"Stop." I sit up too, taking her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me. "This is not your fault. Virgil is a predator. He was a predator before he met you, and he'll keep being one until someone stops him. You didn't create him. You didn't make him do any of this. He chose this. He chose to be a monster."
"But Leah—she's innocent. She's not part of this world. She's a nurse, Garrett. She saves people's lives. And now some psychopath is stalking her because of me."
"Because of him," I correct firmly. "Because Virgil is a coward who targets women because he can't face men. Because he's trying to get to me through the people I love." I smooth the hair back from her face, wiping the tears that have started to fall. "Leah is being protected. Maddox is with her right now, and he'll be there until this is over. She's not going to be alone."
Vanna's eyes are wet, her lower lip trembling. "I never wanted to bring this to your family. To the club. I never wanted any of this. When I came back, I thought—I hoped—that the worst was behind me. That I could just... start over."
"You can. You will." I pull her close, wrapping my arms around her, holding her against my chest. "This is a storm, Van. A bad one. But storms pass. And when this one's over, we're going to have clear skies. I promise you that."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I'm not going to let it end any other way."
She's quiet for a long moment, her tears soaking through my shirt.
When she speaks, her voice is barely a whisper.
"When will it be over?"
"Soon." I press a kiss to her hair. "Ounce has a plan. We're going to draw Virgil out, and when we do?—"
"You're going to kill him."
It's not a question. I don't insult her by pretending otherwise.
"Yes."
She pulls back, looking at me with those blue eyes I've loved since I was a child. "Good."
The word is hard. Cold. Nothing like the soft, gentle woman I married. But I understand. Some things can't be forgiven. Some people can't be allowed to keep breathing.
"I'm scared," she admits. "Not of what you're going to do. Of what might happen before you get the chance. What if he comes for me again? What if he comes for the baby?"
"He won't." I put my hand on her stomach, feeling the baby shift beneath my palm. "I won't let him anywhere near you. Neither will the club. You're never alone, Van. Not for a second."
"I know. But the fear doesn't care about logic." She covers my hand with hers. "I keep having these nightmares. About him finding me. Taking me. About waking up somewhere dark and knowing no one's coming to save me."
My throat tightens.
The image she's describing—it's my nightmare too.
The thing that keeps me up at night, that drives the cold rage burning in my chest.
"I willalwayscome for you," I say, my voice rough. "No matter where you are. No matter what it takes. I will tear this world apart to find you. Do you understand?"
She nods, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.
"I'm going to end this," I promise. "And then we're going to have our baby, and we're going to build the life we deserve. No more fear. No more looking over our shoulders. Just us and our kid and all the years we have ahead of us."
"Do you really believe that?"
"I have to." I pull her back down, tucking her against my chest. "Because the alternative isn't an option."
We lie there in the darkness, holding each other, feeling the baby move between us.
Outside, the wind howls against the windows.
Somewhere out there, Virgil is watching.
