Page 39 of Carter
“She’s not going anywhere near that yard,” I said flatly. “River, you and Gideon run point. Cyclone covers exfil. I’ll take the lead on the breach.”
River studied me, calm and sharp. “And Harper?”
“She stays here.” My jaw locked. “She’s not stepping into the line of fire.”
The scrape of a chair made me glance back. She stood in the doorway again, my flannel wrapped around her like a shield, her eyes steady even as fear flickered underneath.
“You can’t make that choice for me, Carter,” she said softly.
My gut twisted. Part of me wanted to roar, to shut her down, to bar the door and never let her leave my sight. But another part—the part that loved her—knew she wasn’t wrong.
I turned back to the table, my voice low, dark. “We end this. Fast. Before anyone else gets close to her.”
Because one thing was certain: Graves thought he was hunting her.
But he hadn’t met me yet.
54
Harper
The room felt colder after Carter’s words—She stays here.He hadn’t shouted it, but the finality in his tone cut sharper than any command.
I stood in the doorway, my arms tight around his flannel, staring at the man who had just whispered that he loved me, who had sworn he would die before letting anyone touch me—and who now wanted to wrap me in silence while he faced the storm alone.
Part of me wanted to let him. To sink into the illusion of safety, to hide behind the walls and locks he trusted more than my own strength. But another part—the stronger, fiercer part—rose up hot in my chest.
I wasn’t a ghost in this story. I wasn’t leverage.
When Carter’s gaze finally met mine, there was no mistaking the storm in his eyes—love, fear, and something darker. Possessive. Terrified. Absolute.
“You can’t make that choice for me,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt.
His jaw flexed, but he didn’t answer. He just turned backto the table, already mapping the path to this Graves like I hadn’t spoken at all.
The silence cut deeper than if he’d shouted.
I wrapped the flannel tighter, feeling the tremor in my hands. River’s eyes flicked toward me, unreadable but not unkind. Gideon kept his gaze on the map, giving me space. They weren’t dismissing me. Carter was.
And I understood why. God help me, I did.
But understanding didn’t make it easier to breathe.
I turned away before my voice could break, retreating down the hall, back into the bedroom that suddenly felt like a cage. My chest ached, my throat tight, but my heart burned with one clear truth.
If Carter thought I would sit quietly while men with guns hunted me, he didn’t know me as well as he thought.
Because this wasn’t just his fight anymore. It was ours.
And I was done being treated like something to protect instead of someone who could stand.
55
Carter
The door to the bedroom closed soft, but the sound hit me harder than a slammed fist.
I stared at the map spread across the table, but I couldn’t see it. All I saw was Harper’s face—steady voice, trembling hands, eyes that burned with hurt even as she told me I couldn’t make the choice for her.
