Rosa steps forward, her presence commanding attention. "You're not alone anymore," she tells Sloane. "Whatever's coming, we face it as one."
The others murmur agreement, and I watch as tears gather in Sloane's eyes—quickly blinked away, but not before I catch them. She's spent so long carrying this alone, and now...
Now she has an army.
"We'll need a plan," Ryker says, always practical. "Security protocols, escape routes, contingencies."
"Already on it," Asa adds, fingers flying over his keyboard. "I can strengthen our digital defenses, set up surveillance nets?—"
"And I'll coord with local law enforcement," Eli cuts in. "Keep channels open, eyes on the ground."
They fall into planning mode, voices overlapping with suggestions and strategies. I stay quiet, watching them work, feeling the familiar pride swelling in my chest.
This is what we built The Forge for—to protect those who need it most.
Sloane drifts closer to my side, her shoulder barely brushing mine. "Thank you," she whispers.
I look down at her, at the strength and vulnerability warring in her eyes, and something inside me breaks. Just a little. Just enough.
"Stay close," I murmur back.
She nods once, a ghost of a smile touching her lips. "Always."
The word settles in my chest like a promise—or a prayer. And for the first time since Granger's threat, I feel the ice in my veins begin to thaw.
Because maybe she's right.
Maybe we don't have to face the shadows alone anymore.
The team continues strategizing, their voices a steady hum of determination and purpose. Knox maps out defensive positions while Caleb suggests evacuation routes. Eli coordinates medical supplies as Asa fortifies our digital perimeter.
I watch them work, these broken men who chose to rebuild themselves into something stronger. Who found purpose in protection instead of destruction.
And now they'll protect her too.
The thought should comfort me.
Instead, it twists in my gut like barbed wire. Because I know what's coming. I've seen how Granger operates—how he turns strengths into weaknesses, loyalty into leverage.
He won't just target Sloane now.
He'll use everyone she cares about.
EveryoneIcare about.
The realization settles like lead in my bones. I look at my team—my family—knowing that by helping her, they've painted targets on their backs too.
But when I glance at Sloane, seeing the fierce determination in her stance as she points out details on the map, I know we've already crossed that line.
There's no going back.
Only forward.
Into whatever storm is brewing on the horizon.
Rosa approaches, her expression grim but resolved. "We'll need to move Lucia somewhere safe," she says quietly. "Just in case."
I nod, guilt churning in my stomach. Another innocent drawn into our orbit of danger.
