"Running off alone? No backup? No way to contact us? Do you have any idea what could have happened?"
"Logan—"
"He could have killed you," I continue, the words spilling out now. "If we hadn't found you in time—if something had gone wrong?—"
"I thought I could handle it," she says softly.
"Handle it?" I release her wrist, running a hand through my hair in frustration. "This isn't about handling it, Sloane. This is about trust. About being part of a team. You can't just?—"
"I was trying to protect you!"
The words explode from her like she's been holding them back for hours. Her eyes are bright with unshed tears.
"After what happened with Lucia, I couldn't... I couldn't watch anyone else get hurt because of me. I thought if I gave him what he wanted?—"
"What he wanted was to destroy everything," I cut in. "Not just the evidence. Not just the truth. He wanted to burn it all down, and you handed yourself over like kindling."
She flinches at that, but I can't stop now.
"Do you know what it felt like? Waking up to find you gone? Knowing you walked right into his hands?"
My voice cracks on the last word. The fear I've been pushing down all day rises like bile in my throat.
"I thought—" I have to pause, steady myself. "I thought I was going to be too late. Again."
Understanding dawns in her eyes. "Logan..."
"I've lost too many people by being too late," I say quietly. "I couldn't... not you too."
The admission costs me something, but I'm too tired to care.
Too raw to maintain the walls I usually keep between myself and vulnerability.
Sloane stands, moving into my space. Her hand comes up to cup my cheek, thumb brushing over day-old stubble. The touch is so gentle it almost hurts.
"I'm sorry," she whispers. "I didn't... I wasn't thinking clearly. I just wanted to keep you safe. All of you."
"We're stronger together," I tell her, covering her hand with mine. "That's the whole point of The Forge. We protect each other. We fight together. We survive together."
She nods, tears finally spilling over. "I know that now. I do. I just... I've spent so long running. So long trying to handle everything alone. I forgot what it meant to really trust someone."
"Trust goes both ways," I say. "You have to let us in. Letmein."
"I trust you," she says immediately. "More than I've trusted anyone in a long time."
"Then promise me," I say, voice low and intent. "Promise me you won't do something like this again. No more lone wolf missions. No more sacrificial plays."
She meets my gaze steadily. "I promise."
I search her face, looking for any trace of hesitation. Finding none, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"Good," I murmur. "Because I can't lose you, Sloane. I won't."
The words feel like they're being pulled from somewhere deep inside me—a truth I've been fighting since she first showed up at my cabin door.
Since she started carving out space in my carefully controlled world.
Her breath catches. "Logan..."
