Page 32 of Fear

Silence. A dangerous, breathless silence.

Then Alaska exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through her hair. “What do you suggest? Hopping on the nearest bike and riding straight into the middle of a fucking war?”

Siena squared her shoulders. “Maybe.”

“You’ll be dead before you get ten miles.”

Siena’s lips curled, but there was no real fight in her expression, because the truth was, Alaska was right. They couldn’t just leave, couldn’t just go barrelling into a fight they weren’t ready for. But that didn’t make this any easier. It didn’t make them feel any less useless.

Sofia’s stomach clenched. She crossed her arms over her chest, willing the rising panic away.

This was hell. Not knowing. Waiting.

Being powerless when the men they loved were out there bleeding, fighting, maybe even dying.

Mystique’s lips trembled before she set her jaw. “I hate this.”

Onix exhaled slowly. “We all do.”

Siena shook her head, muttering a string of curses under her breath before finally slamming her fist against the table. “They think they’re protecting us, but all they’re doing is making us watch while they put themselves in the fucking ground.”

Sofia closed her eyes for a second, forcing herself to breathe. She knew how they felt. Knew the rage, the helplessness, the fear, and she also knew one thing with absolute certainty.

If something happened to Goliath…She would never forgive them for leaving her behind, because this war was all because of her.

***

It had happened in silence. No shattered glass. No gunfire. No warning.

Sofia had gone to bed late, exhaustion weighing heavy on her limbs, the pull of sleep dragging her under faster than usual. And then—nothing.

When she awoke, her world was no longer safe. A rough hand clamped over her mouth, yanking her from the bed. Her scream was swallowed by the thick palm pressing against her lips.

Boots scraped against the floor. Shadows moved in the darkness. Sofia’s instincts kicked in. She fought. She twisted, kicking wildly, her elbow connecting with something solid—a grunt of pain.

“Bitch—”

A fist slammed into her ribs, knocking the air from her lungs. Pain exploded in her side, and before she could recover, another hit landed, sharp and cruel.

The hands on her were unyielding, dragging her toward the open window. They had come prepared, moving like ghosts in the night, slipping past the men on watch.

Her nails clawed at skin, at fabric, anything to anchor herself. It wasn’t the Shadow Riders. She knew that before she even saw the face of the man yanking her from the bed, because they didn’t know who she was before she ran.

But Jason Rodes’ men? They did. And now, they had her.

***

“Are you sure you scented others nearby?” Dash asks as he rushes towards the house.

“I’m sure!” Diesel states.

Dash explodes into the house; he rushes through all the rooms frightening most of the women until he got to Sofia’s room.

The room was empty. Dash stood at the edge of the bed, fists clenched, his chest rising and falling too fast. The scent of fear and struggle lingered in the air. His heart pounded, she was gone, his men had failed.

And Goliath…Fuck, he couldn’t tell his brother that his woman was taken.

Dash turned, his voice a snarl. “Find her. NOW.”

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