“Mom, are you going to fight the bad people?”
I swallowed hard. “I won’t be fighting. I’ll leave that to the professionals.” I nodded toward Ethan. “But I’m going to make sure they can’t hurt anyone else.”
She nodded solemnly. “Like when you took me away from Dad?”
My heart twisted. “Something like that. Dr. Shaw, Dutch, and Mrs. Longfield will stay with you. I need you to be brave for a little while longer.”
“I’m good at being brave,” she said with heartbreaking seriousness. “Will Vigi be with you?”
“Yes,” I promised, though I wasn’t actually sure. “We’ll both come back.”
She held up Mr. Hoppy and Agent Waddles. “I kept them safe.”
I kissed her forehead, inhaling her scent of pine needles and strawberry shampoo, trying to memorize it. “Keep being brave. I love you more than anything.”
“More than the stars,” she replied, our nightly ritual.
“More than all the stars,” I finished, then forced myself to stand and walk away. Each step felt like tearing something essential.
Ethan waited by one of the tactical vehicles, checking his weapon with methodical thoroughness. The rest of his team—Nolan and two operators I hadn’t met—were already geared up.
“Last chance to back out,” Ethan said as I approached.
I thought of Langston’s face the day I’d left, that moment when his mask had slipped and I’d seen the true coldness beneath. The way he’d talked about Sophia sometimes, more like a project than a daughter.
“I’m done backing out,” I said. “I’m done running.”
Ethan nodded once, then handed me a lightweight tactical vest. “Put this on. Stay behind me. Don’t be a hero.”
I slipped the vest over my bloodstained shirt, feeling its unfamiliar weight settle across my shoulders. The reality of what I was doing—voluntarily walking toward the man I’d spent years fleeing—made my stomach clench.
But for the first time in nearly five years, I wasn’t running from Langston.
I was running toward him.
And this time, I wasn’t alone.
CHAPTER 21
TRENT
Another explosion litthe sky as we crested the ridge overlooking the mining facility. It rocked our vehicle, and Flynn had to fight to keep us on the road, his muscles straining as he cranked the wheel.
“Jesus!” We skidded along the shoulder, kicking up gravel, before Flynn righted us. He glared over his shoulder at Rafe. “What was that?”
“Hey, don’t look at me,” Rafe said, holding up his hands. “That was too sloppy for my work.”
Red emergency lights pulsed through the night, turning the sandstone formations into bloody teeth jutting from the earth. Gunfire popped in staccato bursts, muzzle flashes lighting up the main entrance where Bravo team should have been making a quiet infiltration.
So much for covert.
“What the hell happened to stealth?” Flynn muttered and slammed the SUV into park.
“Gage happened,” I replied and grabbed my M4, scanning the chaos below through my tactical scope. Security forcesscrambled into defensive positions around the main entrance, and by the looks of them, they were not rent-a-cop amateurs.
Rafe leaned forward from the back seat. “I count at least twelve hostiles at the entrance. Another eight are setting up a perimeter. Those look like ex-military contractors.”
I switched to the team frequency. “Alpha Vigil to Bravo Team. Sitrep.”
