But then Brazil happened.The beach and the ocean and the stars and the promises we made to each other in the dark.I let my guard down.I let myself believe that I deserved something real.Something worth fighting for.
And now she’s been taken under my watch.
The self-fulfilling prophecy comes to pass with devastating accuracy.I knew better than to believe in possibilities.I knew that everyone I care about ends up hurt or dead.
Abeera’s hand reaching through rubble.
Children in a Russian warehouse.
And now Serena, taken because I let myself get close to her.
“Shelby.”Dave’s voice pulls me back.His hand is on my shoulder, grounding me back to the present even as the world tilts beneath my feet.“We’ll find her.”
I want to believe him.I want to hold onto the certainty that we can bring her back, that this story doesn’t end the way all my stories end.
But the doubts have already taken root, spreading through me like crooked limbs covered in thorns.
I let myself hope for a future.And now she’s paying the price for my weakness.
The Marine I used to be wouldn’t have made this mistake.He would have kept his distance.Would have maintained the tactical clarity.Would have recognized that attachment is a vulnerability that enemies can exploit.
But that Marine died in Syria.And the ghost wearing his face has been stumbling through life ever since, pretending he’s still capable of protecting anyone.
Tommy pulls the SUV back into traffic, heading back to our business headquarters.There’s planning to be done.Resources to mobilize.A war to wage against a man who has spent decades building power and influence.
But as the Boston skyline slides past the tinted windows, all I can think about is the way Serena looked at me in Brazil.The trust in her amber eyes when she said she was falling for me.The certainty in her voice when she promised she’d never walk away.
Wherever she is right now—bound, frightened, alone in some dungeon her own father created—she’s holding onto the belief that I’ll find her.That I’ll come to save her.I’m sure of that as much as I am of my next breath.
But what if I freeze again?
What if in the split second between salvation and tragedy, my body refuses to obey?What if the ghosts rise and steal my ability to think, to act?
The thought is unbearable.But I can’t shake it.It wraps around my chest like bands of steel, pulling me down, drowning me in the same paralysis that has cost so many lives.
“I did this.”The words escape before I can stop them, rough and raw in the silence of the vehicle.“I put her in this position.”
“Bullshit.”Tommy’s voice cuts through my spiral.“Giovanni did this.You’re not responsible for the actions of that monster.”
He’s right.I can control only the actions ofthismonster, the one inside me.
“I’m responsible for letting my guard down.”I press my palm against the cold glass of the window.“She trusted me to protect her.And I was too busy falling in love to see the threat coming.”
“Love isn’t an anchor dragging you down, Shelby.”Dave’s voice is steady and confident.“It’s what gives us a reason to fight.”
But I’m not sure I believe him anymore.
All I know is that somewhere out there, my woman is waiting for me to save her.And the man I’ve become isn’t sure he’s capable of saving anyone.
The SUV speeds through traffic, carrying me toward a war I might not be able to win.Toward a woman I’m terrified of failing.Toward the moment of truth that will either prove I’m still capable of being the man she believes I am or confirm every fear that has haunted me for a decade.
My phone buzzes with an incoming text from Ray.
Got a lead on the SUVs.They headed south toward the old meatpacking plants in Widett Circle.Property records show one building owned by a shell company.Shell company traces back to Varese Inc.
Giovanni’s company.
He’s holding his own daughter in a facility he owns through his legitimate business empire.The arrogance of it makes my blood boil.
