Page 29 of Curvy Desire's Second Shot

“No,” I said sharply, cutting her off. “You’re not the bait.”

“Hudson—”

“No,” I repeated, my voice firm. “We’ll find another way.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she glanced around, her gaze landing on a stack of crates near the back of the room. “What about those? If we can block the exits, we might be able to contain them.”

I followed her gaze, considering the plan. It was risky, but it could work. “Alright,” I said. “But we have to move fast.”

The next fewminutes were a blur of quiet movements and hushed instructions. Naomi and I worked in sync, using the crates to create barriers near the doors. Each noise we made felt deafening, but the men inside the room remained oblivious, too focused on their plans to notice.

Once we were in position, I nodded to Naomi, signaling for her to stay hidden while I created the distraction. My heart pounded as I stepped into the room, my knife in hand.

“Hey!” I shouted, my voice echoing off the walls. “Looking for me?”

The men turned as one, their expressions shifting from shock to fury. The leader—the man with the scar—stepped forward, his hand going to the gun at his side.

“You’ve got guts showing your face here,” he snarled. “Too bad it won’t do you any good.”

I smirked, backing toward the crates. “We’ll see about that.”

He raised his hand, motioning for the others to move in. But before they could reach me, Naomi emerged from her hiding spot, a stack of crates toppling behind her with a loud crash. The men spun around, their formation breaking as they scrambled to react.

“Now!” I shouted, rushing forward.

The fight was chaos—fists flying, shouts echoing through the warehouse. I focused on the leader, blocking his strikes and landing my own. He was fast, but I was faster, my anger fueling each movement.

Naomi held her own, using the environment to her advantage. She ducked and weaved, throwing objects and creating distractions that gave me the upper hand. I couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride as I saw her determination, her strength shining through.

Finally, with one last punch, the leader went down, his gun skittering across the floor. I turned to Naomi, who was breathing hard but still standing.

“You okay?” I asked, rushing to her side.

She nodded, her eyes bright with adrenaline. “I’m fine. You?”

“I’ve been worse,” I said with a grin, earning a small laugh from her.

We called the authorities,giving them just enough information to ensure the warehouse was secured without implicating ourselves. As we walked back to the truck, the weight of what we’d just done settled over us.

“We did it,” Naomi said softly, her voice filled with awe.

“Yeah,” I said, my chest swelling with pride. “We did.”

For the first time, it felt like we were truly a team—equals in every sense of the word.

Chapter Twenty-One

Naomi

The familiar creak of the apartment door sounded louder than usual as Hudson pushed it open, and the quiet of the space felt heavier than I remembered. The adrenaline from the warehouse raid was wearing off, leaving behind a dull ache in my muscles and a heavy exhaustion that seeped into my bones.

Hudson stepped inside first, his movements deliberate as he checked the locks and bolted the door behind us. He always did that—triple-checking everything—and I knew it wasn’t just about safety. It was his way of regaining control, of grounding himself after the chaos. Watching him do it now, knowing what we’d just accomplished, filled me with a mix of pride and something deeper I wasn’t ready to name.

“Home sweet home,” I muttered, dropping onto the couch and kicking off my boots.

Hudson gave me a tired smirk, tossing his jacket onto the back of a chair. “Not exactly five-star accommodations, but it’ll do.”

“It’s perfect,” I said, stretching my legs out and sinking into the cushions. “Anything beats that warehouse.”

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