My vision tunneled as glass sprayed over the bar. There were other noises. There had to be. With almost two hundred people fleeing toward the back room and bullets still coming in, the sound of chaos should have been deafening. But the only thing I heard was Quinn’s scream.

I got her under me. She looked up at me with wild eyes. I felt her heart beating wildly against mine as I pressed my body over hers. She was warm. Alive. But nowhere near safe.

“Dom!” Chase yelled. He had Ariel beneath him as well; her long red hair spilled over the ground. My heart split, I didn’t think Ariel was moving. Then she did. She wriggled partially free, probably so she could breathe.

I put my lips to Quinn’s ear. “Baby, stay down.”

“Dom, don’t!” I was already up, still squatting low. I upended a round table and put it in front of Quinn for a shield. Meeting Chase’s eyes, he nodded and covered Ariel as she scrambled beside Quinn and hid behind the table.

Shep, Chase, Zig, and I regrouped in front of the women. “Where’s Gina?” I asked Zig. His nostrils flared as he looked at me, wild-eyed.

“Not here,” he said. Right. He’d said that before. Shep put a hand on Zig’s shoulders.

“Anybody hit?” Shep called out. There were screams coming from the back, but they didn’t sound like anyone hurt. They sounded like panic.

“Wendy!” Chase yelled. She’d been behind the bar, closest to the exploding glass. She didn’t answer. Chase moved. As Ariel shouted for him to be careful, Chase leaped over the bar. His choked sound cut through me.

“She’s hit,” he said. “In the chest. Wendy, look at me, honey. You stay with me.”

Shep and I stayed low but went for the front door. I saw movement behind me. Ariel and Quinn crawled out from behind the table.

“Stay back!” I shouted. Shep was on one side of the bullet-riddled front door, I was on the other. We heard screeching tires and retreating tail lights.

“Anybody see anything?” Shep hollered.

“No!” Louie, one of the bouncers, knelt just a few feet away from him, sweat dripping slowly down his nose. “Not a damn thing.”

“She needs a doctor, Domino!” Quinn’s shout seared through me. As adrenaline fueled me, her voice kept me grounded. She was okay. Quinn hadn’t been hit.

I ran to the end of the bar. Quinn had Wendy’s head in her lap. Ariel pressed a towel to Wendy’s chest but it was already soaked completely red as she reached for another one. Ariel looked back at me, eyes wide with fear. Her lips had lost all color and she parted them to speak but no words came out. Instead, she just shook her head slowly as a single tear fell from her eye.

“Fuck!” I banged the back of my head against the wall.

“We go to ground,” Zig said. As club secretary, he was our ranking member. “Until we know what the fuck this was about, get everybody back to the clubhouse. Louie, you know what to do. P.A.P.D.’s going to be crawling all over the place in a couple of minutes. We need to get our people out.”

Louie nodded. He was a member of the DiSalvo family and one of Zig’s wife’s cousins. He was still shaking, but the guy had a level head and was already starting to take charge of the rest of the staff. They had the bar patrons herded in the back room.

“I’m not leaving her!” Ariel cried. She locked eyes with Chase. “W-Wendy’s bad, Chase. She’s real bad.”

Chase whistled and gestured with his finger. Two of the waitresses stepped cautiously toward him arm in arm. “Shelly,” Chase said. “You gotta be with Wendy. Keep the bleeding under control as much as you can. Keep talking to her. Anybody call 911?”

“I did,” Shelly said, nodding.

“Good girl.”

“Come on,” Zig said. “I don’t want to end up cooling my heels at the police station. They’ll know where to find us when they need us. For now, I want everyone safe.”

Shelly and the other waitress took over from Ariel and Quinn. Quinn’s shirt was stained with Wendy’s blood. She came to me. I gathered her to me. Her skin felt so cold.

“You should put her on a plane,” Chase said. “Get her the hell away from this.”

I met Zig’s eyes. More than anything, I wished it were that easy. “Baby,” I looked at Quinn. “I need you to trust me for a little while. I’m going to get you out of this, but I need you to do everything I say. Don’t ask questions.”

Her chin quivering, she nodded. Quinn held onto me so tight. I looked over her head at Zig. “Until we know what this is about, Quinn stays with me. Those assholes have our picture plastered all over the internet and television. If anyone’s trying to rattle our cage …”

Zig put up a hand. He knew my mind. If this was the Hawks or some other threat to the club, Quinn wasn’t safe. Someone might try to use her to get to me. Until we knew what was what, I didn’t plan to let her out of my sight.

Zig led the way followed by me with Quinn tucked under my arm. I held her head close, shielding her as we ran out the back toward the bikes, guns drawn. Chase was right behind me, doing the same to shield Ariel. Shep brought up the rear, walking backward and scanning in every direction.

I tossed a helmet to Quinn and she quickly climbed on the back of Bear’s Harley. We peeled out in the same formation as we left the building. That day, that ride was the longest fifteen minutes of my life. We weaved through traffic and took to the sidewalks when we couldn’t. Quinn’s tight grip around my waist kept me from losing my shit altogether.

So close. That had been too fucking close. If Quinn had been sitting at the bar with Ariel like she had been a few minutes before …

My heart started to ease as we made the turn up the dirt road toward the clubhouse. Bear already had some of the probies stationed near the entrance. Even if Zig hadn’t called and got the word to him, Port Azrael was a small enough town he would have heard anyway within minutes.

The probies closed and locked the wrought iron gates behind us as we roared up the drive. Rufus was outside, barking his head off and baring his teeth. The damn dog also knew shit was going down.

The front door of the clubhouse flew open and Mama Bear stood in it along with Axle. We exchanged hard looks as I helped Quinn off the bike and rushed her inside.

“Come on, honey,” Mama bear said, sliding an arm around Quinn’s shoulder. Quinn held my hand in a vise grip. She looked at me as Mama tried to peel her away. I caught Mama’s eyes then cupped Quinn’s face with my hands.

“Go with Mama Bear,” I said. “I need to meet with my crew. This will all be over soon. I promise. Don’t be scared.”

“I’m not,” she said, gasping. “Not for me. I’m worried about that bartender, Wendy.”

Mama made a small, choked sound. “It’s bad,” I said. She needed to know. I knew her healer’s instincts would kick in. She’d want to go to her. Of course, that was out of the question.

“Let the boys talk,” Mama said. Quinn let her pull her away from me. Gina and Maya came out from one of the back rooms. Gina must have headed straight here. Good girl. Mama gave me a nod over her shoulder, reassuring me she could handle things with Quinn just fine. I felt a heavy hand on my back.

“Come on, kid,” E.Z. said. I hated when he called me that. As V.P., he was the only old-timer left along with Bear. But I wasn’t in the mood to argue with him. I followed E.Z. into the back conference room. The rest of the members had already taken their seats. The expression on every face was grave.

“All our people accounted for?” Bear asked. He didn’t just mean the men at this table. He meant every family member. Those who had old ladies brought them here. Gina had Zig’s baby boy with her too.

“Everybody’s here,” Deacon answered, “except for Jenny. She’s taking point with P.A.P.D.” Jenny was Benz’s woman and a police detective. Though I knew Benz would rest easier with her under our roof, she could do us more good at work today.

“And Bo? Anybody get a hold of him?” There was hard tension in Bear’s voice. Bo’s absence had been a sore spot with him. Though I wasn’t privy to the circumstances, Bo was still AWOL.

“Bo can take care of his own damn self,” E.Z. shouted. He was right, but I didn’t like the vitriol in the way he said it.

“What do we know?” Bear asked.

“Gina’s been on the phone with her uncles,” Zig said. “This wasn’t about the DiSalvos. She’s sure of it.”

Zig’s wife was now head of one of the biggest organized crime families in the country. I hated that I found myself hoping this hit was for them. I knew in my heart it wasn’t. Everyone at this table did.

“Come on, Bear,” E.Z. said. “Why are we even talking about this? This has the Hawks written all over it. The longer we sit here with our thumbs up our asses, the more power it gives them. We need to strike back and fast.”

There were rumblings of agreement around the table. Bear’s jaw hardened. We’d been down this road so many times before. Bear was cautious. He wasn’t about to lead the club into a war unless there was no other choice. If this was the Hawks, I didn’t see how he couldn’t.

“We are going to act from strength and solid information, E.Z., not quick rage. Everyone hear me? You all are going to calm your shit and we’re going to handle this as a club. First things first: until I say otherwise, we are on lockdown. Nobody leaves this house without my permission. That goes for your old ladies too. Until we have more intel, we’re not taking any chances. Do I have to remind you how close we came to an all-out war based on a fucking misunderstanding?”

Maddox dropped his head. That comment was leveled straight at him. His own father had taken matters into his own hands and offed a member of the Hawks on faulty information. Bear’s cool head had been the only thing between us and disaster.

“This has Fitzie written all over it and you know it,” E.Z. said. “That little fucking traitor knows exactly how heavy we’re into things at Cups and all along the docks. Why do you think they picked that place to target? Never mind poor fucking Wendy. You think Gina’s family is going to be able to open the doors anytime soon? Business is going to tank. It’ll start there and work its way all down the docks.”

E.Z. had a point. This was exactly the kind of thing we feared when Fitzie flipped sides and sought sanctuary with our biggest rivals. The legit businesses along the docks were our safest money makers. If we couldn’t protect them, the whole town would lose faith in the Dark Saints. The careful balance we kept with local law enforcement would collapse. There was a small part of me that could step back and view what happened today with a neutral eye. If the Hawks were looking to escalate things and hurt us, shooting up Cups was pure genius. Quiet rage settled in my heart.

Bear’s look was stone cold. E.Z. had come perilously close to questioning his judgment in front of the whole table.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” he said. “E., you’re the last person I should have to remind how quick things can turn to shit if we launch into a fucking war without thinking it through. This shit is not going to stand. But nobody at this table is going to go out guns blazing looking to settle a score. You hear me?”

There were grumbles around the table. We’d been here before. Nearly on the brink of war, Bear had pulled us back. As I looked into each men’s eyes, I knew Bear might be hanging by a thread.

“We sit tight,” Axle said. This drew a few sharp breaths from some of the guys. Axle was the last person anyone would expect to call for restraint. “Bear’s right. Until we know for sure where this is coming from, we don’t do anything half-cocked or stupid.”

I clenched my fists. When I closed my eyes, all I could see were bullets flying and the terror on Quinn’s face. It could have been her. And all she’d done to deserve it was stand next to me.

“Dom,” Bear said, his tone flat. “We clear?”

Dammit, that old fucker knew me so well. This was new to me, having someone I cared about just as much as the men around this table. I could have lost her today. For that alone I wanted retaliation. But it was just the kind of thing Bear was scared of. This could be the Hawks. It probably was. It could also be someone trying to make us think it was the Hawks.

“Can we maybe think outside the box a little bit?” Deacon asked. He was usually so stoic at Church, the urgency in his voice got everyone’s attention.

“Dom,” he said. “I’m not trying to rile you or anything, but I gotta ask. You guys rattled the cage out in L.A. the other day. Is there any chance this was Oliver Ransom’s people?”

I carved my fingers into the wood of the table. Fuck. I’d been so focused on Quinn and the Hawks, I hadn’t let any other possibility sink in.

“I don’t think so,” Axle answered for me. “The guy’s got money, but his power is more industry based. We can ask around though. If he decided to spend some of that dough to make trouble for us, he'd have left a trail.”

“Good point,” Bear said. “Check into it. I’ll reach out to our allies with the Great Wolves and the Red Brigands. If this was the Hawks, they’ll know something. We reconvene tomorrow morning. Meantime, everybody handles their own business and don’t do anything that you know will piss me off.”

He knocked his knuckles to the table, signaling the end of the meeting. E.Z. opened his mouth to say something else but Bear’s hard gaze silenced him. I was already on my feet. After telling Axle I’d do everything I could to help him chase down Ransom’s dealings, I went to look for Quinn.

Mama had set her up in my apartment. I found her pacing in front of the bed, still wearing the shirt covered in Wendy’s blood. She chewed her thumbnail and whirled to face me as I loomed in the doorway.

We stood frozen for a few seconds, staring into each other’s eyes. Quinn’s were bloodshot. She looked so small. Then she came to me, throwing her body against mine. I gathered her against me and kissed the top of her head.

So close. I’d been so close to losing her. At that moment, I knew I wouldn’t have survived it. Quinn brought a light into my heart I hadn’t known was missing. If she’d been hurt because of me, no power on this earth would have driven away the darkness.

“Are you okay, baby?” I asked, leading her to the bed. We sat slowly down and she leaned against my chest. She nodded and choked back a sob. She’d been so strong for so long, here in the solitary darkness, she started to fall apart.

“I thought I lost you,” she said. “And then, when you went for the door. The rage in your eyes. I thought you’d charge out of there and take a bullet just because you thought it would keep me safe.”

“I would have.” It was my voice, but it didn’t sound like me. Quinn looked up at me.

“I would have,” I said again, having trouble keeping back my own grief. “I will never let anything happen to you. Do you hear me? No matter what. If you ... when you leave ... when you go back to your own life ... I’m never going to let anyone hurt you. Even if we …”

“Even if we what?” She pulled away from me and wiped a tear from her cheek. “Dom ... I’m not going anywhere.”

Something shifted inside of me as I looked at her. The events of the last few weeks replayed in my mind. This woman had opened herself up to me. She’d left her life and followed me into the unknown. She had everything. She was everything. And what had I given her in return? Wendy’s blood smeared her arm and stained her clothing.

“This is it, Quinn,” I said. “This is my life. This is my club. We’ll get through this. We’ll win. We always do. But it will be dark and hard and dirty. I can’t change that. I won’t change that. This is who I am.”

“I know who you are,” she said, lightly touching my face. Her eyes flicked over me. I took her wrist and pulled her hand away.

“Is this what you wanted?” I asked, hating the coldness in my voice. “Is this what you were looking for? Is this real enough for you?”

“Dom.”

I rose. Tearing a hand through my hair I walked toward the door. “You should get out as soon as you can.”

“What if I don’t want to?” Quinn faced my challenge, rising to her feet. Her tears fell again. God. It would always be like this. I would always make her cry. I should end it now. We both knew this path would destroy one of us if we stayed on it. I’d be damned if I let it be her.

“Who are you?”

Quinn smiled. She came to me. Sliding her hands up my chest she went on her tiptoes and kissed me. I stayed stone still. “You already know. Don’t you get it, Dom? You’re the only one who knows.”

I wanted her. It would destroy her. Already, it was starting to destroy me. I’d taken chances, brought my club into shit we didn’t need right now. But I burned for her. The answer was a thunderous drumbeat inside of me.

I wanted her. I loved her. If I were a better man, I could have said it. If I were a good man, I would never have taken her in the first place. I was neither of those things. Instead, I gently pulled her to me and kissed her deep and hard.