Phantom Rider - The Reckoning | Book 2

#66 | My Sanctuary

"Aaaaa!" Bill was startled out of his restless sleep by a roar so primal it awakened all his instincts momentarily. A car honked outside so loudly that he stumbled to his feet, completely disoriented. Something was wrong—terribly wrong. His mind lagged behind his reflexes, grappling with the fog of sleep.

The door was kicked open, blasting inward. Bill spun instinctively, tangling the blanket around him, and grabbed a chair, ready to strike. The moment he was about to hit, he stopped.

"Tom?!" The name tore from his lips as his brother's face materialized through the haze. Tom stood there, flushed, panting, with a gun trained on Bill.

"Jesus Christ," Bill growled, lowering the chair but not his guard. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Red-faced and out of breath, Tom barked, "I heard screams! Thought you were in danger." Remaining panic vibrated in his still-tight voice.

Bill felt a slap of realization. "Swivel around!"

Tom muttered to himself as he turned. "Locking doors is not your strongest side, huh?"

Bill shoved the blanket aside and yanked on his boxers, then hurried to cover Mila's now-naked body. He bent over her, seeing the sweat beaded on her forehead, her lips moving soundlessly in the grip of a nightmare. "Shit!" he mouthed as he tugged her into a warm blanket.

"All okay back there?" Tom called out.

"Yes, go to the car. She is having a nightmare, it seems," Bill said while gently shaking her. "Wake up, baby. It's just a dream. Come on, wake up."

Her eyes flew open, wide and unseeing. She clawed at his arms with a desperation that startled him, still half-awake, half-asleep.

"Ashes!" she cried, her voice cracked and frantic. Her jaded eyes darted around as though looking for something.

"Hey, hey." He gripped her shoulders firmly. "It's okay. I'm here. You're safe."

Finally, recognition flared in her face, and she gripped him tightly, her shaking hands moving over his face, arms, and chest. "You're alive," she breathed out quietly.

"I'm alive." He drew her into his arms and held her to his chest. "It was just a dream. I've got you."

"It's morning already?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Tom is waiting outside." He got up and put on his now-dry clothes. "We have to go."

Tom drove in stoic silence. Mila was sound asleep, her head snuggled into Bill's chest. He caressed her back lightly while staring out the window at the city below.

"You both look like... you didn't sleep much?" Tom said, looking at him in the rearview mirror.

Bill nodded, looking back at him. "Yeah... maybe two hours."

Their identical dark brown eyes froze for a moment at the reflection. Something crossed both minds that neither of them could understand. Shivers ran down Bill's spine.

"I need you sharp, Bill. Don't lose it now," Tom broke the awkwardness.

"Don't worry. I'll keep my shit together." He smiled, then felt himself drifting away in sleep.

Mila's POV

Two hours later, we finally reached the destination. The sun was bright in the sky, the air smelled of salt water and oil, and the concrete burned my bare feet as we walked right behind Tom, who led the way. Here in Tokyo, no one was surprised to see a woman in a torn-apart wedding dress walking hand in hand with a tall, pierced man in a leather coat in the middle of the heat. Cosplayers, probably, they would think.