I have to grab hold of Jake's forearm the moment Finn says Glory's name. The look on his face telling me all I need to know that something is wrong. The knot in the pit of my stomach starts to grow heavier with each breath I take as I wait for Finn to get off the phone.

"That was her father," Finn says on an exhale, as he puts his phone away. "She's in the hospital. Shit, Grace, she's been attacked and it's pretty bad," his eyes darted from mine to Jake, then back to me again.

"It was Ronan wasn’t it?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"We don’t know anything…" he tries to say, but I cut him off.

"Bullshit. You and I both know who did this." I wave my hands towards the licking flames from Jake's garage. "That is their work, and it's too much of a coincidence that my best friend is in the hospital too," I proclaim.

With all the chaos around us, I take a deep breath. I'm no good to anyone if I lose my shit. Remi is safe for now. There is nothing that can be done that the fire department isn’t already doing at this moment. I make my mind up. I know it’s a risk, but I have to go to Glory. She put herself in harm's way for me, and now it's my turn to be by her side. "Someone needs to take me to North Dakota," I demand.

"Dammit, Grace, if this is Ronan's handy work he'll be waiting for you to make a move." Finn does his best to explain, but I'm not having any of it. I'm fed up.

Grabbing my shoulders, Jake coaxes me to turn and face him. "Babe, I can't risk letting you go after all this."

"I'm not asking for yours or Finn's permission, Jake. I'm going." I defend my decision and stand my ground. His expression softens with my determination.

"Alright, let me make a few arrangements, then we can get on the road." Kissing my forehead, he leaves me standing with Finn.

"You know how dangerous this trip will be, Grace. If he knows where you are he won't let up," Finn says with a sigh.

"I know, but I can't keep going on this way. He's taken too much of my life already, and I won't allow him to keep me in fear and on the run any longer. I damn sure won't let him hurt the people I love and if that means putting myself in harms way then that's what I'll do," I finish as I keep my eyes on Jake, who now has his phone to his ear.

As we stand to watch the fire diminish under the pelting of the water, I feel a calm wash over me. For some reason, at this moment I think this is a pivotal turning point in my life. I've got my life back, and I'm prepared to fight for it. I won't let demons from my past take up space with their existence any longer.

Jake slides his phone into his back pocket and walks back our way. "I've got things sorted here for now. Demetri and a couple of his men are coming with us. They have a couple large sized SUV's we can ride in," he tells Finn and me.

"And Remi?" I ask.

"We can stop by the clubhouse on our way, Little Bird," Jake says as we load into his truck, and Finn climbs into his to follow us.

The ride out to the compound is filled with silence. Both of us lost in thought.

When we arrive, I can't get out of the truck fast enough to check on my daughter. Jake grabs my hand in his and leads me inside pass a few members of the club milling around near the bar talking and straight up the stairs. We stop in front of a bedroom door, and he lightly taps on it. A second later Lisa opens the door and lets us pass. "How are you guys holding up?" She asks with a weary, tired smile.

"We're doing alright, Lisa. I take it everyone hasn’t made it here yet?" Jake runs his hand through his messy hair and questions her.

"No. I imagine they should start showing up within the hour. You know it takes time to load up a whole family in the middle of the night. They'll get here soon enough," she pats him on his forearm.

"Where's Bennett? I need to talk with him before we leave," He asks Lisa.

Remi finally emerges from the bathroom and makes a beeline towards the bed where I have just sat down. Throwing her arms around my neck she embraces me and I hug her close. I can't imagine how frightened she has been with all this commotion going on. When she finally pulls herself from me, the scared look on her face breaks my heart. "Peanut, I need to go check on Aunt Glory. I need to know you'll be okay while I'm gone," I push her hair from her eyes.

"What's happened? Mom, is Aunt Glory in trouble? Is she okay?" she anxiously asks and pulls her legs into a criss-cross position on the bed.

I won't lie to her. "She's in the hospital. I need to go to her. She isn’t alone. Her mom and dad are by her side." I explain.

"I want to come with you," her hand reaches out and grabs mine.

Shaking my head, I tell her, "No. You will be staying here. I'll make sure you can call me anytime. I don’t know how long we'll be gone."

Her face gets stone cold. Anger takes the place of her fear, and she turns her head to stare at the wall. "He did this, didn’t he?"

I don't answer her. I don’t need to. Jake returns with Lisa trailing behind him.

"Our ride is here, babe. We need to get on the road soon," He softly speaks letting me know time isn’t necessarily on our side. Sighing I try to console my daughter, "You are my number one concern. The safest place for you right now is here with Jake's men. They will keep you safe," I rub her arm, so she'll look at me. Turning her head, she lets her shoulders slump. "I can call you whenever I want." She clarifies.

"Anytime.'' I pull her in for one more hug and a kiss on her forehead before standing. Lisa gives me a look of knowing and understanding. Leaving is hard, but I know she will be taken care of. Our new family would lay down their own lives for one of their own, and we happen to be lucky enough to be a part of them. Looking over my shoulder, I glance at Remi one last time as Lisa tucks her into bed and strokes her hair for comfort.

On our way downstairs, we pass Gabriel. "You ready?" Jake asks him.

"Just got Alba and the kids settled. Let me grab a few things from the shed out back, and I'll meet you and Demetri outside," Gabriel informs Jake.

A look passes between them, then they nod at one another, and we continue to head downstairs. "Where are you going to put everyone?" I ask curiously.

"We have plenty of room. The members with families will occupy the upstairs, and the men who are single will put a cot where they can find the space. The main reason I bought this old warehouse was to make sure we always had space for any situation. It's not the Ritz, but as long as everyone pitches in, we can manage to make the experience bearable for everyone." He says in a tired breath as he rolls his head and rubs his neck. A couple of feet from the door Logan walks in with Bella, Sofia, and a sleeping Breanna.

"Hey, Prez, you about to head out?" he asks switching the car seat in his hand from the one to the other.

"Yeah, brother. You've got command until I get back. Keep me posted on what you and the guys find whenever the authorities get done with their investigation of the fire. And don’t let my mom and pop overdue anything." He orders.

"Got it," he answers before following his family up the stairs. Pausing, he looks back, "Oh, I believe Quinn is on his way. Once he gets here, we will have everyone. I'll do roll call soon and let you know if we are all accounted for."

Jake nods, and we walk out the door. One of Demetri's men opens the door to the SUV, and we climb inside where Demetri is seated already. "Your man, Gabriel opted to drive the other vehicle in front of us, along with Mr. O'Rourke." he motions with a slight nod of his head out the front windshield to the SUV.

"Yeah, he's not much for being the passenger. You bring some extra protection in the form of artillery?" Jake asks.

"I did," Demetri slides a black leather duffle bag from the seat beside him and proceeds to unzip it. He hands a couple of handguns to Jake, one which is smaller in size than the other. "Babe," he takes the clip from the gun, checks to make sure it and the chamber is empty before handing it to me. "This is a Glock 43 9mm. I want you to get the feel of it in your hands because I want you to carry this with you."

Turning, it over in my hand I feel the weight of it. It's light and I like the grip on it. The last gun I held was more cumbersome than this one and the grip much too large for my small hands. I remove the clip, check the chamber, then replace the clip and check the safety before holding my arm outright to check the sight. Finn showed me how to handle a weapon when he taught me self-defense. I was terrified to hold that kind of power in my hand at first. I've seen first hand with the pull of a trigger how fast someone can extinguish someone's life. Finn felt knowing how to handle and accurately shoot one could mean life or death if Ronan ever got his hands on me again, and he was right. I'm lost in my head with the weight of the metal in my hands when Jake speaks.

"Good, I can tell you know your way with a gun. I was hoping O'Rourke was smart enough to teach you a little something about them as well." Demetri hands him another object, but I can't tell what it is right away. "Pull your shirt up under your breast, babe. I'm going to wrap this around your waist." He takes what looks like slimming wear and wraps it around my midsection and secures it in place. "There's a pocket right here," he points, and I look down to my side, "This is a concealing garment. I want you to load the gun and keep it on you at all times. We're at war, babe. We can't trust anyone right now. No matter what, you protect yourself. Got it." Jake says in earnest.

Handing me the box of bullets, I steadily load the rounds into the clip, secure the weapon, then slide it into the concealed pocket under my shirt. The whole time I feel Jake and Demetri's stare.

"Fuck, if that’s not the sexiest damn thing I have ever seen a woman do," Jake remarks.

Since we have the bench seat to ourselves, I tuck myself into Jake's side and try to relax. "You go on ahead and rest, Little Bird. I'll wake you before we get to where we are going." Jake pulls me in tighter.

Demetri swivels his seat back around to face forward, and the smooth sound of tires on the pavement end up lulling me to sleep.

Not sure how long I was out, but I wake to Jake's rough hand running along my arm. "Babe, we'll be at the hospital in roughly five minutes."

Pressing my back against the seat, I stretch my arms above my head trying to work out the stiffness in my lower back and groan. Inhaling deep, the smell of coffee fills the air. "Mmm, I smell coffee." Retrieving a to-go cup from a cup holder Jake hands me the drink. "I need to check on Remi," I tell him and bring the cup to my lips and take a sip.

"I talked to Bella when Logan called to update me on roll call about two hours ago. Remi's fine, babe. Bella said she finally went to sleep and was still resting. I'm sure she'll ask to call as soon as she wakes up," He assures me.

Demetri's driver pulls the truck around to drop us off at the entrance of the small county hospital. "I need to make some calls and tend to some business. I hope that your friend is well, Grace." Demetri announces as Jake opens the door.

"Thank you, Demetri," I give him a weak smile. I hope she will be okay too.

Sliding across the seat, I let myself out the same door as Jake. Taking my hand, he guides me toward the hospital doors. Finn is waiting for us as we round the bumper of the vehicle.

"I talked to her parents from her hospital room. They know we are here," Finn informs us then pauses, "She's stable, but they beat her pretty bad. Her parents want to have her transferred to a different facility with private care until she heals."

I shake my head, "She won't go for it. She's too independent and headstrong for that," I add.

"That she is," Finn grins. "Let's get inside. I don’t like standing out here in the open."

Finn already has the room number, so we load the elevator to the third floor and walk down the short hallway stopping in front of room 224.

"Come on, sweetheart, be reasonable," I hear the voice of Glory's mother say.

Knocking softly, I push the door open and walk in followed by Jake, then Finn. The smile on my best friend's face when she sees me doesn’t diminish the dark purple and deep red bruises on her pretty face. Her left eye is halfway swollen shut and her right is bloodshot. I hold back my tears because they do none of us any good.

"I need a good makeup artist, don't I?" she remarks trying to make light of the situation as her hand goes to her face.

Returning a smile, I cross the room first to greet her mother who stands at her side. "Mrs. Keller," I hug her, "how are you?" I ask. I haven’t seen the two of them in two years.

"Oh sweetie, it is so good to see you," she tells me in her soft voice. "You are much too thin," she holds me at arm's length inspecting my appearance.

"Mom, she looks good, let her be," Glory fusses.

"Oh, hush," she looks over her shoulder and tells her daughter, "I've missed my girls. I have a right to fuss over the both of you." Focusing her attention back on me, she asks, "How's Peanut?"

Not having a granddaughter of her own she took to my daughter as she was hers. It saddened all of us when Ronan stopped allowing them to see us. "She's good. Growing like a weed and sassy just like my momma," I chuckle.

"Get over here and give an old man a kiss on the cheek," Mr. Keller, Glory's dad grumps from the other side of the hospital room where he is sitting in a chair. Doing as he asks I walk past the end of the bed, stopping in front of him. Bending, I kiss his whiskered cheek. I don’t think I've ever seen him without a beard. It's so bushy Remi used to think he was Santa Claus.

"Keeping yourself busy, Mr. Keller?" I stand and ask.

Letting out a grunt, he grumps, "As much as I can get away with without the enforcer over there cracking the whip on my old ass," he smirks, trying to get a rise from his wife. "You going to introduce us," he gestures behind me towards Jake.

"Mr. and Mrs. Keller, this is Jake Delane." I introduce them.

"Nice to meet both of you," he greets the two of them. Walking beside me, he gives Mr. Keller a firm handshake.

"And why are you here?" He asks him with his hand still clasped around his.

"I'm Grace's man." Jake states.

Sizing Jake up, Mr. Keller gives Jake a look over. "Military?" He raises a bushy eyebrow.

"Yes, sir." Jake answers.

Satisfied, for now, Glory's dad nods his head and releases Jake's hand. "June dear, let's go get something to eat and let these youngsters chat."

After the two of them kiss their daughter on the cheek, they leave the room closing the door behind them. Sitting down on the side of the bed, I grab Glory's hand. "Talk to me. Tell me who did this."

Glory's face turns ashen. I hate to have her relive the moment. I'm sure she's had to recount the moment more than once already, but we need to know.

"I stepped outside with Bo," she looks at Jake because he's the only one in the room who doesn’t know who Bo is. "Bo is my basset hound," she smiles. "As soon as I turned my back, I felt a sharp blow to the back of my head and then I was shoved inside. There was two of them," she looks to Finn, "They weren’t very tall I would say just under six foot each. One had black hair and was a bit lanky and the other was bald, but I remember seeing a tattoo on the side of his neck." She pauses while she tries to recall what the tattoo looked like. "I think it was a dagger. I'm not one hundred percent sure," she closes her eyes and squeezes my hand but continues. "What felt like forever probably only lasted minutes. The only time one of them spoke was once I had come to after one of the last blows to my face." Opening her good eye, she locks eyes with me. "He said, he's coming to take back what belongs to him."

My stomach sinks. I knew it. I knew it was Ronan. He sent his goons to relay a message that he knows where we are. "Glory, I am so sorry. This is all my fault," I confess and hang my head.

"Like hell it is. They beat me. Not you. And before you try to say anything else, you know I'll disagree with, I'll say this too. I chose to help my best friend. No one made me do anything," she chastises.

Jake strides across the room to the window and peers out. Glory follows him with her eyes. "Honey, that man in fine." The entire hospital floor could have heard her attempt to whisper. Being amused, Jake chuckles to himself.

Clearing his throat Finn comes to stand on the opposite side of Glory. "You plan on taking your parents advice and maybe skipping town or the country for a while?" he asks her.

"No," Glory crosses her arms, which causes her to wince from pain. Catching me looking concerned she says, "I have a few bruised ribs and a slight concussion, but other than that I'm fine. And to answer your question Finn, No, I'm not. I'm not letting that piece of shit run me off. I'm staying."

I told them she was headstrong. As long as I've known her, she has always been persistent and gotten what she wanted. Her money never had anything to do with it. When she was determined to do something or have something she would go after it until she got it.

"You're coming home with me," I declare. "If you don’t want to leave town then you need to have a safe place to stay. The only place I can think of is with me."

She shifts her attention to Jake who continues to watch out the window. "So, Delane, you plan on protecting us from the De Burcas'? You'll have to end his life or he'll never stop."

Stepping to my side, Jake possessively places his hand on my hip and peers down at me when he answers her. "War is nothing new to me, sweetheart. The motherfucker sealed his fate a long time ago. The De Burcas' don’t know whose backyard they just stepped in to. I'll gladly give my last breath to keep Grace and Remi—my family safe."