Page 29 of Fearless to Love

“I’m so glad you walked into Rocco’s two months ago and asked me for my number. When I saw your handsome face across the bar, I never thought we’d be where we are now. Get your ass home so I can thank you properly.”

“I’m trying. I can’t seem to catch a break with the lights tonight.”

A loud noise sounded outside the front door causing me to jump.

“Dante,” I whispered as I moved slowly from the kitchen to the living room to peek out the window.

“Is something wrong?” I could hear the worry in his voice.

“There was a loud noise out front. I’m going to check it out.”

“Please be careful.”

“I will. I’m sure it’s nothing,” I tried to placate him. At least that’s what I thought until I heard another loud thump and the lights went out. “Oh my god, the power just went out. I think there’s someone out there.”

“The power went out?” Dante swore on the other end of the line, and I could hear his engine rev higher as he sped up. “I’m twenty minutes out. Fuck! Call 911 and text Holden and Jax. Tell them you’re in trouble and need them there now.” With shaky hands, I put the phone on speaker and pressed buttons until I was in my messages as I moved into the bedroom downstairs and hid in the closet. “Are you still there?”

The worry in his voice only caused me to panic more, but I tried to hold it together. “Yes, I’m in the downstairs bedroom closet.” I tapped out a quick message to both Holden and Jax stating I was having an emergency at my house and needed them.

“Perfect. I’m going to get off the phone with you so you can call nine-one-one.”

The sound of glass shattering and my alarm going off sucked the breath out of my lungs. The wall of windows and living so far out of town was now biting me in the ass.

“Fuck, Lily, are you okay?”

“No,” I whimpered as I wrapped my arms around my knees.

“I’m calling nine-one-one now,” he shouted.

“Please hurry. I’m so scared.”

When the phone disconnected, my entire body started to shake. My phone buzzed with a message from Jax saying he was on his way. Luckily, he and Gabi didn’t live too far.

When I heard footsteps walking down the hall, I held my breath. Whoever was in my house was going from room to room with no care that the alarm was going off. I listened as the footsteps came into the bedroom and left and let out a sigh of relief. Only a couple more minutes until someone showed up. The pounding on the stairs let me know whoever it was, was going upstairs and as far away from me as possible.

A quiet shuffle outside the closet had me straining my ears to hear what was going on. The door flew open and there stood Tommy with a menacing look on his face. Reaching inside, he grabbed me by my ponytail and roughly pulled me out.

“Did you think you could seriously hide from me, you stupid bitch?” I screamed as he pulled me up and started to drag me down the hall. “What were you thinking, moving that pretty boy in here?”

My mouth opened to respond but Tommy violently threw me into the kitchen counter. My hip slammed into the marble sending a crippling pain through me that would have brought me to my knees if he wasn’t holding me up by my hair.

Pulling me through the kitchen and dragging me outside through broken glass, I tried to pry his fingers out of my hair as my bare feet hit the grass. I knew if he took me anywhere it wouldn’t end well. I needed to be here when the cavalry arrived. “Where are you taking me?”

“Nowhere.” Jax gravelly voice sounded from our left as he barreled toward us. One second he was by the front of the house and the next he was throwing Tommy to the ground and on top of him.

In the commotion, I fell on my ass and crab crawled back toward the house. Strong arms picked me up and pulled me away. Looking behind me, Holden’s strong jaw flexed as he took in the sight before us.

Guiding me to his truck, he placed me inside before he leaned down until we were eye to eye. “Are you hurt?”

“Not badly.” I shook my head as my lower lips start to tremble. I was a mess internally, feeling about ready to have a nervous breakdown. “Why did he do this?” I cried out.

Pulling me into his arms, Holden hugged me to his chest. “I can’t answer that for you.”

Red and blue lights flashed in the distance as a familiar car raced down my driveway. Dante’s Range Rover came to a screeching halt next to Holden’s truck before he bounded out and around to where I was sitting. Seeing the worry turned to relief in his eyes caused the dam to break. I couldn’t hold back the sob that tore out of me.

Taking me in his arms, Dante repeated over and over again. “Shh, I’m here. I’ve got you now. Everything’s going to be okay.”

“It was Tommy,” I sobbed. Pulling back, I looked to Holden. “You need to go check on Jax. He had Tommy pinned to the ground, but—”

---