Page 79 of Striker

"Fuck off, I could've taken him," I retort. Then, remembering the door, I point it out to Smokey. My hand shakes from blood loss. "She's in there."

Before the words even leave my mouth, Smokey and I run to the heavy door, hammering on it with our fists.

"Dani," I scream against the unforgiving steel. "Dani, can you hear me?"

Smoke fills the room, coming from the fires below. It chokes me, making me cough. The room feels hot and hazy with the intense, rolling heat.

I hammer on the door again.

This time, I hear an answering pounding and the faintest voice. "Owen, is that you?"

"Dani, it's me. It's me. How do we get the door open? What's the code?"

There's silence. Silence and sobbing that makes me want to rip apart this door with my bare hands, that anything could be frightening the woman I love like this is unacceptable. I want to rip this door open and take her into my arms.

"I don't know, Owen. I don't know... Riley… she had us put in some code to lock it, but now the keypad's not working and Riley's passed out."

"Fuck," I scream, kicking the door with all my might and accomplishing nothing but making my foot hurt like hell. It's as my scream turns into a cough that I realize the smoke and fire are growing worse by the second. It won't be long before they consume this room, along with anyone in it.

"How do we get in?" Smokey howls, hitting the wall in his own fury.

Dani's voice comes through the door again. Mournful this time. "Owen, if you're here... Riley's kid, Luca, is he...?"

"He's safe and sound and cute as hell," I say.

Maybe it's my imagination, but I swear I hear her sigh in relief. There's a smile on her face. I just know it.

"Owen, I love you, but this building is on fire and it won't be long before we're all gone. I need you and my brother to do me a favor. No, not just a favor. I need you to swear something to me on everything you hold dear as a biker, a Marine, and the man I love. Can you do that?"

My voice comes out choked, pained. "Anything, my love."

"You need to go. Leave us. I don't want to die knowing that the man I love died, too. I love you too much for that. Just promise me you'll take care of that baby and never forget me, OK?"

I ram my fist into the door with all my might. It does nothing.

The air turns black, and what isn't black is shimmering with the rising heat. There's a hand on my shoulder. Smokey.

His eyes tell me it's time. We need to go, or else we're dead, too.

Slowly, he goes to the door and presses his face to it. "I love you, sis."

The two of them exchange words for a moment.

Then it's my turn.

I go to the door with my heart in my throat and tears of heartache burning in my eyes.

"I promise."

Chapter Thirty

Danielle

The hammering at the door stops. Goes quiet. There's nothing except the sound of Morgan's fearful sobs and, I realize with a shock, my own. I hadn't even realized I was crying. Not that I'm surprised, but I feel so out of my body and so overwhelmed by the sensation of my heart ripping in two that I didn't even notice the tears or the sobs tearing up my throat.

I'm going to die.

But at least he knows that I still love him.

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