Page 13 of Saving Meri

Lanie nodded like she could see his mind working. "That’s what you do, isn’t it? You pull people out of hell, make sure they don’t drown in it afterward." His jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue. "She’ll fight you on it," Lanie continued. "She’ll push. She’ll resist. But she won’t break."

Bear’s gaze darkened. "I don’t break what’s mine."

Lanie’s lips pressed together, something flickering in her eyes. Approval. A silent warning. Maybe both. "Good. Then don’t let her break herself, either." She didn’t wait for a response, just turned and walked toward the exit. As she reached the door, she paused. "Archer will never like this, you know."

Bear didn’t hesitate. "I don’t need him to."

Lanie chuckled softly, shaking her head before disappearing through the exit.

Bear ran a hand over the back of his neck, letting her words settle. Meri wasn’t just another rescue. She wasn’t just another survivor. She was his. And that meant keeping her from falling apart—no matter how hard she fought him on it.

A familiar Scottish drawl broke through his thoughts. "Well, that was interesting." Bear turned to see Fitz leaning against the far wall, arms crossed, a glint of amusement in his sharp blue eyes. "She’s not wrong.”

Bear grunted. "I know."

Fitz pushed off the wall and walked toward him, his usual smirk replaced with something heavier. "We need to talk."

Bear didn’t like that tone. "Say it," he ordered.

Fitz’s gaze flicked toward the closed door where Lanie had disappeared before settling back on him. "We pulled more intel from the auction site. Intercepted some chatter before we pulled the plug."

Bear didn’t move, but his pulse went cold. "Meri wasn’t just a random captive." Bear steadied himself to show no emotion.

Fitz’s voice lowered, serious and clipped. "No. She was targeted. They knew who she was. Knew exactly what taking her would do."

Bear’s breath slowed, his mind working through the implications.

Fitz nodded. "She was more than merchandise. She was a message. A way to get to Archer. And to us."

Bear forced his breathing to stay even, though every instinct in his body screamed for violence.

Fitz kept talking. "The trafficking ring we’ve been hunting? They’re not just some cartel offshoot. They’re organized. Funded. Connected. And they’re not done." Bear’s stomach turned to stone. Fitz’s gaze darkened. "They took Meri to make a statement. We just tore apart their operation to get her back. You think they’re gonna let that slide?"

No, they weren’t. And that meant Meri wasn’t safe yet.

Bear didn’t hesitate. "Double the security on the safe house. No one in or out without clearance from me."

Fitz nodded. "Already done. But we both know security will not be enough."

Bear’s jaw clenched. "Then we take the fight to them."

Fitz’s grin was sharp, all predator. "That’s what I like to hear."

Bear didn’t care what Fitz liked. He cared about one thing—Meri. The men who had taken her weren’t just some faceless enemy hiding in the shadows. They had a plan, a purpose, a vendetta. They would not stop, but then, neither would he.

Bear turned toward the closed door leading to the bedroom, where Meri was still asleep. They wanted to use her as leverage. They were about to find out what happened when they came after what belonged to him.

He stared at the closed door that separated him from Meri, his mind already spinning through the implications of what Fitz had just laid at his feet. Keeping her locked away in a safe house like some delicate thing waiting to be rescued wasn’t going to cut it. Those who abducted her hadn’t finished. They had been making a statement by taking Archer Vaughn’s sister, but now that Cerberus had ripped her from their grasp, the message had changed.

They were coming.

Bear wasn’t the kind of man who waited for a fight to land on his doorstep. He was the one who went looking for it, taking out the problem before it could grow into something worse. Hiding Meri wasn’t a solution. Eliminating the threat was.

Fitz watched him carefully, reading the storm that was brewing behind Bear’s eyes. “I figured you’d say that,” Fitz muttered. “I already have Kai running recon on the remaining players. Our contacts are piecing together who’s left, and which ones might try to retaliate first.”

Bear gave a sharp nod. “We hit them first. Cut them down before they regroup.”

Fitz’s expression was grim. “It won’t be clean.”

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