Page 33 of New Year with the Cartel

"It's about trust," I pressed on. "The necklace's power—it only works through mutual trust between mates. Not control. Not force. Trust, but only when it's fully given." I watched his face to find out what reaction he was going to have. "That's why you've never been able to use it properly in your past lives. That's why—"

A burst of gunfire outside cut me off. Fendwyr moved almost like a flash of light, positioning himself between me and the door. His phone buzzed with multiple alerts.

"Stay behind me," he ordered, but for once, his commanding tone carried genuine fear. Not for himself, I realized, but for us.

The door burst open. Marcus entered, but not alone. Three other men followed, all with weapons trained on Fendwyr. The betrayal was clear on their faces.

"Sorry, boss," Marcus said, though he didn't sound sorry at all. "Change of management. I'm sure you're not going to take it personally."

Fendwyr's laugh was cold. "Rodriguez finally showed his hand. And you, Marcus? How long have you been his?"

"Long enough," Marcus smirked. "Long enough to see how you treat your allies. How you break them. Rodriguez offers a different way."

More gunfire echoed through the compound. I could hear fighting, screaming, chaos. This was Rodriguez's play—infiltrate from within, strike when Fendwyr was distracted by my confinement. And yet, somehow, I knew it wasn't going to work.

"Different way?" Fendwyr's voice dropped. "Like using my pregnant mate to get to me? Tell me, Marcus, how is that better?"

I saw it then—the slight shift in Fendwyr's stance, the way his hand moved incrementally toward his concealed weapon. He was going to fight, right here in this confined space, with me trapped in the middle.

"Don't," I said, surprising everyone, including myself. "This is what Rodriguez wants. Us fighting, destroying each other over control."

"Smart omega," Marcus commented. "Smarter than your alpha, apparently. Rodriguez is waiting. He'll treat you better than—"

He never finished. Fendwyr moved with supernatural speed, drawing and firing in one fluid motion. Marcus dropped, buthis men responded in the same instant. The room erupted in gunfire.

Fendwyr tackled me off the bed as bullets shredded the headboard. We rolled behind a heavy dresser, his body covering mine protectively.

"Trust me," he whispered, and for the first time, it sounded like a request rather than a command.

More of Fendwyr's loyal men arrived, engaging Rodriguez's infiltrators in the hallway. The fighting was brutal, close-quarters. I could smell blood, gunpowder, and fear.

"The necklace," I gasped, clinging to him despite everything. "It's trying to tell us something. About trust, about choice. This isn't about control—it never was."

A grenade rolled into the room. Without hesitation, Fendwyr grabbed it and hurled it back through the door. The explosion rocked the building.

"I'm trying to protect you," he growled, firing at a shadow in the doorway. "Both of you."

"By keeping me prisoner? By controlling every aspect of my life?" I touched his face, forcing him to look at me. "That's not protection, Fendwyr. That's fear. Your fear, and you need to be able to do something about it."

Something changed in his eyes then. Recognition, perhaps, or understanding. But before he could respond, more of Rodriguez's men pushed into the room.

The fighting became desperate. Fendwyr was incredible—lethal and precise, commanding his loyal men through the chaos while never leaving my side. But I could see the strain, the impossible choice he faced: maintain control or trust in something deeper.

"We need to move," he said finally, as the gunfire temporarily subsided. "There's a secure route—"

"No more secure rooms," I cut him off. "No more cages. Trust me, Fendwyr. Trust us."

He stared at me for a long moment, conflict clear on his face. Then, surprisingly, he handed me his backup weapon.

"Okay. I'm going to trust you," he whispered. "But stay close."

It wasn't perfect. It wasn't even close to resolving our deeper issues. But as we moved through the compound, fighting our way past Rodriguez's men, I felt something shift between us. Each time Fendwyr let me watch his back, each time he trusted my judgment instead of simply commanding me, the bond between us strengthened.

We ended up in his office, temporarily safe behind reinforced doors. I could hear his men regaining control of the compound, pushing back Rodriguez's infiltrators.

"You were right," Fendwyr said, touching my stomach where our active child kicked furiously. "About the trust. About everything."

"Does this mean—"

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