Page 51 of Fear

Chapter 22

The world had gone quiet inside his head. That terrifying stillness before the storm.

The warehouse loomed ahead like a forgotten relic—tall, rusted walls, shadows pooling under floodlights that hadn’t flickered on, but Goliath didn’t need light. He didn’t need clarity. He just needed Sofia.

Fang’s low growl echoed beside him as the wolves flanked the perimeter, weaving through brush and shadow like ghosts. Frost moved up along the far side, silent and deadly, a blade in each hand. Dixon and Hunter fanned left, clearing the outer buildings, their guns raised and eyes sharp.

King’s voice came low through the comm. “We move on my mark. In and out. No hesitation.”

Goliath didn’t respond. He was already moving.

The lock on the rear service door didn’t stand a chance. One kick from Goliath’s boot shattered it open, the metal screaming as the door flew off its hinges. And then they were inside. Gunfire erupted instantly.

Muzzle flashes lit up the dark corridor. Shadows danced against the concrete walls as Rodes’ guards scrambled for cover. But the Wolverines didn’t flinch.

Hunter dropped two men in three shots. Frost disappeared around the corner, and seconds later, a scream rang out—a sharp, wet sound that ended fast.

Dixon covered Goliath’s flank, calling out positions. “Two ahead. Left corridor!”

Bang. Bang.

Blood splattered the wall. Keep moving. Keep breathing. Keep killing.

Each hallway they cleared brought him closer. Each heartbeat felt louder than the last. The bond was a wire now…tight, humming, pulling. He could feel her fear, her pain, and something else, hope. She was still fighting.

They fought like a single, seamless unit. No missteps. No wasted movement. The kind of rhythm that came only from years of bled-in trust.

Goliath didn’t have to look back to know Dixon had him covered. That King would hold the line. That Fang and Gunner were clearing a path like hellhounds. That the rest of the men were fighting to get his woman back.

They weren’t just here for the mission. They were here for him. For his mate, because the club wasn’t just brothers and bikes. It was blood. Loyalty. Family. And they would burn every goddamn inch of this place to bring her home.

The moment Goliath stormed the main corridor, a door slammed ahead. Frost’s voice rang out. “He’s running!”

Jason Rodes, that coward piece of shit. Goliath pushed forward, barrelling down the hallway—only to see tail lights burning into the dark as a black SUV peeled away from the far loading dock.

“FUCK!”

He fired two rounds—one shattered the back windshield. The other punched into the tailgate, but it wasn’t enough. Jason was gone, stolen justice, stolen revenge. And for a moment, the rage consumed him…until he felt her.

Close. So, fucking close. He turned, looking down one hallway with three doors. His senses vibrated as he was pulled towards the secondon the right. He didn’t think, he didn’t knock. He tore it from the hinges—and then froze. The roar in his blood stopped. The world narrowed to a single image.

Sofia.

She was curled in the far corner of the cell…no bigger than a storage closet her arms were wrapped around her knees, her body trembling. Her hands were still bound at the wrists with a plastic tie that had dug into her skin, leaving raw, angry lines. Her hair was a tangled mess, matted with blood at the temple.

Her shirt was torn at the collar, the fabric stretched and filthy. A bruise painted the left side of her face in vicious shades of purple and black, and her lip was split open, dried blood crusting in the corner, but it was the smear of blood on her jaw—her blood—that made something inside him come unstitched.

His wolf howled beneath his skin, his lungs stopped working. His feet didn’t move, for one suspended breath, he stood there and just stared.

Everything around him blurred, the chaos of the raid, the shouting of the brothers, the pounding of boots and gunfire in the distance. All he could see was her laying on the ground, broken, battered, but she was still breathing, and she was his.

“Sofia.”

Her head lifted, slowly, dazed, and when her eyes met his, everything shattered. Tears spilled instantly down her cheeks. “Goliath.” Her voice was cracked, raw, and full of disbelief.

He dropped to his knees like the ground had been ripped out from under him. His hands hovered inches from her…shaking, unsure if he could even touch her without falling apart.

“Jesus…” his voice came rough and strangled, “what did they do to you?” He couldn’t stop looking at her injuries, every bruise a bullet in his soul. He growled when he saw her bleeding wrists, stretching down he let one of his claws extract, slicing the tie wrap.

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