Page 63 of Hammer

Hammer turned to my youngest, his expression gentling further.“Then we have a better one,” he assured him.“And more allies than he knows about.We’re reaching out to your grandfather.”

My heart stuttered.Sure, I’d mentioned my dad was part of a club.I didn’t remember ever saying his name.How had he known?Wait.Atlas and his family… had they figured it out?

“Wrath?You’re contacting Wrath?”I asked.

It was a name I’d heard several times as I’d grown up, wondering about my father.If my mother had been telling the truth, he was part of a motorcycle club in Nevada called the Savage Knights.I’d never tried to track him down.She’d said he hadn’t wanted a family, so I’d tried to respect that.

Hammer nodded once.“Saint’s making the call tonight.The Savage Knights will want to know their President has a daughter and grandsons being threatened.”

The implications of that stunned me into silence.My father -- the man who’d never known I existed, who led another MC across the country -- was about to learn not only that he had a daughter, but that she was in danger.The potential for that response felt both overwhelming and strangely comforting.Assuming he gave a shit.

Chase’s face had gone carefully blank, but I could see the calculations happening behind his eyes.Levi looked torn between hope and deeper fear, as if adding more players to this dangerous game might tip it in either direction.

“You should get some rest,” Hammer said, coming to stand beside me.“All of you.It’s been a long day and tomorrow won’t be easier.”

I knew he was right, but the thought of closing my eyes, of letting my guard down even for a moment, sent a fresh wave of anxiety through me.“I don’t think I can sleep,” I admitted quietly.

“You should try,” he insisted, his hand finding the small of my back again.“I’ll be right here.Nothing gets past me.”

Looking into his weathered face, at the silver beard that had tickled my skin during our brief, stolen kiss, I found myself believing him despite years of learned distrust.Hammer was nothing like Piston -- nothing like any man I’d known before.When he made a promise, I was beginning to understand it wasn’t just words.

It was a vow written in iron and blood.

The sound of tires on gravel had Chase at the window before I could even move, his body tense as he peered through a narrow gap in the curtains.I held my breath, hand already reaching for Levi who’d gone perfectly still in his corner.The subtle shift in Chase’s shoulders -- a loosening, a recognition -- came before his words.“It’s Aura,” he reported, voice carefully neutral though I caught the hint of relief.“She’s got bags.Looks like supplies.”

“The girl never could follow a simple order to stay put,” Hammer muttered, though I noted the fondness underlying his gruff tone.He moved to the front door, checking through the peephole before disengaging the three deadbolts we’d installed just yesterday.For whatever reason, she’d wanted to give us a little space and had gotten permission to use the duplex for a few days.But I had to wonder if that was her way of slowly moving out on her own and leaving the nest, so to speak.

Aura burst in like a breath of fresh air, her arms laden with grocery bags.Her dark hair was pulled into a messy bun, her tattooed arms exposed by her tank top despite the evening chill.“Food for the troops,” she announced, kicking the door closed behind her.“And backup chargers, flashlights, first aid kit -- you know, siege essentials.”

The tension in the room eased fractionally at her arrival.Even Chase’s perpetual scowl softened as she thrust a bag into his arms.“Make yourself useful, big guy.These are heavy.”

Levi approached cautiously, his need to help warring with his instinct to stay hidden.Aura solved his dilemma by gently placing a smaller bag in his hands.“This one’s got the tech stuff.Figured you’d want first crack at organizing it.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled, but took the bag, the ghost of a smile touching his lips as he peeked inside and lifted out what looked like portable battery packs.

I watched this interaction with a mixture of gratitude and fascination.Aura had a way with my boys that I couldn’t quite explain -- a casualness that bypassed their defenses, an understanding that didn’t demand their trust but somehow earned it anyway.In the short time since we’d moved in, she’d become something between a sister and daughter to me, and something entirely her own to my sons.

“Perimeter check in fifteen,” Hammer told me, his hand briefly touching my lower back as he passed.“Need to coordinate with the night shift.”

I nodded, unconsciously leaning into his touch.“I’ll help Aura unpack.”

He hesitated, glancing at her with a look that carried entire conversations.“Keep them occupied,” he said, the words casual but loaded with meaning.

“Always do, old man,” she replied with an easy grin that softened the gravity of our situation.“Now go do your thing.We’re fine here.”

Aura herded us all toward the kitchen, distributing bags and assigning tasks with the efficiency of someone used to managing chaos.“Levi, can you sort the batteries?Chase, start unpacking the groceries.Amelia, I think it would be best if we had the leftover chili for dinner tonight.”

We fell into the work, the simple rhythm of domestic tasks creating a bubble of normalcy in the midst of our fortress-like surroundings.After nearly twenty minutes of this strange domesticity, Hammer appeared in the doorway.

I hesitated, looking at my boys.Chase was methodically arranging canned goods in the pantry, his back deliberately turned to the room, while Levi sat cross-legged on the floor, sorting through electronic equipment with Aura.

Chase turned and met my gaze briefly, something new in his expression -- not quite trust, but perhaps the seedling of it.Levi seemed more relaxed than he had been all day.

“It’s getting late,” I said, noting the shadows under my youngest’s eyes.“You two should try to get some sleep.”

Surprisingly, neither argued -- another sign of their exhaustion.Chase moved first, his movement triggering Levi’s automatic response to follow.But before they left the kitchen, Chase paused beside Aura.

“Thanks,” he said simply, the word carrying more weight than its single syllable should allow.

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