Page 42 of Eden and her Mercenary
The fight went out of him completely. His shoulders slumped, and he aged a decade in the space of a heartbeat.
"If I do what you ask," he said quietly, "they'll kill me anyway. The people I work for don't tolerate exposure."
"Then you should have thought of that before you started experimenting on prisoners."
"My family—"
"Will be safer with you in prison than with you dead." I checked my watch. "You have twenty-four hours to make the calls. After that, the choice is taken away from you."
"How do I know you'll keep your word?"
"You don't." I backed toward the edge of the dock where Ryker waited in the boat. "But it's the onlychance you've got."
I slipped into the boat without another word, leaving Whitmore standing alone on his dock, wrapped in nothing but a towel and the weight of his choices.
"Clean?" Ryker asked as we glided silently away from shore.
"For now." I kept my eyes on Whitmore's figure, growing smaller in the distance. "He has twenty-four hours to do the right thing."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Then we do this the hard way."
We made it back to the safe house without incident. I cleaned and stored the weapons while Ryker monitored police scanners and communication channels. No alarms, no emergency calls, no indication that our visit had been detected.
"Think he'll actually turn himself in?" Ryker asked.
"No." I holstered my sidearm. "But he'll make some calls, try to buy himself time or protection. That's when we'll know who else is involved."
My phone buzzed with a text from Wren: "Eden's vitals improving. Doctor says she might wake up tomorrow."
Relief flooded through me, so intense, it left me momentarily lightheaded. She was going to make it.Whatever else happened, Eden was going to survive.
"Good news?" Ryker asked, noting my expression.
"The best." I headed for the door. "I need to get back to the hospital."
"Royal." Ryker's voice stopped me. "What you did tonight—giving him a choice instead of just ending it—Eden would approve."
I considered this. "Maybe. But if he doesn't follow through, if he puts her in danger again..."
"Then we finish what we started," Ryker agreed. "But for now, you gave him the chance to do the right thing. That's more mercy than he deserves."
I drove back to the hospital through empty streets, my mind already shifting from the cold calculations of violence to the warm hope of Eden's recovery. The duality didn't bother me anymore—I'd learned to be both protector and avenger, depending on what the situation required.
At the hospital, I found Wren dozing in the chair beside Eden's bed. She stirred as I entered, giving me a questioning look.
"Handled," I said simply.
She nodded, gathering her things. "Her breathing improved this afternoon. The doctor thinks they might be able to remove the ventilator tomorrow."
After Wren left, I settled back into my vigil.Eden looked better — color returning to her cheeks, her breathing more natural despite the mechanical assistance. I took her hand, relieved to find it warmer than before.
"I'm back," I whispered. "And I took care of the man who hurt you. He won't be a problem anymore."
Her fingers twitched almost imperceptibly in mine. Progress.
"Stella's waiting for you," I continued. "She knows something's wrong, keeps looking for you. Wren says she's been sleeping on one of your shirts."
