Page 74 of The Scout

I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down my face. “Not a chance.”

She didn’t flinch. Didn’t break eye contact. “You can put me a safe distance away.”

“No.”

“Put me far enough away that I’m not in danger, but close enough that I can see when you bring him back.”

I was about to put my fist through the wall.

I wanted to tell her to fuck off with that idea. To lock her in the goddamn panic room and not let her out until this was over. But the worst part?

The worst part was that a tiny, reckless part of me liked the idea.

Liked the thought of her being there.

It was beyond stupid. So fucking stupid.

But I wanted her near me. I wanted her to be one of the first people to see Will when we got him back. I wanted her to know.

I knew how fucking irrational it was, but I didn’t care.

“Fine,” I said finally, voice rough. “I’ll find a place for you. Far from the action.”

Her shoulders relaxed, just slightly.

I forced myself to look away, back at the table, back at the details of the meet.

Because this wasn’t about her. It couldn’t be.

I had a brother to save.

I turned back to the table, scanning the faces of the men who’d been with me in war, men who’d bled beside me and followed me into hell more times than I could count. They were already thinking ahead, already moving into the mindset that made us the best at what we did.

“Get the planning going,” I ordered. “We have less than twenty-four hours to get ahead of them.”

No one hesitated.

Charlie and Noah started breaking down the map, Elias was already working digital recon, and the rest of the team began discussing points of insertion and extraction. We all knew the drill. We’d done this before—hostage retrieval, enemy engagements, high-stakes, no-room-for-error kind of missions.

But this time was different.

Because this wasn’t just a job. It was Will.

I clenched my jaw, forcing my focus back where it needed to be. My team had this covered. They knew what to do.

I turned to Isabel. “Come with me.”

She didn’t ask questions. Just followed.

I led her back through the halls, past the secured rooms, past the locked doors where my men were preparing for war. The house was buzzing, alive with energy, but I didn’t stop moving until we were in my bedroom.

I shut the door behind us, turning the lock.

She hesitated, her fingers twitching at her sides. “Are you locking me in?”

“No.” I stepped forward, closing the space between us. “If you’re coming tomorrow, we don’t have much time.”

Her lips parted slightly, her breath hitching just a little. She knew exactly what I meant.

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