Page 66 of Meet Cute or Your Money Back

“Your recklessness could compromise everything.” The Enforcer’s snarl slices through the tension. He’s inches from the informant now, a looming threat against the backdrop of the quiet, unsuspecting street.

The air, thick with danger, vibrates with the current of their confrontation. I hold my breath, muscles wound tight as springs. Hunter remains still beside me, a silent statue, his discipline a lesson in restraint.

“Sorry, sorry,” the informant whimpers, his back nearly bending double in his eagerness to appease. “ Ispolnitel, there was no signal in the house and Drakon needed his update?—”

The Enforcer’s hand twitches at his side. “No,” I whisper as the sharp crack of a gunshot shatters the night. I swallow hard as the informant crumples to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Hunter doesn’t flinch, doesn’t even seem to breathe, but his hands clench white-knuckled on the edges of his laptop. The world outside turns into a still-life painting, except for the thin wisp of smoke curling from the barrel of the Enforcer’s gun.

We’re statues, Hunter and I, while my heart hammers against my ribs like it wants to break out. We can’t drive away yet. We have to wait long enough that no one suspects us of seeing or hearing anything.

The Enforcer casts a quick glance around, tucking his gun back into the waist of his pants before he ducks back into the shadow of the building. Like nothing happened. Like a man’s life hasn’t been snuffed out right before our eyes.

“Thatcher?” Hunter’s voice is barely audible, but it cuts through the shock cocooning me.

“Give it a minute,” I rasp out, my eyes glued to the door where the Enforcer disappeared. My ears ring with the echo of that single shot, and every instinct screams for me to jump out, to do something. But the job is clear—stay hidden, stay alive.

Two more men come scrambling out the front door and grab the informant’s body, quickly dragging him inside.

I think of Duke’s sweet laughter. Of how he can’t seem to eat chocolate without getting half of it on his face. I thinkof Allie’s smile. Of the way her nose crinkles when she giggles. Drakon and the Enforcer wouldn’t hesitate to take out Duke or Allie in a heartbeat. I can’t afford to break cover—not now, not yet.

The street has gone quiet again. Hunter and I don’t dare move until we’re certain the Enforcer isn’t coming back for an encore.

“Close,” Hunter mutters, his voice so low it’s nearly swallowed by the night.

“Too close.” My words are a hoarse whisper, my throat tight with the adrenaline still coursing through my veins. Every cell in my body is alive, acutely aware that the difference between life and death tonight has been mere seconds—a chilling reminder of what’s at stake.

“We don’t have to do this,” Hunter says, his eyes scanning the dark alleyways as we slowly start to sit back up. “We can turn over our evidence to the new team. Our old boss. And let them handle it. Your name…Duke’s name…never has to cross their path.”

“No,” I shoot back. “This is the man who took my wife from me. If anyone takes him down…it’s me.” I blink, feeling myself come back down from the adrenaline of the scene before us. “But you and Griff don’t have to do this. You’re retired. This isn’t your fight?—”

Hunter’s hand clamps onto my shoulder, concern seeping through his usually stoic demeanor. “Your fight is our fight, brother. Let’s end this,” he says, and there’s no mistaking the resolve in his voice.

Hunter puts away his equipment, then turns on the car and pulls slowly away from the neighborhood, leaving the horrific scene we witnessed behind. It’s far from the worst thing we’ve seen in our days on the force. But we’ve been out for a few years. And seeing it afew neighborhoods away from our own community is a far cry from seeing it in the middle of a war-torn country.

It’s literally hitting too close to home. “I think I should send Duke to stay with Jenna’s sister for a while. Until this is over,” I confess, the words tasting bitter as they leave my lips. And yet, I know it’s the right thing. Drakon is too close. And the more we close in on him, the more danger Duke is in.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Hunter reassures me, his eyes not leaving the road. “And I bet Griffin can send his brother to stay with them until this is over, too.”

That’s a good idea. Griff’s brother is a Green Beret and has almost as much training as we do. Outside of Hunter and Griffin, he’s the next person I trust with my son’s life.

“It’s just temporary,” Hunter adds. “Keeps him safe while we wrap up this mess.”

“Temporary,” I echo, the word feeling hollow. But Hunter is right. In my gut, I know keeping Duke out of Drakon’s crosshairs is nonnegotiable. The kid has been through enough for a lifetime already.

“Thatch,” Hunter says, snapping me away from my roaming thoughts. “If we’re doing this as soon as next week, then you’ve got to wrap up the Larsen file. Find her a match. Get her out of our hair so we can focus on what’s really important.”

“Right,” I say, my resolve crystallizing like ice. Find Allie a match. A match that isn’t me. Someone safe. Someone who loves tennis and dogs and will go to dinner with her parents at their golf club.

“Time to end this,” I declare, and the night seems to hold its breath.

“End it we will,” Hunter replies with a nod, his silhouetteblending into the dark as we make our way back to the mission.

The idea of facing down Drakon sends a jolt of electricity through me. It’s more than revenge; it’s a promise to protect what’s left of my family. Drakon is out there, a specter in the night…but not for long.

I’m coming for him. And God help anyone who stands in my way.

Chapter 18

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