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but said nothing as she invited Hart to sit down and they shared dinner. It all felt too comfortable. Kaydee was talking a mile a minute, and Hart was listening and even commenting on Nickelodeon shows. She learned he was a Saturday morning cartoon buff and loved Fruit Loops with almond milk. The window was slightly open to let in the cool spring breeze with a hint of honeysuckle in the air. It felt so good and for just a little while Crystal allowed herself to enjoy it.
    They were finishing up dinner when, from outside, she could hear the roar of bike engines coming near. She firmed her mouth in a thin line and waited for the noise to go by so they could continue eating and enjoying each other’s company. But the noise didn’t go by and when the first shot hit a glass-framed picture of her and Kaydee, she screamed.
    “Get down!” Hart shouted.
    “Kaydee!” Crystal screamed and crawled across the floor as bullets peppered her home.
    “Stay down. I’ve got her,” Hart called over the noise and she could hear her baby crying as they all moved behind the sofa, hoping it offered some protection.
    She wrapped her arms about her baby girl and tried to shush her as the bullets kept coming. It seemed to be minutes before they emptied the automatic weapons they had and she heard laughing before they roared away. Kaydee was crying so hard that she began to hiccup and gag.
    “It’s okay, baby, it’s okay” She brushed the hair on Kaydee’s face aside and saw a smear of blood.
    “Hart, she’s bleeding!” Crystal cried out.
    “Crystal, let go, let me see her,” Hart said calmly, but she was unwilling to do so. Her baby was hurt and she needed her. She jumped when he snapped at her. “Crystal, listen to me, let me see her, now!”
    He pulled Kaydee out of her arms and she wanted to fight him. But he crooned to Kaydee and she responded to him. Hiding her face in his shirt, she got drops of blood on it. “Let me see, baby girl, shh, it’s okay.” He looked at the area and assessed it before saying, “It’s a scratch from glass, that’s all. It must have happened when I grabbed her off the chair and took her to the ground with me.”
    “Thank you, thank you so much,” Crystal said reverently and wiped her tears with her sleeve. “They tried to kill us. They were trying to kill us.”
    “Call your friend and her husband, then call nine-one-one. I’m going to start snapping pictures with my phone. There is no way that fucking sheriff can deny this shit happened.”
    “He probably gave them the go-ahead,” Crystal said. “I’m done with this, done with it all. I want out of this town.”
    “Don’t let them chase you away,” Hart said roughly and cupped her cheek. “I’m going to fix this, and you won’t ever have to be scared again.”
    “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me,” Crystal protested.
    “I won’t get hurt. They want a war, I’m sure as shit going to give them one,” Hart answered. “Go call your friends.”
    She crawled away to find her cell phone, still too afraid to get off the ground. She sat by the bedroom door and watched Hart rock her daughter and calm her crying. Beneath that bad boy exterior, he was a good guy, but she still didn’t believe he was stable. She saw the look in his eyes when he reassured her.
    But then, the attack stirred up something deadly inside her too. On one hand, she wanted him to crush every last one of them who tried to hurt her and her daughter. On the other hand, she was unsure if he was let loose if he could be restrained once more. That scared the hell out of her.

Chapter Three
    She closed down the motel. There was nothing else to be done. After the shooting, she couldn’t stay there. Her apartment was in need of serious repair before it was inhabitable again. And after the shooting Joseph quit because he felt like they were all in danger. The few decent guests checked out and high tailed it out of there without even asking for a refund. And