“STORM?”

Mason!

“I’m here,” I croak, my voice hoarse. He enters the doorway and drops down in front of me. I’m gasping for air, and he surveys the room. “Oh shit baby! You fought, you f**king fought back!”

I nod my head yes, as I rub my throat. “Tatiana!” I gasp and take off on my hands and knees until I can get upright.

“MACE!” I scream out hoarsely.

Oh god, oh god.

“We’re back here!” Mace yells back.

When I stumble through the door of the room, I stop, and Mason slams into my back.

“It’s not our blood.” Mace answers quickly and points to the right. “It’s that motherfucker’s!”

Berry, Rap, and Winter. I take off, bounding down the steps, one floor after another. When I hit the landing, my ankle almost gives out as I run and bang on the bathroom door. Rap calls back that everything is okay and I fly towards the utility closet.

“ANGEL!” Braxxon roars.

“She’s in here,” I call back as I work, removing all the shit I threw on top of the crawl space door.

Both Mason and Braxxon run up to the door. “Where the f**k is she?” Braxxon curses at me.

“I locked her in the damn crawl space. She was trying to play f**king Rambo.”

Braxxon pushes me outta the way, and when Mason picks me up by my arms, I give way and start bawling. Fuck, what a nightmare.

“It’s okay.” Mason croons.

“No it’s not. I couldn’t figure out the safety on Sniper’s gun,” I gasp through my tears. “I almost died. That’s not okay.”

Mason stiffens beneath me.

“WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?” Winter yells as Braxxon helps her outta the crawlspace. “GOING AROUND SAVING EVERYONE BUT YOUR FUCKING SELF!”

He stiffens more beneath me.

“I… I promised Mason I wouldn’t let anything happen to them.”

Rap and Berry come out of the bathroom. “Storm threw us into the tub, and took off after Tatiana, Mace, and Winter.”

Mason pulls away and stares at me.

“She tried strangling the Russian that was trying to rape me too,” Tatiana says, while coming down the other side of the hall.”

Motherfuck!

“I FUCKING PROMISED!” I scream, jerking away from Mason and walking towards the downstairs couch.

“Storm,” Mason growls low as he sits beside me. “What are they talking about?”

“Don’t ask me to make promises and not expect me not to fulfill them Mason,” I say while rubbing at my neck. I lift my fingers and see blood.

Hearing the sirens, I cringe. Fuck, all this and now the cops?

“What did I f**kin tell you about your life meaning just as much as theirs?”

I look into his brown eyes and say. “They’re important to you, so they’re important to me.”

He flinches. “You’re important to me too Storm, not just them.”

I say nothing. I just blink and lay my head back. I’m too emotional to be sharing feelings right now.

“Wait! Where’s Piper?” I fling myself up.

Mason puts his hand on my chest. “She’s fine. Sniper found her hiding in one of the cars.”

I let out a breath before realizing two other people are missing. “Bom Bom? Creamy?”

Shadow snorts. “Those bitches took off!”

Good for them.

“I’m so f**kin pissed at you,” Winter hisses behind me.

“Get over it. Your ass is pregnant.”

I’m tired of this shit.

“LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE! ALL OF YOU! SEND THE FUCKING COPS TO MY ROOM!”

And I walk my pissed off ass up the stairs to my room.

***

Chapter 32

ZZ

The following afternoon…

I’ve left Storm alone. She needs time. I think. But I gave her last night after the cops and coroner left; I also gave her this morning. If she wasn’t hurting and pissed off at everyone, we’d be celebrating the fact we had no casualties for the first time. This woman put her life on the line for my entire family. Not once thinking about herself. That is straight up f**kin love. I knock on her door, and push it open when I hear her sniffling.

“I’m not mad at you ZZ; you can go away now.” She mumbles from the bed, and the breath rushes from my lungs. I feel my heart pound fast when she calls me ZZ.

This isn’t happening. She’s not f**kin pushing my ass away now. I kick off my boots and crawl into the bed beside her. I wrap my arms and legs around her and nuzzle my chin into the crook of her neck. “It guts me when you call me that.”

She sniffles some more. “I don’t know what you want from me. You ask me to protect them, and I did. Then you get mad at me!”

Jesus Christ she’s killin me. I loosen my hold, and rolling her onto her back, I lay on top of her. I run my fingers through her bangs and then look down into her eyes. I try to keep my focus off of her neck. It’ll just piss me off. “I didn’t think you would take it that far Storm. No matter what, I always want you to take care of yourself too. Always.” Her blue eyes blink at me.

“The Russians you went after?”

Of course, she tries changing the subject. I don’t know what this shit is where she’s not wanting to share her feelings now, but it’s pissing me off.

“The rest left; they’re not coming back. Stop changin the f**kin subject.”