Page 41 of Carter
“What?” I whispered.
“That when I say run—you run. That you give me the chance to fight for you, even while you fight beside me.”
I nodded, my heart pounding with equal parts fear and relief. “Deal.”
And for the first time since this nightmare began, I felt like we weren’t just surviving anymore. We were fighting back—together.
57
Harper
Carter didn’t let go of my hand when he led me back down the hall. The others were waiting—River with his quiet steadiness, Gideon with that unflinching gaze, Cyclone just back from the perimeter check, smelling of cold night air.
This time, no one looked surprised to see me step up to the table. No one tried to steer me back to the bedroom. Carter pulled a chair out for me, his hand brushing my back as I sat, and the smallest gesture felt like the biggest shift.
“Graves,” River began, tapping the tablet where a map glowed. “Financier. Coordinator. He’s been funneling jobs to mercenaries all over the city. Contracts with your name on them, Harper.”
My stomach twisted, but I forced myself to hold his gaze. To keep my chin up even as fear pricked cold at the base of my spine.
“We’ve tracked him to a shipping yard,” Gideon continued. “Remote. Guarded. But not impenetrable.”
Not impenetrable. I clung to those words, though I knewwhat they meant—Carter and the team were planning to walk straight into the lion’s den.
I glanced at him, my pulse quickening. His eyes were locked on the map, but his hand rested on my thigh under the table, grounding me.
“You’re not coming with us into the yard,” Carter said, his tone firm but without the walls I’d felt before. “But you are part of this plan. You need to know what we’re walking into, what to expect if things go wrong.”
The words sank deep. Not a dismissal. Not a command. Inclusion.
Fear still burned in my chest, but pride threaded through it. For the first time, I wasn’t a shadow in this fight—I was part of the circle.
As River laid out entry points, as Gideon detailed contingencies, I listened harder than I ever had in my life. Every word seared into me, every line of the map a reminder that the storm wasn’t over. But now, when I looked at Carter, I didn’t just see the soldier shielding me.
I saw the man trusting me with the truth.
And even though the fear stayed, it didn’t own me anymore.
Because whatever came next, I wasn’t just the hunted. I was part of the fight.
58
Carter
The plan was simple on paper. Get in, cut Graves off at the knees, burn down the network before another contract went out.
But nothing about this was simple.
I studied the map one more time, committing every angle and exit to memory. River and Gideon debated logistics quietly, and Cyclone checked weapons and ammo. The rhythm was familiar—pre-op hum, the calm before the storm.
Except this time, the storm had Harper’s name on it.
I looked at her across the table. She sat straighter than I expected, her hands folded tight in her lap, but her eyes didn’t waver. She was listening to every word, memorizing every detail. She didn’t flinch when River talked about probable body counts. She didn’t blink when Gideon laid out backup plans.
She wasn’t a civilian in this moment. She was part of us.
And that terrified me more than anything.
When the meeting broke, the others slipping into their quiet rituals of preparation, I lingered by the door, waitinguntil she came to me. She slid her hand into mine without hesitation, tilting her head back to meet my gaze.
