Page 21 of Carter
Faron signaled, three fingers raised, then dropped.
We breached.
The bay doors rattled open under Gideon’s charge, metal screaming against metal. Flashbangs clattered inside, detonating in white fire and sound.
And then the storm broke.
Gunfire erupted, shouts slicing the dark. I pushed through smoke and chaos, every muscle wired for one thing—Harper. My boots pounded against concrete, my eyes cutting through bodies and bullets, searching, hunting.
“Second floor!” Aponi’s voice cracked in my earpiece. “Thermal’s got three heat signatures in a side room. One matches her size.”
That was all I needed.
I took the stairs two at a time, rage burning hot enough to sear the edges off my fear. A man stepped out, weapon raised, but I was faster. Two shots, center mass. He dropped.
I hit the hallway running, every instinct screaming that I was close.
“Hold on, Harper,” I muttered, teeth gritted. “I’m coming.”
And God help anyone standing between me and that door.
25
Harper
The warehouse had been too quiet for hours. Quiet enough to make every drip of water from the pipes sound like a countdown.
Then it changed.
The first blast rattled the walls, a white flash searing through the cracks in the door. Rosa screamed, Elena jolted awake with a broken cry. My heart slammed so hard it felt like my ribs might crack.
Shouts erupted outside—men barking orders, boots hammering against concrete. Then gunfire. Sharp, controlled bursts, not the sloppy thunder of panic.
I knew that sound.
My pulse leapt. Carter.
I pressed the girls closer to me, crouching low. “Stay behind me,” I whispered, even though I had nothing but my body to shield them. “Help’s here. Just hold on.”
The lock on the door scraped. Heavy footsteps pounded closer. My throat closed, praying it wasn’t the boss, praying it was—
The door blew inward, crashing against the wall.
Smoke curled through the room, and then he was there.
Carter.
Vest strapped, rifle raised, eyes wild and locked on me. For a split second, the storm in his face softened, like the sight of me was the only thing tethering him to earth.
“Harper.” My name was a growl, a vow, a relief all at once.
I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. My body wanted to collapse, but my heart—my heart surged like it had been waiting for this exact moment.
He crossed the room in three strides, dropping to his knees, ripping the ties from my wrists. His hands shook, not with hesitation but with rage barely caged.
“Did they hurt you?” His voice was rough, breaking.
“No.” My throat burned. “But the girls—”
