Page 71 of Thunder

Hear death above my hammering heart, each beat echoing the sound of multiple car engines outside. The noise grows louder, vibrating through the glass of the still-broken window. They're here.

They’re here, and there’s a lot of them.

Many more than Marcus and I can handle.

"Shit," Marcus mutters. "Lia, lock the door and find a place to hide. Now!"

I nod, springing into action, my hands trembling as I bolt the door. My blood turns to pure adrenaline; every part of me, every nerve, every synapse, every cell burns with fearful energy. I've never felt so alive, yet on the brink of annihilation.

"Where are you gonna be?" I ask, my voice barely a whisper.

"Right here, with him," Marcus replies, jerking his head towards Brian, who smirks from his chair. "I’ll hold them back as long as I can. If they get past me, you go out the bathroom window and you run like hell."

"Be careful," I plead, my eyes meeting Marcus's for a moment.

His gaze holds a mix of reassurance and intensity that both terrifies and comforts me.

"Always am," he murmurs, flashing me a quick, fierce smile before turning his attention back to Brian.

“I love you,” I choke out, my voice wavering with emotion.

“I love you, too. Get in position, Lia. We don’t have much time.”

“Give them hell,” I add, trying to muster some bravado despite my trembling hands and the dread coiling in my stomach.

As I duck into the bathroom and take shelter in the tub, I swallow down the lump in my throat, trying to steady my racing thoughts. I take a deep breath, gathering every ounce of courage within me. The sound of heavy footsteps approaches the door, and I clench my hands into fists.

This is it.

Chapter Thirty-One

Thunder

Lia's hotel room is a far cry from a defensible position; one flimsy front door, and the bathroom window are the only exit points. Our odds are shit, we’re outnumbered, and the men outside are trained killers. I scan the modest space, looking for some way to fortify it against the coming storm. Hell, I'd give anything to be back at the Solverson warehouse, or better yet, an open field where I could see my enemies coming. But we're here, and there's no turning back.

I look at Lia and a sickening weight settles in the pit of my stomach, like a lump of molten lead threatening to burn through me. I've faced fights and showdowns before, but never with so much on the line. Before, it was just me. If I died, that was it. But now... Now, the love of my life is caught in the crosshairs, and every fiber of my being screams to protect her at all costs.

"Marcus, what are we going to do?" Lia asks, her voice trembling with fear.

I force a smile, trying to maintain some semblance of confidence.

"You’ve got a way out, babe. And I’ve got a few asses to kick. Trust me, you’ll be fine."

My fingers tap out a desperate message on my phone, pleading with Bullet to get here as soon as possible. I need a miracle, and my brothers in the MC are the closest thing I've got.

"Bullet's on his way," I tell her, though I'm not sure how much comfort that brings either of us. Time is running out, and we both know it.

Lia's eyes fill with tears, but she nods, determination steeling her features.

"Just tell me what to do to help you. I can fight. I don’t want to just sit here, Marcus. If I die, I want to be close to you."

"Stay low in that tub, keep quiet, and when the time comes, you get the fuck out through the bathroom window and you run like hell, that’s how you can help me the most," I reply, gripping my gun tightly. Every instinct in me wants to shield her, take her far away from this nightmare. But there's no escaping it now. One of us has to stay, to buy time, and there’s only one of us who makes the world a better, brighter place: her.

“Promise me you'll make it out too," she whispers, her hands shaking as shegrabsmy arm.

"I promise," I lie, though we both know the cost of her freedom, of her very survival, will likely be my life. Fair trade, if you ask me. Hell, better than fair; Lia’s smart, dedicated, has ideals about making the world a better place; her survival is more than worth the cost of my life.

My phone buzzes with Bullet's reply: 'Calling the other Reapers. We’re coming for you, brother. Hold on.'

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