Page 23 of Carter
I tightened the ties until he hissed in pain. “Then I’ll spend every day of my life proving you wrong.”
Faron yanked him upright, shoving him toward the stairsfor transport. I followed, chest heaving, but my eyes were already searching past the smoke for her.
For Harper.
Because until she was back in my arms, breathing safe air, none of this meant a damn thing.
27
Harper
The night air hit me like a wave—cold, sharp, real.
I stumbled out of the warehouse with Aponi steadying my elbow, the sirens from approaching units wailing in the distance. The two girls were already loaded into an ambulance, medics swarming them. I should’ve gone too, but my legs refused to move any further.
Because he wasn’t here yet.
And then—he was.
Carter burst through the bay doors, rifle slung, vest streaked with grime, eyes locked on me like nothing else in the world existed. His chest heaved, jaw tight, every line of him still coiled with fury.
I barely had time to breathe his name before he was on me.
His arms wrapped around me so hard that it knocked the air from my lungs. I clutched back, fingers digging into his shoulders, grounding myself in the solid heat of him. The storm that had raged inside me since the abduction broke apart in that instant, leaving me shaking in his hold.
“Harper,” he rasped against my hair, his voice raw, almost broken. “God, Harper. I thought I’d lost you.”
Tears burned hot, spilling before I could stop them. “I knew you’d come.”
He pulled back just enough to cup my face, his thumbs brushing the wet from my cheeks. His eyes were fire and ice all at once—relief, rage, something deeper he wasn’t saying yet.
“They laid a hand on you,” he ground out, his voice trembling with contained violence. “I swear, I’ll—”
I pressed my palm to his mouth, shaking my head. “Don’t. It’s over. I just… I just need you. I wasn’t harmed.”
Something cracked in him then. His mouth pressed against my hand, fierce and desperate, before he pulled me tight again, holding me like he’d never let go.
Around us, the team barked orders, the world still chaotic, but none of it touched me. Not while Carter’s arms were around me.
I wasn’t naive. I knew this wasn’t finished—the boss’s words still echoed in my head, a warning I couldn’t shake.She’s marked now.
But right here, in Carter’s arms, I let myself believe one thing with absolute certainty.
No matter how dark it got, no matter who came for me—he would never stop fighting for me.
28
Carter
“You’re going home with me. We’ll pick up some things from your house first, but you will stay at my place,” I said, holding her in my arms.
“Good, I don’t want to go home alone, just yet.”
The drive back to my place was quiet, too quiet. Harper’s hand was in mine, her fingers wound so tightly I could feel the tremor running through her bones. Every red light, every passing set of headlights, had my pulse spiking. Until I got her behind locked doors, I wouldn’t breathe easy.
My place wasn’t much—concrete walls, heavy locks, a weapons cache hidden in plain sight. But tonight it was the only safe haven I trusted.
“Sit,” I told her as soon as I shut us in. My voice came out sharper than I meant. She blinked at me, lips parting, then sank onto the edge of the couch without a word. Her hair was tangled, face pale, but she was still the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
