Page 86 of Montana Justice

“Then just rest. Just be here with us.”

So I did. Closed my eyes and focused on the immediate—Caleb’s breathing, Lachlan’s heartbeat against my back, the gentle sway of the chair. Tomorrow would come with all itsdangers and possibilities. But right now, in this moment, I had one of my children safe in my arms and their father holding us both.

It wasn’t enough. It wouldn’t be enough until Sadie was here too. But it was something to hold on to throughout the terrifying hours ahead.

The room lightened incrementally, black fading to gray fading to the pale gold of dawn. Neither of us moved. Neither of us spoke. We just held our son and each other while the last night became the day that would change everything.

“It’s time,” Lachlan finally said as full sunlight painted the nursery walls.

I nodded, pressing one last kiss to Caleb’s head. Time to hand him over to Emma’s and Evelyn’s care. Time to feed false information to Ray one last time. Time to pretend everything was normal while teams of highly trained men prepared to steal back what Ray had taken from me. From us.

Lachlan stood, helping me to my feet while I kept Caleb cradled against my chest. My legs had gone numb from sitting so long, pins and needles shooting through my feet. But I welcomed the pain. It meant I could still feel something besides the paralyzing terror that threatened to consume me.

“Whatever happens,” I said, meeting his eyes in the morning light, “thank you. For believing me. For helping me get her back.”

He touched my cheek, the gesture achingly gentle. “We’re going to bring her home, Piper. Both of our children are going to sleep under this roof tomorrow night. I promise you that.”

I wanted to believe him. Wanted it with every fiber of my being. But I’d learned long ago that promises were just words, and words couldn’t stop bullets or change a desperate man’s actions.

Still, I nodded. Because what else could I do? Everything was in motion now. All the lies, all the betrayal, all the impossible choices—they’d all led to this day.

I prayed it would be enough.

Chapter 30

Lachlan

The Brackenridge warehousesquatted against the darkness like a cancer on my county. Through my night vision, I watched shadows move behind grimy windows—real shadows this time, not the emptiness of my other failure. My knees ached from crouching behind the concrete barrier for the past forty minutes, but I barely noticed. Everything that mattered was happening two hours away in Whitehall.

“Visual confirmation on weapons movement,” Aiden reported through my earpiece. “Southeast corner, they’re loading crates. Long guns, military profile.”

I forced myself to focus on his words, on the operation in front of me. But my mind kept drifting to that house on Cedar Lane where my daughter was being held a couple hours from here. Beckett and Lucas would be in position by now, Jude and Daniel with them—four of the most capable operators I knew. Former Navy SEALs who’d extracted assets from places that made suburban Whitehall look like Disneyland.

They were experienced. I trusted them. But trusting them and being there myself were tearing me in different directions.

“Confirmed eight heat signatures inside,” Martinez added. “Two on the ground floor, six up top. Possibly more in the basement.”

Eight armed traffickers, minimum. We had the numbers—barely. But half my trusted people were in Whitehall right now, moving on my daughter.

“All teams in position,” Hunter’s voice cut through my spiral. “Ready on your signal.”

I pulled out my phone, angling it so the light wouldn’t give away our position. Nothing from Beckett. It had been seventeen minutes since his last check-in:

In position. Surveillance active. Hold for my update.

Seventeen minutes of not knowing if my daughter was safe.

The grocery delivery confirmation had come through that afternoon. Travis had been monitoring multiple different areas of intel for final confirmation of which house Ray was keeping Sadie in, and when a grocery order was delivered to 847 Cedar Lane, we’d known. Formula, diapers, baby wipes—someone was caring for an infant at that address.

But confirming the location and successfully extracting a baby were vastly different operations. What if there were more guards than expected? What if they had orders to hurt her if law enforcement showed up? What if?—

“Movement at the loading dock,” Coop reported. “They’re picking up the pace.”

Through my scope, I watched two men carry a heavy crate from a panel truck into the warehouse. The way they moved—careful but urgent—screamed weapons. Another man followedwith smaller packages, wrapped tight in plastic. The kind of packaging I’d seen too many times in drug busts. They were moving everything tonight—guns and drugs, just like Ray had told Piper they would.

“Looks like they’re moving both hardware and product,” I said into my comms. “Confirms our intel about dual trafficking.”

“Copy that,” Hunter responded. “Makes sense. Same routes, same protection, double the profit.”

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