Page 100 of The Scout

Will’s eyes cut to mine, sharp and knowing. He didn’t even hesitate. “Never. Especially not now.” He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, gaze sweeping over the brothers, who were deep in conversation over something they weren’t saying out loud. “I owe them.”

I swallowed hard. The air had shifted—not enough for most people to notice, but I did.

They weren’t just reflecting on what had happened. They were preparing.

The real war had just begun.

They didn’t say it. They didn’t need to. It was in the way they held themselves—shoulders squared, spines rigid, eyes always scanning. It was in the way their conversations never strayed too far from what came next, the unspoken weight of unfinished business settling over them like a storm cloud.

And it was in Ryker. In the way his grip on my thigh tightened every time the past week was mentioned, his fingers flexing like he was resisting the urge to reach for a weapon that wasn’t there. In the way his jaw ticked when the others spoke in low voices, strategizing, planning, preparing for the inevitable.

Because this wasn’t over.

The men responsible for what had happened—the ones who had taken Will, who had set the pier ablaze, who had tried to eliminate Ryker—were still out there. Watching. Waiting. And if I knew one thing about men like Ryker, it was that he wasn’t the type to let things go.

No, this wasn’t over. It was just the beginning.

I knew I should be scared. I knew that if I were smart, I’d find a way out, take what was left of my old life and run before I got pulled in any deeper.

But I wasn’t going anywhere.

No way in hell was I leaving Ryker.

The moment had been too chaotic before—too much smoke, too much adrenaline, too much relief—but now, as the world slowed just enough for the dust to settle, I felt it.

Will’s gaze.

I turned, finding him watching me, his expression unreadable, his jaw tight.

Not just watching. Assessing.

His sharp eyes flicked between me and Ryker, narrowing slightly when Ryker’s hand skimmed down my back, fingers flexing against my hip in silent possession.

It didn’t take him long to put the pieces together.

His entire stance stiffened. His shoulders squared. And then?—

"Tell me I’m seeing things, Dane.”

The low, rough demand landed like a grenade between us.

Beside me, Ryker didn’t even blink. He didn’t shift, didn’t look guilty, didn’t do anything except stay exactly where he was, claiming me without a single fucking word.

"You’re not," Ryker said simply, his voice steady, absolute.

Will exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face before turning to me. His jaw flexed once, twice. "And you, Izzy? This what you want?"

There was no hesitation.

"It is."

His nostrils flared, his Adam’s apple bobbing once. He looked like he wanted to say something else, wanted to fight it, but in the end—he just cursed under his breath.

"Fuck."

Silence stretched between us. Then, Will let out a slow, measured breath.

"You do anything to hurt her, I’ll kill you myself."

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