Page 125 of The Outlaw's Savage Revenge

“But . . . you can’t,” she whispers. “You’re not supposed to.”

I exhale and lean my forehead against hers. “Too fucking late.”

She remains silent, but the dawning horror in her eyes tells me that was probably the worst thing I could have said to her.

38

Luna

I can’t breathe.

Not because Cade is pressed against me but because of what he just said.

Love. From a man who kills with a rosary. A man who sees every broken piece of me and matches it with his own darkness.

In mere days, he’s become my shelter, my mirror, the only man who’s ever made me feel both safe and dangerous. Who trusts me with his demons while embracing mine.

His weight pins me as I try to process the words that just changed everything. His eyes haven’t left mine, that predator’s focus reading every micro-expression.

He must sense my panic because he tips up my chin.

“Relax. It’s not a shackle—I’m not proposing marriage. I’m just making sure we’re clear on who gets to hurt you or your family.”

“Oh, right.” I force a laugh, fingers twisting in the sheet beside us. “I was worried there for a second.”

“Nah,” he smirks against my temple. “I don’t do organized anything. Relationships included.”

“Sounds like you do alright with Sophie and Phoenix and the folks in Harmony.” I trace the ink on his shoulder, this small touch already feeling like a right I’ve earned.

His muscles tense under my fingers though his voice stays casual. “I love them, and I’m there when they need me. Otherwise, it’s just easier not to hang around.”

“Why is it easier?”

The silence stretches. When his gaze finally meets mine, something in it makes my stomach drop.

“Because I’ve got an expiry date, baby.”

I’ve seen every shade of Cade now—ruthless, tender, playful, deadly. But this . . . this is new. “What do you mean?”

He shifts, propping himself on an elbow beside me. That simple movement makes me miss his weight already. His free hand runs through his hair. “When you said there’s no taking me down? It’s not true. I will be executed. It’s only a matter of when.”

My breath stills. “By the government?”

“Let’s just say that they don’t offer pension plans for their off-book weapons.”

It all makes sense now. Why he asked me not to get him hurt. Because the moment he’s seen as a liability, he becomes a target.

“And if you die . . .”

“Scar loses his identity and the life he loves,” Cade confirms.

This impossible man has been living with a death sentence, accepting it as part of who he is. And still, he opened himself to me.

“He must hate me for getting you hurt,” I muse

“He’s a little more complicated than that.”

“Tell me about it. He seemed to be warning me not to get attached to you, yet he sounded like he wanted me to do just that.” I study the tension in Cade’s jaw. “It was almost like dealing with multiple people. How you can trust him is beyond me.”

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