifles."