Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

He and Dani were now into a nightly routine. He would step outside in the backyard to make any necessary phone calls before they settled down for a movie or game. Dani would either read one of her books on the comfy chaise in the library, or take it our front onto the porch swing. Either way, he would always find her wrapped up in a blanket, so lost in one of the stories that he would need to say her name three times before he caught her attention. He loved that she had something that sucked her in so much that she could forget everything around her. He just wished she had turned to that over drugs.

Tonight she’d opted for the front porch swing, while Gage spoke with Bree, who was currently getting the brunt of his frustration.

"How do we still not know anything?” Gage exclaimed. “I thought Black had unlimited connections." He really hoped they would find out something. Not the name of the agent or if there was an actual investigation going on but something. Just a little nugget of information to make him feel better about them leaving the safety of Black’s house.

"Alphabet agencies don't exactly like to share,” Bree reminded him. “You know this. No one is going to risk their agent by confirming or denying they have someone deep undercover."

Gage didn't know what frustrated him more; the fact that he knew she was right, or the lack of information they had. Both made him want to smash something.

"It's been a week. Dani's court date is tomorrow. I was hoping to have this shit figured out before I had to take her there. We'll be exposed and I'm not comfortable with that. Some reassurance she will be safe would be nice."

At least at the house he felt secure. Sure, he was going a little stir-crazy with nothing to do, but he and Dani were making the best of it. Having the opportunity to reacquaint themselves with each other didn't hurt either.

"Black is going to have one of his Boston teams in the area. You won't know they’re there, but you won't be alone either."

Bree wasn't telling him anything he didn't already know. He made the arrangements with his boss himself, but he had the nagging feeling something was brewing. He couldn't shake it and he always followed his instincts. But right now he didn’t have any information to follow and know the choice he made was the right one.

They were no closer to figuring out why the Hell Raisers were raided the day after the bar fight. It made sense they would suspect Dani was involved in that, and until they had more information, they couldn't prove otherwise.

It wouldn’t do any good anyway. No one in the MC was going to stop and allow him to explain. It was why they needed to figure out if there was an investigation going on, and if so, what they could do to help. Clearing Dani's name and wiping out the MC was the only way to keep her safe.

"Are you planning to come back here after Dani's court appearance?"

"We haven't really talked about it."

They’d been avoiding talking too much about the future. Or, more accurately, he had been avoiding it. Mostly because he was frightened of what Dani would say. Last time they made plans, things went to shit. He didn't want the same to happen this time.

They were living in the moment.

"And why not? Who else is going to take your empty house and turn it into something spectacular?"

"How the hell do you know my house is empty?"

He never invited anyone over and he was the first to request one after they were built. That was before Bree came into the picture. There was no way she could know what his house looked like inside.

Bree scoffed at him. "Oh, please. I broke in while you were gone."

What. The. Fuck.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Haven't you ever heard of boundaries?"

It was a stupid question. He knew it as soon as the words left his mouth.

"I have. I just don't have them," Bree clarified. "Besides, the girls and I were nosy, so we decided to go look."

Gage groaned. So it wasn't just Bree but Emma, Karlie, Addison, Franni, and likely Kendra as well. Every woman in his life, or shell of a life, now knew how he was living before he came to Pennsylvania. Before Dani came back into his life.

"Traitors. Every single one of you."

"Well, if you must know, it was my and Addison's idea. Karlie and Franni tried to object but we all know they’re pushovers in the end. Emma and Kendra wanted to respect your privacy but curiosity won out in the end. None of that should surprise you. If anyone in our group is going to get into trouble, it’s going to be me and Addison."

That tracked. Franni and Karlie were the quiet and sweet ones of the group. They were every bit the opposite of Addison and Bree. Usually it was up to Emma and Kendra to keep everyone in line but clearly that wasn't the case this time. Not a single one of them respected his boundaries and damn if Dani wasn’t going to fit right in with them.

"I haven't had a reason to decorate or fill my house. It's a place to sleep and shower. The bare necessities are all that are needed," he tried to defend himself.

"You sound like Daniel. Thank goodness Emma cured him of that. Dani will just have to do the same for you."

If Dani came back with him—which he hoped was the case—then she could do whatever the hell she wanted to his house. He would give her free rein and the money to do as she pleased. But they wouldn't be having that conversation just because Bree wanted him to have it.

"We'll see." His phone beeped, again. "Bree, let me call you back. This phone number has been trying to call me now for the last minute. I have no idea who it is."

"I can . . ."

He cut the call off before she could say anything more and switched over to the other number. Yes, he knew she could track it but it was just as easy for him to answer and see who it was.

"Hello?"

Black sent him all the numbers of the team he would be sending down, so he knew it wasn't them. Also, it wasn't a Boston phone number.

"Your location has been compromised," a gruff voice huffed out, like the person on the other end of the phone was out of breath. Possibly running.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Your location has been compromised."

"Who the hell . . ." He didn't get to finish his question. Whoever called him hung up.

Slowly, what the guy said finally sank in, but it was too late. The security app on his phone was alerting him that someone had breached the perimeter and the sound of several motorcycle engines filled the normally peaceful night.

"Dani!"

He took off in a sprint around the side of the house, vaulting himself over the fence that separated the backyard from the front yard, all the while cursing himself for allowing her to sit out there on her own. He had gotten too comfortable with the security in place and didn’t think to be more alert.

Stupid mistake.

The motorcycles were already barreling down the driveway, headlights illuminating the dark. He’d wasted too much time asking questions, precious seconds that could mean the difference between them getting away and being murdered.

"Gage!" Dani was racing towards him, both the book and the blanket abandoned.

"Run!" He pushed her towards the back of the house, where woods lined the backside of the property. "Hide until Black or one of his guys come to find you!"

She wasn't moving, and he needed her to move . They were mere seconds away from being ambushed.

"What about you?"

"I'll fend them off." He pushed her again. "Now go!"

He spun back around and pulled his gun from the waistband of his jeans. It wouldn't do him a whole lot of good since the extra clip was inside the house but it might even things out.

A quick count showed approximately fifteen motorcycles. To say it was an unfair fight was completely downplaying the situation. He prayed for a miracle.

Gage managed to take three out before they came to a complete stop. It did nothing to even the playing field but it was three less bodies he needed to worry about. He took cover next to the porch but was confused when he didn't hear shots fired in return.

After what they did to his house, he thought for sure they would be tearing this place up as well.

"Find the girl and make an example of the guy. A bullet to the head is too merciful. Ace wants him to suffer."

Well, that explained the lack of guns, despite him killing three of their own. If it was a fight they wanted, then a fight was what they were going to get. But not until he took a few more out. Dead Hell Raisers were better than ones who could hurt Dani.

When one of their members snuck around to where he was located, Gage grabbed the guy around the neck and snapped it with ease. His years of training in the Army came back, just like riding a bike.

Where Steel and Jaxson preferred “no-contact kills,” he had always excelled at hand to hand. He wanted to watch the life drain from his enemy’s eyes and know he was the reason they no longer existed. Gage pulled the body until it was partially hidden behind the shrubs.

Moving with stealth and precision, he kept to the shadows. By the time he worked his way closer to the front steps, he added two more bodies to his death toll. If he continued to use the dark to his advantage, he could greatly reduce their numbers and head to the woods in search of Dani.

His plan went to shit a moment later.

"Gage!" Dani's terrified scream had him stepping out of the shadows and straight into an ambush. Eight guys circled, but he didn't make it easy on them.

He managed to get one guy good with an uppercut and another with a roundhouse kick. When one of the guys wrapped him up from behind, he used the upward momentum to kick another two in the face.

But it wasn't enough. For every shot he got off on someone, two more connected with him. His ribs ached, and he was sure he heard at least one crack. Blood dripped into his left eye and his nose was definitely broken.

The kick that finally brought him down was one to his right knee. Gage attempted to push himself back up. He used a fistful of dirt and heaved it hoping it would make contact with someone, anyone, but unfortunately he was no match for the sheer number of them.

His broken body crumbled to the ground. He attempted to protect his head as kick after kick landed all over him.

The last thing he remembered before he slipped into unconsciousness was Dani's blood-curdling scream for him.

He failed her. First Karlie, and now Dani. How many women would he continue to fail in his life?