I was about to do something that I was told never to do. Ryder explained that I was never allowed to interrupt church unless someone was dying. And Danny could be dying.
“Ellie?” I barely heard my name being called.
I knew my friends would be worried about me. They saw me with Danny. They understood how close we were.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm my raging heart and walked toward the church doors. I had no intention of knocking or being denied. Danny had trusted me with this. I knew it was important.
Pulling the church doors open, I walked in. If growing up in New York had taught me anything, it was to never show weakness when I barged into a room I didn’t belong in. I walked into that room like I had every right to be there. Despite the tears running down my face.
“Ellie, what are you doing?” I vaguely heard my husband ask, but I ignored him and walked straight over to King.
“Ellie, honey, what’s wrong?”
“There was an explosion.” I closed my eyes, trying so hard to get the words out quickly. “Danny,” I choked out.
Ryder came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. Someone moved, I didn’t know who, the only person I could see was King, as Ryder sat in the chair and pulled me into his lap.
King knelt on the floor in front of us. “What happened to Danny?”
“The Harbor Security Building on 5thexploded. Sypher was in it. He’s in the hospital,” Bane explained for me. He had followed me into the room and stood in the doorway.
“Fuck. I told him whatever he was gonna do wouldn’t work.”
I looked at my husband. “You knew?” I sneered.
“I didn’t know anything, baby. I just knew he was planning something. He didn’t tell me what.”
“Fuck.” King bowed his head.
“He asked me to give you something, King.”
King’s head snapped up and he locked eyes with mine. I reached out, taking his hand in mine as I slipped the drive into his hand and curled his fingers around it.
“He said to tell you, time’s up.”
“Fuck!” King cursed, jumping to his feet as he tightened his hand around the drive and yelled, “AMBER!”
December 18, 2024
Montana
St. John’s Presbyterian Hospital, New York.
“We can’t stay here forever. We’re sitting ducks,” I said, looking out the window down at the city I grew up in. This was my home. Always had been, always would be. I loved everything about this city, the good and the bad. I just never thought that the city I loved would be the city that kept me captive.
“We don’t have a choice. Until Sypher is stable enough to be moved, we’re stuck here,” Reaper stated as he took a seat at the table in the conference room on the private floor.
This wasn’t the first time I’d been on this floor. The last time was when Largo went into labor with Sophia. Mercy wasn’t taking any chances and paid handsomely for his wife to have all her needs met. If Tessa hadn’t done her runner, my son would have been born here as well.
“The place is secure,” Mercy said from the doorway. “Got brothers on the stairwells and elevator. No one is getting on this floor without a fight, and Malice took care of the remaining two Primary Brothers. We’re good for now.”
Reaper said nothing as he reached for a bottle of Hell’s Breath, pouring himself a drink. How that asshole snagged himself a bottle of whiskey I would never know. Shaking my head, I grabbed the bottle from him and poured myself a drink as well. I didn’t know what he was planning but I guessed it was bad, like no survivors bad.
Had to admit, though, he had a point, and it would solve a lot of my problems
There was only one problem I couldn’t get around.
“I don’t understand.”
