Page 39 of No Words
“We end this. Permanently.” I tap the satellite image showing Borsellini’s vehicles. “Eight men, including Alessio himself. We take him out, and this whole thing collapses.”
Owen looks up from his screen. “You’re talking about crossing a line here.”
“I crossed it the moment I brought her here,” I meet each of their gazes. “This isn’t just an assignment anymore.”
Jayce watches me for a long beat, then nods once. “Killian figured you’d say that. Why he sent us specifically.”
Of course, he did. Killian always sees further ahead than anyone else.
“You in?” I ask.
“We’re in,” Jensen says, already unpacking gear. “But the witness?—”
“Molly,” I cut him off sharply.
“Molly,” he corrects himself. “She stays safe during this.”
“Agreed.” I glance toward the bedroom. “I need to talk to her.”
“We’ll get started,” Jayce says. “Thirty minutes enough?”
I nod and head back to the bedroom. The floor creaks under my weight, and I find Molly already sitting up, eyes finding mine in the dim light.
“Someone’s here,” she says, not really a question.
“Killian sent people. Three of them.” I sit beside her, close but not touching. “Borsellini’s found us, Molly. They’re on their way.”
“When do we leave?”
“We don’t.” I take her hand, feeling the tremor she’s trying to hide. Her face remains composed, but her pulse hammers against her throat. “Running means looking over our shoulder forever. It means never being free.”
Her eyes widen. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying we finish this. Here. Now.” I hold her gaze, letting her see the certainty in mine. “Borsellini’s the problem. We remove him, we solve the problem.”
“We,” she repeats, testing the word. “What are we, Cole?”
“We’re whatever you want us to be.” I move closer, her face fitting perfectly in my palms. “But I know what I want. This stopped being just about protection the moment I realized I’d rather die than let anyone hurt you.”
Something flares in her eyes, fear, desire, or some mix of both. “And what am I to you?”
“Everything,” I say without hesitation. “Everything I never knew I wanted. Everything I’m not willing to give up.”
Her lips part slightly. “And if we fail? If Borsellini?—”
“We won’t.” I brush my thumb across her lower lip. “But I need to know you’re with me. That you understand what I’m offering.”
“Which is?”
“A future. No more running. No more hiding.” I lean closer, voice dropping to almost a whisper. “Just you, with me. Building something I never thought I could have. Something real, something permanent. The kind of life I’ve spent years watching other people live while I moved from one job to the next, one identity to another.”
I swallow hard; the confession costs me more than any mission ever has. “I know we’ve barely known each other. It shouldn’t be possible to be this certain, this fast.” My hand finds her face, fingers tracing her cheekbone. “But I recognize what this is between us. In all my years, I’ve never felt it before, and I know with absolute certainty I’ll never find it again. Whatever this connection is, it’s once in a lifetime.”
My voice drops even lower. “I want that life. With you. When this is over.”
She searches my face, looking for doubt, finding none. Slowly, she leans forward until her forehead rests against mine.
“I’m with you,” she whispers. “Whatever comes next.”
