I opened the door for Storm and Hero running toward me. Ciro and his men went Boxer’s way.
I sprinted with Prez and the others away from the building. My heart raced as the crunch of our boots pounding the dirt echoed around me.
An explosion boomed. The force of it threw us several feet. I landed on the dirt in a thud, my hands on my head to protect it as debris dropped around us.
Christ Almighty, that was too fucking close. I kept my head down as my ears rang, thankful I was alive.
“Son of a bitch!” Storm growled. “Is everyone okay?”
I slowly got to my feet. The building behind us was in flames. If we hadn’t left when we had, we would’ve been barbequed alive. The realization of my near demise shook me to the core. Ava could have lost me for real.
“Yeah. You?” Hero looked at his bleeding arm.
“What the actual fuck just happened?” Hollywood hissed as he held his side.
“Fucking Morrison. If I had to guess, he wanted to take us out. All of us.” Hero ripped off a section of his T-shirt and wrapped it around his arm. “I’m gonna kill him.”
“Not if I get to him first!” Prez looked murderous.
A gunshot stole our attention to the back of where the building had been.
“Boxer!” I ran in the direction of where my brother had been, pushing hard and chugging like a train. “Boxer!”
Boots pounded the ground behind me as my brothers followed.
“I’m okay.” Boxer stepped out from behind a pile of metal. “I’m okay.” His gaze dropped to the ground.
I stopped hard so I didn’t plow into him.
“Is that Morrison?” Prez moved toward the body.
“Yes,” Ciro replied. “We need to get out of here.”
“No fucking way. What happened?” Storm gritted his teeth.
“No time to explain. Emergency responders will be here in less than five minutes. I’ll be in touch.” Ciro hustled to his Humvee, his men piling into their own vehicles.
Storm stared dumbfounded. “Fuck. You heard him. Let’s go! Let’s go!”
24
Ava
Like the last time Drew had gone on a “run,” I was in the kitchen at a table with the other old ladies, except only Maddy, Tara, Snow, and I were there this time around. Emilee had stayed in her suite with Little D. Her emotions had gotten the better of her. I was glad her father could be with her for moral support and help her with the baby.
At six months pregnant, Emilee looked fabulous. She never appeared flustered with motherhood for being so young. Well, she wasn’tthatyoung. I was only a couple of years older than her.
I touched my hand to my stomach and tried to imagine how big I’d be when I was pregnant with Drew’s baby. We hadn’t officially talked about children, like how many kids we wanted and when to start a family. I was sure we’d figure it out and probably want the same things; it was just how we were as a couple—perfect for each other.
“This waiting is driving me crazy.” Maddy munched on Cheerios. Birdie was beside her in a high chair, eating some too. “I know this is the life I chose. I don’t regret a thing. It’s just these pregnancy hormones. They make me a nervous wreck.”
Pregnant mommas were popping up all over the place. I was thrilled to hear Storm and Maddy were expecting again. The club really felt like a family, one I was happy to call my own. My children would have built-in friends they could grow up with. I relished the thought. I’d been so lonely as a child. Summers and holiday breaks had been the worst because Nana hadn’t let me invite friends home.
“Where is everyone?”
We all turned toward Sugar’s voice in the doorway.
Maddy was the first to greet her with a hug. “Oh my gosh. They’re on a runagain.”