Page 72 of Broken Trust
Elin forced herself to focus. Her heart could wait.
The mission couldn’t.
The helicopter blades threw light and shadow across the lawn. The team rushed forward, ducking beneath the blades, and she followed Con, hyperaware of Liam behind her. She climbed aboard and Liam sat directly across from her, their knees almost touching.
The engines roared, shaking the floor beneath them. Then they were lifting off, on their way.
She looked out the side of the chopper as the mansion shrank below, watching until the base lights glowed like a constellation in the dark.
For a time, it had been her home—a home she might never see again.
Kennedy’s words echoed in her mind.You’re stronger than you think.
Liam was watching her again, jaw tight, eyes unreadable. But for the first time that night, she didn’t look away.
If this was the end—or the start of something new—she’d face it. Head-on.
The chopper lifted higher, slicing into the dark. Beneath the pounding blades and her racing heart, a new resolve steadied her like steel.
Whatever waited in DC—Cipher, Kent…heartbreak or hope—she was ready to meet it.
FIFTEEN
The rotors chewed through the night sky, a heavy thrum that resounded through Mason’s chest. The world below was a wash of darkness and tiny lights that appeared to be insignificant from this altitude.
But each glowing pinprick marked a home of an innocent, where people sat around dinner tables and talked about their days. Those people were the real reason they were here. The reason they rushed headfirst into danger, went balls to the wall on every op. To protect and serve.
His gaze locked on the outline of Elin seated across from him. Her head was bowed and she gripped the strap that crossed her chest, knuckles white in the light of the cockpit.
She didn’t belong here—and yet she did.
Though she wasn’t brash or loud like some of the warriors he’d known, she carried herself with the kind of grit that didn’t fade when the smoke cleared. She was so goddamn brave.
His chest swelled with it, and that lump that seemed to appear in his throat every time he looked at her grew a fraction more.
When this was over, he’d force her to listen to him even if he had to lock her in the base and barricade the exits. He would unlock the words inside him and let them flow without reserve. Because she needed to hear how he felt about her. Shedeservedto.
He continued to study her. The wind had loosened a strand of hair from her tight ponytail. It swung forward, brushing herdelicate jaw, and he imagined reaching out to tuck it behind her ear. Imagined how silky it would feel.
He had to get his head in the game. There was zero room for errors. Charlie team crossed every T and dotted all the I’s, but every op came with variables. Shit went wrong.
He replayed the last-minute strategy call between Alpha team’s leader and Con, combining Blackout forces to infiltrate the Pentagon after-hours so Elin could copy Kent’s system.
“Send your people—we’ll get them inside.”
Mason’s gut had twisted. “Your people” meant him and Elin.
He wasn’t prepared for how goddamn real this was. If he let reality set in, it would tear at his sanity.
Elin lifted her head, and their gazes met in a steady connection. The noise in the chopper made it impossible to speak, but she looked as if she wanted to say something.
He refused to let his emotions in during the op. He was nothing more than a machine, ensuring Elin’s safety as they got in and out of Kent’s office, then protecting her while she met with the man. Did she know how close the danger loomed? He wanted to throw his arms wide, to shield her from it all.
Every flash of light across her face revealed both toughness and vulnerability, summarizing his beautiful lover perfectly.
Her chin was lifted just enough to defy fear as she headed straight into the Pentagon with a team of SEALs. And somehow, Mason couldn’t imagine going without her.
A crackle on the comms filled their ears. “Charlie, this is Alpha 1. We’ve been monitoring all the channels and have confirmed our plan is a go.”
