Page 28 of Break Me

A creak sounds faintly from downstairs. Dad’s chair shifting.

“I have to go,” I whisper urgently.

“Call me if anything feels off. Anything.” He pauses. “Raven, I swear to God, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

His voice is a low promise.

A threat.

A vow.

I end the call, pulse hammering, and sit very still on the edge of my bed.

Because the truth is suddenly terrifyingly clear.

Someone’s going to find out.

And when they do, everything will change.

Another floorboard creaks downstairs. I hold my breath, listening. Dad’s still moving around the kitchen. Slow. Purposeful. Like a man thinking too hard about something he hasn’t said yet.

My phone buzzes again.

Samuel: Lock your door. Don’t argue.

My fingers shake as I slide the lock into place and press my forehead to the cool wood. I breathe until the panic stops clawing at my ribs.

I shouldn’t be scared.

But I am.

Because this isn’t just about being caught sneaking around with a guy.

This is about being caught sneaking around with him.

My brother’s best friend.

A patched member of the MC.

A man the club trusts with blood, secrets, and violence.

A man I love more than I should.

I back away from the door and sink onto my bed, clutching my phone like it’s the only solid thing in the universe.

And all I can hear, louder than my heartbeat, louder than my fear, is Samuel’s voice in my ear. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

The words stay with me long after the call ends.

So does the question of whether he'll have to prove them.

Samuel

The barn sits at the edge of the Miller property, half-swallowed by trees and years. It looks harmless and forgotten. But my racing heart hasn’t steadied since Raven whispered about that damn leaf.

Black Walnut.

You don’t get those everywhere.