Page 12 of Bound By Valor

“And nothing will.” I replied firmly. “I can’t have civilians caught in the crossfire because of our mistakes,”

“Yourmistake, Zarek. You let her step into thismess.” Logan said pointedly.

I shook my head, a mix of anger and guilt swirling inside me. I wanted to argue, to defend my actions, but the lump in my throat held back any plausible denials. He was right, and we both knew it.

Turning to face him, I admitted. “So, Kabir told you.”

He shook his head. “I figured it out myself. You’ve been focused on Casteel so much that you’ve forgotten what this mission is about. All I had to do was wait for Kabir to slip up a bit. Which was easier than I thought.”

I bowed my head in defeat. “I can’t not watch over her, Logan.”

“And that includes putting cameras in her apartment. I see.” He said blankly.

“How the fuck—you know what, fuck it. That night messed everything up.”

“Nope.Youdid. I told you to call for backup that night,” Logan reminded me. “But you justhadto do surveillance by yourself.”

“I didn’t expect there to be two perps. I was just following one lead.” I said curtly.

He chuckled. “And that gave you a gash on your stomach with a side of obsession.”

My gut churned at the word. Iwasobsessed.

“Great, now she’s going inside in that stupid dress,” Logan pointed at Leora and her friends showing their IDs to the bouncer outside. “Are we waiting until she’s out?”

She was laughing now, surrounded by friends in a bubble of joy that seemed a world away from me.

Let her be, Zar. At least for tonight.

“No,weare leaving,” I said reluctantly.

I nudged Logan back toward his car parked across from Club Century and climbed in. As Logan drove off, the city lights blurred past, mirroring the turmoil in my mind. Thirty minutes later, we arrived at Alpha Squad Six’s headquarters.

My decoy phone rang as I got out of the car. This was the number I gave to civilians or police officers to get in touch with me. I eyed the unknown number, fear washing over me. The last person I gave this number to was the bouncer at the club. Walking inside I answered the call.

“It’s Chase. You gave me your number to report anything unusual?” His calm voice sounded. For a brief moment I felt relieved. He was calm. How bad could it be?

“Yes. What have you got?” I said, my voice mirroring his calm.

“The girl you described… well, she was really drunk just now. Her boyfriend was dragging her into a car. Not sure if this counts as—”

I hung up, my heart stopped for a terrifying moment. In an instant, I was back in action, sprinting back to the car.

Logan was right behind me. “Talk to me, Ghost.”

“She was taken. Someone snatched her off the fucking street.” I muttered as I quickly geared up and jumped into the driver’s seat. Logan soundlessly followed me.

Peeling off our street, I barked into the phone, calling Kabir, “I need your eyes on a vehicle. Logan will give you the approximate location.”

After passing the phone to Logan, I raced back towards the club, desperate hope fueling my drive that it wasn’t Leora who had been taken. Upon arriving, Izeroed in on a convenience store across the street.

Barging into the store, I made a beeline for the cashier who was mundanely stacking shelves. “I need to see your security tapes facing the street.Now!” My voice was more of a command than a request.

The cashier, a young guy with a bewildered look, started to stammer a response. I didn’t have time for hesitation. I flashed my decoy police badge I kept for occasions just like this. “Official business. I need to see the footage from forty minutes ago.”

As he scrambled to comply, I couldn’t keep still. My leg tapped an urgent rhythm on the linoleum floor.

“Relax,” Logan tried to reassure me, his voice steady. “We’ll get her back safely.”

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