Page 133 of Shadowed Vows: Ghost
My mouth goes dry at the naked pain in his confession. This isn't just about the mission—it's about his past, his losses, the choices that haunt him still.
Before I can respond, he spins toward Cole, who stands frozen near the tactical planning table.
"Get the team ready." The command rolls out like thunder. "We get the kids out and eliminate everyone else involved. Fuck all of them."
The team snaps into motion, the room suddenly alive with lethal purpose.
"Kade, wait," I persist, following him as he checks weapon caches. "There has to be another way. We can't just—"
He cuts me off with a look that sends heat pooling low in my belly. Even in anger, the effect he has on me is undeniable.
"Alina," he begins, his voice low enough that only I can hear. "I need you to understand something specific about what we're facing."
I nod, giving him my full attention. The watch on my wrist catches the light, a reminder of the commitment I've made to both him and this world.
He pulls up satellite imagery on the tablet. "This compound in Sonoma—it's where we tracked Steele's security team. These heat signatures confirm at least fourteen children being held in the east wing."
My stomach turns as I process what he's showing me.
He swipes to another image. "The guards carry Russian-made Vityaz submachine guns—the same weapons used in the assassination of that prosecutor in Singapore who was investigating missing children."
His finger traces a schematic. "The last three times we've gone after similar operations, we've lost people. Bangkok, 2019—my agent Torres bled out in my arms after taking fire protecting twenty children from traffickers with the same weapons signature. Manila, 2021—we lost Adams and Lee when a building rigged with C4 collapsed. And now Roman."
He takes a deep breath, his voice dropping further. "This mission... it's not just about taking down bad guys. Every time we go out there, I'm terrified of losing someone on my team."
The confession rattles me. I've seen Kade as unshakeable with his work, but now I glimpse the weight he carries.
"Every time I lost someone, it feels like a piece of me dies with them," he continues, his voice barely audible over the activity around us.
I reach out, pressing my palm against his chest, feeling his heart hammer beneath my touch. "Kade, I had no idea."
His hand covers mine, pressing it harder against him. "And now, with you here..." His eyes burn into mine. "I'm scared, Alina. I'm scared of you seeing this world, really seeing it, and deciding it's too much. But I'm even more scared of something happening to you."
My heart clenches. "I'm not going anywhere, Kade." I tap the watch on my wrist. "I chose this. I chose you."
He shakes his head, fingers tightening around mine. "You don't know what it's like. The things we have to do...they change you. And I don't want to see that light in you go out."
I press closer, letting him feel my heartbeat against his.
"I may not fully understand," I whisper against his chest, "but I'm here. And I'm not afraid of the darkness."
His hand slides up to grip the nape of my neck, fingers tangling in my hair. The gentle violence of his touch makes my breath hitch.
"Then you have two options, Alina." His lips brush my ear, sending a surge of desire through me.
"Come with us and follow my lead, or stay here." His grip tightens, tilting my head back so I'm forced to meet his gaze. "But we're doing whatever it takes to get those kids out and deal with the traffickers. Your call."
The air between us crackles with tension—not just from conflict, but from the dangerous attraction that seems to ignite whenever we clash.
For the first time since joining the team, since accepting his watch and all it represents, I have no idea what the right choice is.
thirty-nine
Kade
"Ghost, we've got movement on the Naomi situation," Cole announces, bursting into my office. "Her access codes just pinged on Steele's network. She's downloading files."
"Who's Naomi?" Alina demands, looking up from the stack of reports she's been analyzing.
