I stepped in, voice calm. “We’re not here to make trouble for her. We just want to get her safe, and you too.”
Nanette’s laugh was bitter. “Safe? There’s no such thing. Not in this world.”
“There are places that are safer than others,” I said.
She eyed me. “You found her again? Saved her? After all this time?”
“I did.”
She considered that, and then her face softened. “She always loved you, you know. Even after…”
Harper cut her off. “It doesn’t matter now. What matters is getting out.”
Nanette’s breath caught. “There’s no way out for me.”
“Mom, there is.” Harper moved closer, close enough to touch. “If we leave now, they won’t be able to stop us. I have people. I have friends. If Brie doesn’t come with us, she’ll wind up in a crate on a ship to Goddess knows where. Whoever she thinks loves her doesn’t. If she won’t believe me, make her believe you.”
Nanette’s eyes were full of tears. “Won’t he come after you too?”
“Not this time,” I said.
Nanette laughed, a little less bitter this time. “That’s what I said, once.”
Harper reached for her, and Nanette let herself be held. They stood like that for a long time, mother and daughter, both shaking. I kept watch, eyes scanning the street, the windows, every shadow.
Finally, Nanette broke away. “I’ll bring Brie tomorrow, early, past the bridge. We’ll have our easels and canvases set up to paint. If you don’t meet us, I’ll know this was a lie.”
Harper nodded. “We’ll be there.”
Nanette hesitated. “I’m so glad you survived.”
Harper smiled. “Me too.”
They parted, and Nanette slipped away, a phantom in the morning mist.
We waited a full five before moving. Harper’s face was a ruin of emotion—relief, guilt, terror, something like hope. She didn’t let go of my arm the whole walk back to the car.
Inside, Gwen and Parker were waiting. Parker handed Harper a bottle of water, then watched as she drank half of it in one go.
“You did good,” Parker said.
Harper wiped her eyes. “I’m so afraid she won’t be able to convince Brie. Young girls in love can be really stupid.”
Gwen’s smile was warm. “They can. But you still must try.”
I wrapped Harper in my arms, held her until she stopped shaking. “Look around, bluebonnet. You’re not alone in this,” I whispered, and meant every word.
Out the window, the river flowed on, carrying every secret Bougival ever had. The town was beautiful, but it was also a trap, and we had one more day to get her mom and sister out alive.
Let Steiner come. Let the Renaults try.
We were Iron Valor, and tomorrow, we were bringing the family home.
Chapter 23
Harper
The library in the penthouse wasn’t really a library, more a shrine to unread books and oversized armchairs. At midnight, it felt like a train station at the end of the world: silent, cold, with every surface made for people who didn’t intend to stay. I’d staked out the biggest table by the balcony, the Paris skyline slicing blue neon into the glass, and spent three hours arranging our maps and tablets just so. Jess had said to get some sleep, but I couldn’t even remember what that felt like. The plan was all I had.
