Through the window, I watch a white van pull away, kicking up dust as it disappears. The silence that follows is deafening. Minny is gone. Thor is gone. And I'm left here with a stranger who looks like he kills people for breakfast.
I turn to find Ratchet methodically checking a handgun, his movements practiced and efficient. My throat tightens. This isn't some romantic adventure—it's my life now. For now, anyway.
THOR
The feelof a gun under my cut is more familiar than the trust of a woman. Yet here I am, guiding Charlie's best friend through sliding airport doors like I'm some kind of protector instead of the destroyer I know myself to be.
“V's got eyes on your gate,” I tell Minny, scanning the crowd. “Security looks clear.”
“How does he even do that?” she asks, clutching her carry-on like a shield.
“Better not to ask.” Truth is, I don't know half the shit V pulls off with his tech wizardry. Man could probably hack the Pentagon with a burner phone and some duct tape.
The airport bustles with morning travelers—business types with their coffee cups, families herding tired kids, college students with oversized headphones. Normal people living normal lives. The kind of lives that don't involve watching shadows and checking exit routes. The kind Charlie deserves.
I guide Minny toward the check-in counter, keeping my body between her and the main entrance.
“Once you're inside security, V takes over,” I explain. “He'll make sure you get on that plane without any problems.”
Minny stops abruptly, forcing me to halt beside her. She studies my face with the kind of intensity that makes even hardened men squirm.
“Listen, Thor. Charlie cannot be a casualty of whatever the fuck is going on right now.”
Something in my chest tightens. I've had guns pointed at my face that bothered me less than her words.
“She doesn’t deserve this mess. She deserves to be safe and happy. I don’t think you can give that to her.”
“You don't know what you're talking about,” I growl, trying to get her moving again, but she plants her feet.
“She just escaped one nightmare.” Minny steps closer, unafraid despite my size advantage. “Charlie's finally putting herself back together after what that bastard did to her. And now here you come with your guns and your friends and your—” she gestures at my cut “—whatever this lifestyle is.”
I clench my jaw, “I'm trying to keep her alive.”
“And then what? You think she wants to live constantly looking over her shoulder? Surrounded by men who solve problems with violence? She spent years living in fear in her own home. She's only just started to breathe again.”
The truth in her words hits like a knife between my ribs. I've been so focused on the immediate threat that I haven't thought about what happens after. About what kind of life I'm offering Charlie by pulling her into my world.
“She needs safety, not more danger,” Minny continues, her voice softening slightly. “I know you care about her. I can see it. But caring isn't always enough.”
An announcement crackles over the intercom about delayed flights, but I barely register it. Minny's words echo in my head like a fucking funeral bell.
“You think I don't know that?” The admission scrapes my throat raw, “You think I don't know she'd be better off without me?”
Minny's expression shifts, surprise flickering across her features. She wasn't expecting honesty.
“Then why?—”
“Because right now, I'm all that stands between her and whatever sick fuck is hunting her.” I run a hand through my hair, frustration clawing at my insides, “You want me to walk away? Fine. But not until this is over. Not until she's safe.”
The silence stretches between us, heavy with unspoken truths.
“What happens when it's over?”
I don't answer because I don't have one. The club is my life. Violence is my language. And Charlotte...Charlotte is sunshine and softness and everything I'll never deserve.
My phone buzzes. V's text lights up the screen.
All clear. Gate 12. No suspicious activity.
