The Break-In
1210 Words
The first sign something was wrong came at 2:17 a.m.
A loud crash echoed through the building.
I bolted upright instantly.
For one terrifying second, I had no idea where I was.
Then reality returned.
Black Hollow.
Reaper’s Bar.
The room upstairs.
Another crash sounded below.
My heart immediately started racing.
Not a dropped bottle.
Not an accident.
Something breaking.
Voices erupted downstairs.
Shouting.
Heavy footsteps.
A door slammed.
I threw the blanket aside and jumped out of bed.
Fear surged through me.
The hallway outside exploded with movement.
Club members.
Running.
Yelling.
Someone shouted Reaper’s name.
My stomach dropped.
Very bad.
Very, very bad.
I reached the staircase just as Ghost appeared below.
The giant biker looked up.
His expression hardened immediately.
“Back upstairs.”
“What happened?”
“Now, Ivy.”
Not encouraging.
Not reassuring.
Not happening.
I started down anyway.
Ghost muttered something under his breath that was probably not complimentary.
The main bar looked like chaos.
Several tables had been overturned.
The front door stood wide open.
Cold night air poured inside.
Two club members were already heading outside.
Weapons drawn.
Luca stood near the entrance looking furious.
A cut above his eyebrow dripped blood.
My pulse jumped.
“What happened?”
Luca turned.
“Ivy.”
“Tell me.”
His jaw tightened.
“We had visitors.”
Every muscle in my body locked.
Visitors.
Not customers.
Not strangers.
Visitors.
The kind that arrived at two in the morning.
The kind that broke things.
The kind looking for something.
Or someone.
A familiar voice cut through the room.
“Where is she?”
Reaper.
I looked up immediately.
He emerged from the office.
Dark shirt.
Black jeans.
No jacket.
No smile.
No warmth.
Just controlled fury.
The sight stopped me cold.
Because I finally understood why people feared him.
This wasn’t the protective man who brought me coffee.
This was the president of the Reapers MC.
And he looked ready to kill someone.
His eyes landed on me.
Immediate relief flashed across his face.
Gone so quickly I almost missed it.
Then anger replaced it.
“What is she doing down here?”
Ghost pointed at me.
“Ask her.”
Reaper crossed the room.
Fast.
Purposeful.
Dangerous.
“You were told to stay upstairs.”
“And you were supposed to answer my questions.”
His jaw flexed.
Several nearby bikers immediately pretended they weren’t listening.
“What happened?”
Silence.
Then:
“They broke into the office.”
The world seemed to stop.
My stomach dropped.
The office.
The flash drive.
Oh God.
“Did they—”
“No.”
The answer came immediately.
Firm.
Certain.
“They didn’t get it.”
Air rushed back into my lungs.
For a second, I hadn’t realized how terrified I’d been.
Then another realization hit.
If they broke into the office…
Then they knew.
They knew the flash drive existed.
They knew where to look.
They knew we had it.
Which meant things were escalating.
Fast.
Too fast.
Luca appeared beside us.
“We caught one.”
The room fell silent.
Reaper’s gaze shifted.
“Alive?”
Luca grinned.
The expression was unsettling.
“Unfortunately for him.”
My pulse spiked.
Someone had been caught.
Someone connected to Daniel.
Someone who might have answers.
The realization hit everyone simultaneously.
Questions.
Information.
Finally.
“Where is he?” Reaper asked.
Luca pointed toward the storage room.
“Currently regretting his life choices.”
That was not remotely reassuring.
⸻
Thirty minutes later, I sat at the bar with a cup of coffee I wasn’t drinking.
The entire building felt different.
More dangerous.
More tense.
Outside, rain hammered against the windows.
Thunder rolled overhead.
The storm matched my mood perfectly.
Maria appeared beside me.
Concern filled her expression.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Fair.”
I stared down at the untouched coffee.
“They broke in.”
“I know.”
“They were looking for the flash drive.”
“I know.”
Fear curled inside my stomach.
Cold.
Heavy.
Real.
Because this wasn’t theoretical anymore.
The danger wasn’t coming.
It was here.
Already here.
The front door opened.
Several bikers entered.
Soaked from the rain.
Tired.
Angry.
None looked happy.
My pulse immediately accelerated.
Bad news.
Definitely bad news.
Ghost entered last.
One look at his expression told me everything.
Whatever happened in the storage room…
It hadn’t gone well.
⸻
An hour later, Reaper finally emerged.
The entire room watched him.
Waiting.
He walked directly toward me.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Because when Reaper moved with that kind of purpose, everyone paid attention.
His expression remained unreadable.
Unfortunately, I was learning that unreadable was usually worse.
“What happened?”
Silence.
Then:
“He doesn’t know much.”
Disappointment washed through me.
Of course.
Nothing was ever easy.
“What does he know?”
Reaper’s gaze hardened.
“He confirmed Daniel is involved.”
The words hit like a punch.
Even though I already suspected it.
Hearing confirmation felt different.
More real.
More permanent.
“What else?”
A pause.
Then:
“Daniel isn’t the one giving orders.”
The room went silent.
My blood ran cold.
What?
The implication slammed into me instantly.
Daniel wasn’t in charge.
Daniel was working for someone.
Someone bigger.
Someone more dangerous.
Someone powerful enough to send people across state lines searching for a flash drive.
My stomach twisted.
The situation had just become infinitely worse.
⸻
Later that night, after everyone finally settled down, I found myself standing on the back porch.
Alone.
Or at least I thought I was alone.
The rain had finally stopped.
The air smelled fresh.
Clean.
Nothing like the chaos inside.
Footsteps approached.
I didn’t need to look.
I knew.
Reaper.
Always Reaper.
He stopped beside me.
Close.
Comfortingly close.
Neither of us spoke immediately.
The silence felt different tonight.
Heavier.
More intimate.
The events of the evening still lingered between us.
“They were looking for me.”
The words escaped quietly.
Reaper’s jaw tightened.
“They were looking for the flash drive.”
Same thing.
We both knew it.
I wrapped my arms around myself.
Suddenly cold.
Suddenly exhausted.
“What if this never ends?”
The question hung in the darkness.
Reaper remained silent for several seconds.
Long enough that I wondered if he’d answer at all.
Then:
“It will.”
His voice was calm.
Certain.
The certainty caught my attention.
I turned toward him.
“How can you know that?”
His eyes met mine.
Dark.
Steady.
Unwavering.
Because unlike me, he wasn’t afraid.
Not for himself.
Not for the club.
Not even for the danger approaching.
The only thing he seemed worried about was me.
Then Reaper spoke.
Quietly.
Firmly.
“Because eventually they’ll make a mistake.”
A chill ran down my spine.
Not from fear.
From the promise hidden inside those words.
The promise of what would happen when they did.
For the first time, I understood something important.
The people hunting us should be afraid too.
Because they weren’t chasing a frightened woman anymore.
They were threatening something Ryder Kane had decided to protect.
And judging by the look in his eyes…
That was a very dangerous mistake.
- Writer
