Page 151 of Crossfire

Then again, it had sort of worked, hadn’t it?

“Deep down, no matter how much he’ll try to block it, he’s probably going to live in constant fear that it will all come crashing down around him.”

My chest ached.

In a gentle tone, Hunter added, “I’m asking you to please give him a little grace if he goes off the rails sometimes.”

His soft eyes pleaded with mine, his expression disarming.

Hunter Lockwood wasn’t here to tell me to go easy on his brother; he was on his metaphorical knees, pleading for his brother’s heart, knowing Grayson had already been through so much.

My stomach warmed.

How sweet was it that these big, macho men banded together like this? All Lockwood brothers probably had their own unique scar from losing both parents, especially with the way they lost their father, and they—or at least Hunter—could see that it set them up for complications and relationships.

“I can do that,” I assured. “I just…” My turn to struggle for composure, my voice cracking slightly. “I don’t want him to get hurt, trying to protect me.”

Stupid freaking message, go through already!

Hunter exchanged a look with his brothers, who began to walk across the room.

“Grayson might be unseasoned with relationships,” Hunter continued. “But when it comes to family, it’s not just words. It’s a bond, thicker than blood.”

“And he just made you part of that family,” Jace added, his gaze sincere.

A lump formed in my throat, hard and painful. I had always wanted siblings, and it appeared that, instantly, I had three. Four, if you counted Luna.

But my glee was short-lived because a freshMessage Failednotification flashed on my screen.

“Do you have bad cell phone service in this area?” I asked.

Hunter’s gaze darted to my phone, a flicker of unease crossing his features.

“He’s probably in a dead spot,” he assured, but there was a tightness around his eyes that betrayed his own concern.

Suddenly, a deafening crash shattered the silence, the sound tearing through the air like a thunderclap. My world exploded into chaos. A blinding, acrid fog engulfed me, searing my lungs with each desperate gasp. The room whirled in a dizzying spiral, the floor seeming to lurch and roll beneath my feet. Reality itself seemed to fracture, leaving me adrift in a twister of sensation and disorientation.

67

IVY

My vision struggled to focus through the thick veil of smoke, the biting stench invading my sinuses and making my eyes water. I blinked furiously, trying to see through the haze, but I could only make out shadowy figures darting through the murk while footsteps thundered across the hardwoods.

A female shriek from the kitchen pierced through the grunts and smacks of ongoing scuffles.

“You touch one hair on Luna’s head,” Hunter coughed.

One by one, bodies slammed to the ground, the impact vibrating the wooden planks beneath me as strange voices barked for them to, “Stand the fuck down or else…”

All of it echoed in my ears, which rang from whatever had detonated the smoke bomb.

Each breath felt like I was sucking in fire, throttling my air supply and searing my lungs with every desperate gasp. I couldn’t stop coughing, my body convulsing with each violent expulsion of air, each one more painful than the next, leaving my throat raw and ragged.

But even in the chaos, a chilling realization crashed into my mind.

They’re here for me.

My heart pounded as I stared down the barrel of one intruder’s rifle, his steely eyes locked on mine. The seconds stretched into an eternity, the air heavy with tension as I mentally raced through impossible scenarios.

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