Page 108 of Say You're Mine

As they begin to outline the intricacies of the raid, my mind drifts to Cara. I picture her lying in that sterile hospital bed, her belly swollen with our child, machines beeping a steady rhythm around her. The thought of her there alone, without me by her side, makes my chest ache with a pain so intense it's almost physical.

I know Judith warned me to stay away, that Elaine might be watching. But the need to see Cara, to touch her, to feel the warmth of her skin beneath my fingers, is an all-consuming fire that threatens to burn me alive from the inside out.

"I need some air," I mutter, cutting through whatever Natalie was saying. Without waiting for a response, I push past them and out into the hallway.

The night air is cool against my flushed skin as I step onto the balcony. The city sprawls out before me, a glittering tapestry of lights and shadows. Somewhere out there, Cara is fighting her own battle, and I'm powerless to help her.

I grip the railing, my knuckles turning white as I lean out over the edge. The wind whips through my hair, carrying with it the faint scent of rain. A storm is coming, both literally and figuratively.

"I thought I'd find you out here," Judith's voice comes from behind me. I don't turn around, but I hear her footsteps as she approaches.

"If you're here to lecture me-"

"I'm not," she interrupts, coming to stand beside me. "I'm here to tell you that I understand."

I scoff, turning to face her. "Do you? Because from where I'm standing, it seems like everyone's more concerned with playing it safe than actually doing what needs to be done."

Judith's eyes flash with something – anger? Pain? – before she speaks. "You think you're the only one who's ever lost someone? The only one who's felt this kind of rage?"

Her words hit me like a physical blow, and I take a step back. "Judith, I-"

"No, you listen to me, June," she says, her voice low and intense. "I know exactly what it feels like to have your world torn apart. To wake up every morning with a hole in your chest where your heart used to be. But I also know that letting that pain consume you, letting it drive you to make reckless decisions, will only end in more heartache."

I swallow hard, the fight draining out of me as I see the raw emotion in her eyes. "How do you do it?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. "How do you keep going when everything inside you is screaming to just... give up?"

Judith's expression softens, and she reaches out to place a hand on my arm. This time, I don't pull away. "You find something to hold onto. Something worth fighting for. And you never, ever let it go."

I close my eyes, Cara's face flashing behind my eyelids. Her smile, the sound of her laugh, the way her eyes light up when she looks at me. And our baby – the tiny life we created together, a promise of a future I never thought I'd have.

"I can't lose them," I choke out, my voice thick with unshed tears. "I can't."

"You won't," Judith says firmly. "We won't let that happen. But June, you have to trust us. Work with us, not against us. It's the only way we'll get through this."

I nod, taking a shaky breath. "Okay. Okay, I'll try."

Judith squeezes my arm gently before letting go. "That's all I'm asking. Now come on, let's go back inside and finish hammering out this plan. The sooner we do that, the sooner you can be back with Cara where you belong."

As we turn to head back inside, a sudden gust of wind sweeps across the balcony. I pause, looking out over the city one last time. "Hold on, Cara," I whisper into the night. "I'm coming for you. For both of you. And nothing in this world is going to stop me."

With renewed determination, I follow Judith back into the room where the others are waiting. The next three days are going to be the longest of my life, but I'll endure it. For Cara. For our baby. For the future we deserve.

Elaine doesn't stand a chance. And when I finally get my hands on her, she'll wish she'd never even heard the name June Mayson. That's a promise I intend to keep, no matter the cost.

The darkness embraces me like an old lover as I slip through the night, a wraith in black, every sense honed to razor acuity. The balaclava clings to my face, a second skin, as familiar now as my own flesh. It’s a necessary evil, a barrier between the man I am and the monster I have to become.

I scale the wall of Cara's brownstone with preternatural ease, my muscles moving on instinct, every flex and release as natural as breathing. Her window is open, an unspoken invitation that sets my blood thrumming in my veins. I slip inside, a shadow among shadows, the cool kiss of the hardwood floor against my bare feet a shock to my system.

And there she is. My goddess. My salvation. The only light in my pitch-black world.

Cara lies tangled in the sheets, her hair a dark halo against the pillows, her lush curves illuminated by the moonlight filtering through the gauzy curtains. She’s bare, save for a thin slip of lace that does little to conceal and everything to inflame, her dusky nipples straining against the delicate fabric.

I must have made a sound, a hitched breath or a low groan, because her eyes flutter open. For a single, suspended heartbeat, she tenses, a flicker of fear chasing across her sleep-soft features. But then recognition dawns, followed by a heat that scorches me to the marrow.

"You came," she breathes, her voice husky with want.

"Always," I rasp, the word scraped raw from my throat. "I'll always come for you, Cara."

She rises to her knees, the slip riding high on her thighs, and crooks a finger at me. An invitation. A command. "Prove it."

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