Hammer's Pride by E.C. Land (brene brown rising strong TXT) 📕

“Hello, is this Miss Lester?” a man asks.

“Yes, it is,” I confirm as I leave the kitchen in search of Hammer. I don’t like the fact the security company is calling me today.

It’s been two weeks since Hammer got angry at me and then the sex after he found me outside. Oh, how magnificent it was to feel him taking me the way he did. My heart still aches for realizing the depths of his loss for his brother. Since then, though, we’ve talked more. He’s told me stories about him and his brother. About his brother and sister-in-law. Even told me about the night they were killed and why. Although, he’d been reluctant to tell me at first.

I’d told him about growing up with my horrible family, and I told him about Adam coming into the shop. To say he got pissed is an understatement. ‘You can’t keep shit like this from me, baby. When it comes to you, if something happens, I’ll fuckin’ go ballistic. Next time, Avery, you better come straight to me. Granted, that is a moot point since that shit is never, and I mean, never gonna happen again.’ He’d growled those words and punched his fist through the wall.

That night he’d taken me in the same way after he’d been angry and found me outside. I’ve also come to realize something about him. He loves me. Hammer doesn’t have to say the words. He shows me. He lives by that code of actions speak louder than words, and I have to admit he’s right in this case. Plus, he’s told me I’m his world. No man would be as protective as he is unless he cherishes them the way he does me.

Scanning the main room, I find my man at his table with a few of his brothers laughing. I start making my way across the room as the man on the phone starts speaking. “Miss Lester, I’m Mitchell calling about the alarm going off at Rise-N-Shine Coffee. We’ve put a call out to the police,” Mitchell says mechanically.

“Um, thank you for letting me know. I’ll, um, I’ll just call them and find out what’s going on,” I say, ending the call as I get to Hammer’s table. He’d been looking at me as I closed the distance between us.

“What’s wrong?” he demands. Reaching out, he pulls me into his lap and positions me the way he wants me. I don’t mind this because, to me, it’s comforting.

I tell him what the security company says just as Cy runs into the room panting. “Prez, shit, there’s a fire at Avery’s coffee shop and house,” he states.

If I hadn’t already been sitting on Hammer’s lap, I might have collapsed to the ground from losing the feeling in my legs due to the news Cy just broke to us.

“Shit,” Malice snarls, slamming the chair back as he stands up.

“You gotta be fuckin’ kidding me,” Gunner sneers, his fist landing on the table.

“What’s happening?” Rogue demands, joining all of us along with several others, including Axe, who must have just gotten back in from a trip down to visit Simone. From what he’s told me, she’s coping with being there and getting the help that she needs. Evidently, what I said sank in somewhat, according to Axe.

“Rise-N-Shine Coffee and Avery’s house have been set on fire, just heard the addresses on the scanners while I was working,” Cy mutters.

“Let’s go,” Hammer growls, standing to his feet. “Avery, I know if I say for you to stay here, you’ll refuse and try to go out by yourself, so I’m tellin’ you now, if I let you come with us, you keep close to me, or one of the brothers. You don’t step away from any of us.” I nod in response because let’s be honest, my mind is running a mile a minute at the thought of the fact, I’ve lost everything.

A thought dawns on me at this moment. The shop had been open still. Leanna opened this morning and got off at noon. Quinn went in around nine and got off at three to pick up her daughter. Willow, oh god, she’d been working this afternoon.

“Willow,” I croak, my eyes widening as I climb on his bike behind him. “Hammer, Willow is at the coffee shop.”

“Fuck,” Malice roars and takes off on his bike, having heard me tell Hammer about Willow.

Hammer doesn’t say anything but rather starts his bike and guns it behind Malice. The rest of the guys follow. I close my eyes and keep myself pressed tight to Hammer’s back. He speeds down the road and only slows to come to a halt at the end of the road to the street. It’s blocked off by fire trucks and police officers.

I hop off the back and start toward the trucks, only to be jerked back. “Sunshine, gotta stay with me,” Hammer growls.

“But Willow?” I can’t bear the thought of something happening to her. She’s become one of my friends, and I’ll blame myself for her pain.

“I know, baby, stick to me. We’ll find out,” he says calmly. Almost too calmly.

Nodding, I allow him to guide me over to where a police officer is standing.

“Dexter,” Hammer mutters in greeting.

“Hammer, might wanna get your VP in check,” the officer says, nodding in the direction where Malice is now yelling in a fireman’s face; Gunner and Axe both are holding him back.

“Fuck. We’ll get him, but there was a woman in there,” Hammer states in a deathly tone.

“Sorry, Prez, but if anyone were in that building when this went up, they wouldn’t have made it out. The fire was set in both the front and back entrances,” another man says, joining us, this one being a firefighter. One I seem to recognize, but with the soot on his face, I can’t make out who he is. However, him callin’ Hammer Prez tells me he’s a part of