Carter
Cyclone drove like the devil was chasing us—and maybe he was. The city lights blurred past in streaks, but my focus was on the road ahead, every muscle coiled, waiting for the next hit.
River’s tablet glowed in the dark as he pulled up intel. “Two confirmed dead. Both were contacts we leaned on last year. Whoever’s cleaning house knows exactly where to cut.”
“Which means someone fed them names,” Gideon muttered, his voice edged with steel. “We’ve got a leak.”
I shifted Harper closer against me, my arm locked around her shoulders. She tried to stay quiet, but I could feel her pulse racing under my hand, could feel her body tremble each time the SUV hit a bump. She was listening. She always listened.
“Where do we put her?” Cyclone asked, eyes never leaving the road. “Safe houses are burned. Your place is compromised. We need a fallback.”
My jaw clenched. I didn’t like any of it. Safe houses could be tracked. Motels weren’t secure. Every option ended withHarper in someone else’s hands, relying on walls that weren’t mine.
“She stays with me,” I said flatly.
River’s eyes flicked up. “Carter—”
“I don’t care what we have to burn down to make it happen,” I snapped. “She’s not being tucked away in a corner while we hunt. I’ll keep her in my line of sight, or I walk from this op and take her myself.”
Silence stretched. The engine roared.
Finally, River blew out a breath, nodding once. “Then we take her off-grid. Mountains. Cabins. Somewhere we control the perimeter.” His gaze sharpened on me. “But Carter—this isn’t just about shielding her. If she’s in your arms, she’s also in your fight. You ready for that?”
I glanced down at Harper, curled against me, her eyes open and steady despite the fear. And I knew the answer.
“I don’t have a choice,” I said, my voice low but absolute. “She’s already in it.”
Gideon grunted approval. “Then we hit back fast. Cut off the head before they regroup.”
“Good,” I growled. “Because I’m done running.”
The SUV cut onto the highway, the city shrinking in the rearview. Plans were forming, strategies laid out, but all I could think was this:
Whoever had marked Harper thought she was leverage. A weakness.
They had no idea she’d just become the reason I’d bring their whole world crashing down.
48
Carter
The SUV climbed into the mountains, headlights cutting through mist that clung to the pines. The city was long behind us, swallowed by distance and silence, but my pulse hadn’t slowed. Not when Harper’s head rested on my chest, her body pressed against me like I was the only anchor she had left.
We pulled off the main road, tires crunching gravel, until a cabin came into view—a squat shape tucked into the trees, dark and unremarkable. Perfect.
Cyclone killed the engine. “No neighbors for miles. Only one road in, one out. Tight perimeter.”
“Good,” I said, already scanning the treeline, my instincts running hot.
River and Gideon moved fast, sweeping the cabin. By the time I took Harper inside with my rifle slung over my shoulder, the lights were on and the place was cleared. Four rooms. Heavy shutters. A back exit into the forest. Not ideal, but it would do.
My hand lingered at Harper’s waist longer than I should have. She glanced up at me, her eyes tired but fierce, and Iknew she understood. This wasn’t just a hideout. It was a line in the sand.
“Harper takes the bedroom at the back,” I ordered, already moving. “One door, one window. I’ll be in the hall. No one gets through without me knowing.”
River gave me a look—half approval, half concern—but didn’t argue. Gideon started setting sensors on the doors and windows, silent efficiency in every motion. Cyclone disappeared outside with a duffel, stringing motion cams along the treeline.
I checked each lock, each angle of the cabin, until my chest eased only a fraction. Then I went back to her.
