Page 49 of Vengeance

“With Dante.” The words transformed her father. The relief vanished from his face, replaced by something cold and deadly.

“How many men does Dante have with him?” he asked.

“Six inside. Maybe more around the property,” she said.

Doc shook his head. “Dante brought at least two vehicles. There could be ten or twelve.”

Bowie retrieved his rifle. “Ryder, take four around the east side. Spider and Blade, you two cover the road. Nobody fires toward the back room unless they have a clean target.”

“I’m going with you,” Chloe said.

“No.”

“Dad—”

“I nearly lost you once tonight. I’m not letting you walk back into that cabin,” Bowie growled.

“Vengeance walked into every bullet meant for me,” she said.

“That was his choice,” Bowie said.

“And going back is mine.”

Bowie’s expression darkened. “You’re my daughter.”

“I know,” she whispered.

“You think that makes me more likely to let you do something stupid?” he asked.

“I think it means you taught me not to abandon the people I love,” she said. The word slipped out before Chloe could stop it, but Bowie heard it and so did Doc.

Her father’s eyes searched hers. “You love him?” The question was quiet despite the armed men surrounding them. Chloe looked toward the ridge at the smoke that continued to rise above the trees.

“I don’t know what to call it yet,” she admitted. All she knew for sure was that she couldn’t leave him there.

Bowie exhaled harshly. “You stay behind me.”

“I can help,” she insisted.

“Behind me, Princess. That’s the compromise,” her father said. She nodded, and Bowie began issuing orders. The group moved through the woods in a tight formation, using the trees for cover. Chloe stayed close behind her father while Doc followed at her shoulder.

The cabin appeared gradually through the branches. The front porch was destroyed, and the door hung crookedly fromone hinge. Broken glass glittered across the ground, and bullet holes scarred the logs. Two black SUVs were parked near the shed. A man in tactical gear stood beside one of them, scanning the tree line.

Bowie raised his fist, and everyone stopped. He signaled to Ryder, and he disappeared silently to the right. Chloe’s pulse pounded in her ears. She tried to see inside the cabin. Nothing moved beyond the broken windows, and then a voice carried through the darkness.

“You brought company, Doc.” Doc froze as a man stepped from behind the shed—Marcus. She recognized him from old photographs Bowie kept in the club’s files. He was taller than she expected, with a rifle pressed against his shoulder and a smile that never reached his eyes.

“You should’ve kept running,” Marcus said.

Doc shifted in front of Chloe. “I should’ve killed you when you were sixteen.”

Marcus’s smile widened. “You had the chance.”

“I made a mistake,” Doc said.

“Yes, you did.” The shot came before Chloe saw Marcus pull the trigger and Doc jerked backwards. A dark stain bloomed across the front of his shirt.

“Doc!” she shouted. He staggered backward into Chloe, and she caught him. Bowie fired almost immediately, and Marcus dropped behind the SUV as bullets tore into the side panel. The clearing erupted into a war zone. Royal Bastards opened fire from the tree line. Dante’s men answered from behind the cabin, the shed, and the vehicles.