Page 58 of Beautiful Scars: Unshakeable

"I'll leave you to it," she says with a knowing smile. The door clicks shut behind her.

"We can't keep this from her," I say, turning back to face the others. My fingers trace where her lips just touched mine, the warmth a reminder of everything at stake.

Levi runs his hands through his hair, pacing like a caged animal. "You want to tell her that he's hunting down the womenand girls we saved? That he's… " His voice cracks. "That he's recreating what he did to her?"

"She's stronger than you think. Keeping her in the dark won't protect her." The words taste bitter as I say them. "He's coming for her."

"Fuck." Ty pounds his fist on the arm of the couch. None of us flinch—we're all feeling it.

I move to the window, scanning the perimeter out of habit. The grounds are secure, cameras and motion sensors are operational. There isn't one inch of this place where we don't have eyes. But Garrett's proven to us before that conventional security means nothing to him.

"We need to move her," Levi says, but I'm already shaking my head.

"I'm sure running is exactly what he wants. Get her somewhere more unfamiliar, less secure overall." I turn back to face them. "We need to end this. Permanently."

"Agreed." Colt's voice carries that deadly efficiency I recognize from our worst jobs. "But we need to tell her first. She deserves to know what's coming, what's happening."

"Tonight," I decide, my mind already mapping out contingencies. "After dinner. She'll know something's wrong."

Levi stops pacing, his expression haunted. "You know what this will do to her. Finding out he's still—" He swallows hard. "That he's hurting other women because of her."

"She'll blame herself," Chase says quietly. "You know she will."

"Which is exactly why we need to tell her ourselves, before she figures it out some other way." I meet each of their eyes in turn. "We show her the evidence, explain our plans, and make damn sure she knows none of this is her fault."

"And when she insists on being part of the solution?" Ty asks, though we all know the answer.

"We listen," I say firmly, "and let her. It's her life he wants."

Levi grimaces at that but doesn't argue.

"I'll have Wolf compile everything—financial records, surveillance, crime scene analysis. Anything that helps explain what's happening." Colt starts typing on his tablet. "But sanitized. She doesn't need to see the worst of it."

"We'll set up a full tactical brief in the morning," I add. "I want everyone's eyes on this. If Garrett's leaving us breadcrumbs to find him, he's either desperate or wants us to see something."

"Or both," Chase suggests grimly.

I nod, my mind already running scenarios. "Double the perimeter patrols. No one goes anywhere alone from here on out."

IwatchSunnypushfood around her plate. She knows something's up. I knew she would. My own appetite is nonexistent. The weight of what we need to tell her sits like lead in my stomach. Across the table, Levi catches my eye—a silent acknowledgment that we can't delay this any longer.

"Angel." My voice comes out rougher than I intend. She looks up, fork pausing mid-motion. "When you're finished, we need to talk."

Her eyes flick between Levi and me, reading the tension. "Office?"

I nod, appreciating how she doesn't act like she's not picking up on the mood in the room. The rest of the table has gone quiet, everyone suddenly very interested in their plates.

Minutes later, I close the office door behind us. Sunny perches on the edge of the leather couch, while Levi paces near the windows. I remain standing, too restless to sit.

"Tell me." Her quiet command surprises us both.

When we hesitate, she adds, “Whatever’s got you both looking like that—tell me. I can handle it."

I exchange a look with Levi before retrieving Colt's tablet. "What we're about to show you..." I struggle to find the right words. "It's bad."

"Show me." Her voice stays steady, but I catch the slight tremor in her hands.

I sit beside her, angling the tablet so she can see. "Garrett's been busy." The financial records appear first—strings of numbers and transactions that paint a disturbing picture. "He's liquidating everything. Converting it all to untraceable currency."

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