Page 51 of Carter
I crossed the room, crouching so we were eye to eye. “I don’t know how long this will take. But I’ll come back to you.”
Her hand slipped into mine, warm and certain. “You’d better,” she whispered, a hint of fire under the fear.
I pressed a kiss to her knuckles, my chest tightening. “You’re my reason to end this fast.”
When I stood again, the soldier was back in place. Armor locked, mission clear.
But beneath it all, the man—the one who loved her more than his own life—was the one pulling the trigger tonight.
And God help anyone who stood in my way.
75
Carter
The SUV flew down the mountain road, its headlights carving narrow beams through the fog. The forest pressed in on either side, black and endless, but my focus stayed locked on the mission ahead. We had to end these people thinking they could kill Harper.
River sat up front with Cyclone, murmuring over comms as he confirmed routes. Gideon was next to me in the back, laptop balanced on his knees, screens flickering with the yard’s schematics. The hum of electronics mixed with the engine’s growl, a steady rhythm I’d known my whole life.
But my hand still tingled from where Harper had held it last.
I closed my eyes for a second, just long enough to hear her voice in my head.You’d better come back to me.The fire under her fear, the strength in her gaze—it lit a fuse inside me I couldn’t ignore.
“ETA fifteen minutes,” Cyclone muttered, pulling me back.
I nodded, checked the rifle laid across my lap. Safety off. Round chambered. Ready.
River glanced over his shoulder. “We go quiet until we can’t. Gideon kills the lights. Cyclone keeps our ride hot. Carter, you breach.”
“Copy.” My voice was flat, steady.
But inside, I was a storm.
Because this wasn’t just about taking another piece off the board. This was about making sure Harper never had to wake up wondering if someone was coming for her. About making sure her nightmares stopped at the cabin walls, where she could finally breathe without fear.
I opened my eyes and watched the road unravel ahead of us.
This mission wasn’t just mine. It was hers, too. And I was going to end it—for both of us.
The SUV crested the ridge, and in the distance, the hulking shapes of warehouses rose out of the fog like sleeping giants.
I flexed my grip on the rifle.
“Time to wake them up,” I muttered.
76
Carter
The SUV rolled to a stop two blocks from the warehouse district, engine idling low. Beyond the cracked windshield, the buildings loomed like rusted skeletons against the fog, floodlights cutting long beams across the lot.
I stepped out into the night, boots silent on damp asphalt, rifle slung ready. The air reeked of oil and saltwater, the kind of smell that seeped into your skin and stayed there.
River pointed toward the southern fence, chain-link topped with razor wire. “That’s our entry. Cyclone, park two streets over. Keep the engine hot.”
Cyclone gave a sharp nod, pulling away with the SUV. Gideon was already moving, his laptop cradled against his chest, fingers dancing across the keys. “Lights will be down in thirty seconds.”
“Make it twenty,” I muttered.
