Page 54 of Carter
“You breathe her name again, I finish the job,” I growled, my voice shaking with fury. “But alive, you’re going to give me every account, every lieutenant, every shadow you hide behind. You’re going to burn your own empire down, piece by piece.”
River moved in, zip ties snapping around Sable’s wrists, his expression unreadable but his nod quick. “Smart call.”
I leaned down close enough for Sable to see the truth in my eyes. “You wanted Harper as a symbol? Then here’s one for you—she’s the reason I’m not killing you where you lie. And she’s the reason I’ll tear your whole world apart.”
The fear in his eyes then wasn’t for death. It was for me.
And that was exactly how I wanted it.
80
Harper
The waiting nearly broke me.
I sat by the cabin window, fingers tangled in Carter’s flannel, staring at the black stretch of trees as if I could will headlights to appear. The minutes dragged, every creak of the cabin, every sigh of the wind outside sounding like a warning.
I told myself he’d come back. He always came back. But this time felt different. This time, I knew he was walking into the core of the storm.
When tires finally crunched over the gravel drive, my breath snagged in my throat. I pressed a hand to the glass, heart slamming as the SUV rolled into view, headlights cutting across the clearing.
The doors opened one by one—Cyclone, Gideon, River. And then Carter.
He looked like he’d walked through fire. His shirt was torn, grime streaked across his face, his eyes dark with a fury I’d never seen before. But he was standing. Breathing. Alive.
I didn’t wait. I threw the door open and ran down thesteps, my bare feet cold against the wood. His eyes found me instantly, and for the first time, the storm in them eased.
“Harper,” he rasped.
I slammed into him, arms wrapping tight around his waist, my face pressed to his chest. His arms came around me hard, lifting me off my feet, crushing me to him like he’d never let go again. His heart thundered against my ear, steady and fierce, and I sobbed with the relief of it.
“You’re here,” I whispered, the words breaking.
“Always,” he said, voice raw. His lips brushed the top of my head. “I told you—I’ll always come back to you.”
Behind him, the others moved past, their prisoner dragged between them, but I barely registered it. The world could burn for all I cared.
Because Carter was here. And for the first time since the nightmare began, I let myself believe we’d see more than just survival.
We might actually get to live.
81
Harper
Carter’s arms were still around me when the sound of heavy boots and dragging footsteps cut through the night. I turned just enough to see them—the others hauling a man between them, his wrists bound, his face pale but twisted with arrogance despite the blood on his leg.
A shiver tore through me. This wasn’t just another faceless mercenary. I could feel it in the way River’s grip on him was iron, in the way Gideon’s jaw was set hard, in the way Cyclone’s eyes burned with loathing.
This was someone bigger. Someone who mattered.
Carter’s hand slid up my back, steadying me. “Don’t look at him,” he said, voice rough, protective.
But I couldn’t look away.
The man—Sable, they called him—lifted his head, and his eyes found mine. Cold. Calculating. Like he already knew my name without anyone saying it.
“Pretty,” he murmured, lips curling. “No wonder you’ve been such a useful pawn.”
