Page 28 of Protected By the Bikers Next Door (Never Just One #4)

Hawk

I t didn’t take long after we arrived at the safehouse for us to realize that Harper and Paul had never been here. The place is silent and empty. Harper had lied to us. They were never intending to come here.

Or had she lied? What if Paul had somehow overpowered her?

“Fuck!” Wolf snaps. “That fucking snake Paul must have known exactly what the note meant. He must have forced Harper to go there.”

“We spoke to her. If she were being forced, she’d have said something. She was the one with the gun,” Bear points out.

“Maybe he managed to disarm her?” I suggest.

“How the fuck are we supposed to find them?” Wolf barks, pacing back and forth.

Why would she lie to us and go to meet Viktor alone? I ask myself, but I know the answer already—she doesn’t want any of us to get hurt. She thinks she can save Katie. But surely, she wouldn’t sacrifice herself like this?

Wolf’s phone begins to ring, and he pulls it out of his pants. “It’s Pam,” he mutters, seemingly ready to ignore it.

“Answer it,” I insist, sensing she must be ringing because of Harper.

Wolf takes the call and puts the phone on speaker.

“I’m so sorry, Wolf. I only just saw the message now. Harper sent me a voicemail. She’s headed to face Viktor alone,” Pam says, the words tumbling out in a rush.

“We know. What did she say?” Wolf asks impatiently.

“Did she give a location?” Bear chimes in.

“Yes, the warehouse on pier 47. It said to be there before dawn.”

The lightening sky tells us we’re already too late.

“Shit, we have to go now,” Wolf says, throwing the phone at me. “Find out everything she said,” he orders before moving out to order the rest of the men.

We’re going to war.

“Pam, did Harper say anything else? Any other clues about what Viktor might be planning?” I ask, my heart thudding in my chest.

The thought that Harper is in danger, that we might be too late already, makes me feel like I can’t breathe.

Like the world is ending. We have to save Harper.

She and our unborn baby are the only thing that matters.

But then Pam says something else that shifts my entire focus and reminds me that Harper might be my world, but I will never be hers. Not fully.

“Oh god Hawk! I think there’s someone here, I think they’ve come for Jenny!”

“Lock the doors, stay away from the windows. I’ll be there straight away,” I say.

Jenny’s the most important thing to Harper. As much as I want to go to Harper, to save her, I know that if I choose to save her, and anything happens to Jenny because of it, she’ll never forgive me.

I turn to the guys, voice tight. “It’s Pam. Someone’s at her place. I think they’re after Jenny.”

“Fuck,” Bear mutters, pushing to his feet. “Then I’m going. She needs me. Out of all of us, I’m the one she’s closest to.”

I shake my head firmly. “No, Bear, you’re needed at the warehouse to treat the injured. Besides, we all know stealth missions are my specialty. I can sneak up on these guys without the rest knowing and take them out one by one before they can call in for backup or tip Viktor off.”

“He’s right. We need you with us, Bear,” Wolf confirms.

“Alright. Don’t let anything happen to our little girl. It would break Harper, break us all,” Bear says as he takes my hand and holds it firmly.

“I promise I’ll keep her safe,” I reply, shaking his hand and clapping him on the back. “Now, go rescue our woman.”

Never in my life have I been more grateful for my brothers in arms. I know that if I were alone, I’d be faced with an impossible decision right now.

I know I can trust them; I know they’ll rescue Harper and keep her safe.

Which means I have to go against my every instinct, and instead of following my brothers into battle to rescue her, I have to go the other way.

I have to do what she’d want me to do and put Jenny first. Even if it means I lose Harper forever.

***

I swing my leg over the bike, the familiar weight of it grounding me.

The engine roars to life beneath me, loud and raw, vibrating up through my bones.

I shove my helmet on, twist the throttle, and tear out of the lot, gravel spitting behind me.

The night air whips against my face. My gut twists with every mile I put between myself and Harper, but I can’t falter. Jenny needs me.

I ride hard, every muscle tight with focus.

Years of military service drilled this into me—mission first, personal feelings second.

Back then, it was the lives of my squad depending on me.

Tonight, it’s Harper’s little girl. I lean into the turns, my eyes cutting through the dark, my mind running tactical assessments without conscious effort.

Entry routes. Exits. Numbers. Timing. Always calculating. Always ready.

Pam’s street comes into view too soon, the houses lined up neat and unsuspecting, porch lights glowing warm, a picture of suburban safety.

But I know better. Safety is an illusion.

I kill the engine a block early, coasting silently to the curb, and set the kickstand down without a sound.

The sudden quiet feels deafening. My pulse hammers in my ears as I dismount and crouch low, moving on foot.

I stick to the shadows, back to the fences, every step deliberate.

My heart wants to sprint to that house, bust through the front door and grab Jenny up in my arms, but that would be suicide—for me and for her.

Instead, I breathe slow and deep, forcing myself into that razor-sharp calm I learned in the desert.

Panic gets you killed. Preparation keeps you alive.

From the cover of a hedgerow across the street, I scope the house.

Pam’s porch light is off. That’s the first red flag.

I sweep my gaze across the yard and see them—four men stationed outside.

Two at the front, flanking the steps like they own the place, rifles slung but ready.

One pacing near the driveway, restless, checking his phone every few seconds.

Another at the corner of the house, half-hidden in shadow, watching the street with the jittery alertness of someone who’s expecting trouble.

Four. Maybe more inside.

I catalog their weapons. I note their fields of vision. I map their patrol patterns. Every detail goes into the mental blueprint I’m building, step by step, brick by brick. My breathing slows, my heartbeat steadies. I become the mission.

Jenny’s inside that house. I can feel it in my bones. And no matter what it takes, I’ll get her out alive.