Page 31 of Carter
Her words lodged in my throat. I’d spent my life being the weapon, the shield, never the man someone looked at likethat.
I swallowed hard, my hand sliding up to cup her face. “You’re too good for me, Harper.”
She smiled, small but steady. “That’s where you’re wrong. I think you’re exactly what I’ve been waiting for.”
The ache in my chest broke wide open. I’d been holding back the word for days, maybe longer, terrified that saying it out loud would make me reckless, would make her even more of a target in a world already too dark.
But looking at her now, wrapped in my arms, her body soft and trusting against mine… there was no holding it back.
“I love you,” I said, the words rough, unpolished, but truer than anything I’d ever spoken.
Her eyes filled, shimmering in the dim light. Then she kissed me, slow and sweet, her whisper trembling against my lips.
“I love you too.”
And just like that, the storm outside didn’t matter. The war ahead didn’t matter. For this one fragile, perfect moment, it was just us—two broken people who had somehow found each other and decided to hold on.
41
Harper
The words still echoed in my chest—I love you.My head rested against Carter’s shoulder, my hand curled over his heart, steady and strong beneath my palm. For one perfect, fragile hour, it felt like the world outside these walls couldn’t touch us.
Then the knock came. Hard. Urgent.
Carter was on his feet in a second, reaching for his sidearm, his body going rigid with that soldier’s stillness I’d come to recognize. He pressed a finger to his lips, motioning me back, his eyes blazing with warning.
My heart leapt into my throat.
Another knock. Three sharp raps, followed by River’s voice, muffled but taut. “Carter, open up. Now.”
Relief and dread tangled inside me. If River was here, it meant something had gone wrong.
Carter unlocked the door in a smooth, controlled motion, weapon still in hand. River and Gideon pushed inside, their faces grim, phones clutched tight like bad news they couldn’t put down.
“What is it?” Carter’s voice was low, dangerous.
River glanced at me before answering, and that alone made my stomach turn. “We’ve got movement. Two of our safe contacts turned up dead in the last hour. Same calling card.”
Gideon’s jaw flexed, his tone clipped. “They’re cleaning house. And they’re close, Carter. Too close.”
The room seemed to tilt. I wrapped the blanket tighter around myself, the chill sinking into my bones despite the warmth Carter had given me just moments ago.
He stepped forward, a wall between me and them, his body radiating fury. “What do you mean,close?”
River’s gaze hardened. “Your building was tagged. We don’t know how, but they found you.”
My breath caught, the blanket slipping from my shoulders. Found me. Here. Where Carter had sworn I was safe.
Carter’s arm shot back, pulling me tight against him, his voice a growl. “Then they’ll regret ever getting this far.”
But in his hold, I felt the truth he wasn’t saying—the walls were closing in, and the storm we thought we’d outrun had already found our doorstep.
42
Harper
The air in the apartment turned razor-sharp, every breath cutting. Carter barked orders with the kind of clipped precision that made even River and Gideon snap to attention. His voice was low, controlled, but I could feel the tension radiating off him in waves.
