My grip tightens until my knuckles ache as I take the stairs two at a time. The hallway upstairs is dimmer, the lights softer, domestic, absurdly peaceful compared to what’s happening outside. A framed photo on the wall catches my peripheral vision—our family in all its glory, grinning at the camera, a snapshot of a life that was supposed to be normal.
Then I hear it—a muffled sound followed by a sharp, terrified breath. I move faster, dreading what is ahead of me.
My bedroom door is open, and inside I confirm my worst fears. Kate is backed against the far wall, Julian clutched tight to her chest, and Addison is standing in front of them like her body can substitute for armor.
In front of them is Hassan Yusuf Barre, standing between them and the exit. He isn’t dressed like his men—no tactical gear or sophisticated weapons. He’s in dark civilian clothes, calm as aman walking through a market, a pistol resting easy in his hand like this is not war but ceremony.
His eyes lift slowly. They meet mine, and he smiles. “So,” he says softly, accented English smooth as oil, “the ghost comes home.”
Kate makes a strangled sound. “Ryder—“
Hassan’s gun tilts a fraction toward her. “This is her, the one who tamed you.”
Julian fusses, sensing the terror in the air, his tiny fingers gripping Kate’s shirt. Kate’s face is pale, but her spine is straight, eyes fierce even when she’s shaking.
Addison’s voice cuts sharp. “You take one more step, and I swear to God—“
Hassan chuckles. “You will do what? Write about me?”
Her jaw clenches. “I’ll gouge your eyes out.”
He considers that with mild interest, like she’s entertaining. Then his gaze returns to me. “You killed my father,” he grits, quiet now, the words heavy with devotion rather than grief. “Took him from the world like you were God.”
“I did my job,” I reply, voice low.
Barre was a disease, so I cut him out. Hassan is the infection left behind, and now he thinks he can carve his revenge into my family’s name. He’s wrong.
The look in his eyes lets me know that he’s ready to die here. This is a suicide mission for him. As long as he can avenge his father, he doesn’t care if he dies here. He has nothing to lose, while I have everything at stake.
He gestures vaguely at Kate and Julian. “You thought you could end it in Somalia. Thought you could disappear back into your mountain.” His eyes flick toward Kate’s arms. “But God has a sense of humor. He gave you something soft.”
Kate’s breath trembles. “Don’t talk about my son.”
My body goes still as the pistol lifts higher. “This is how men like you learn. Not through bullets, but through loss.”
He shifts his aim, the barrel lining up with Kate. Time fractures as I move without thought.
My body steps between them just as the gun fires. The sound is deafening in the small room, a violent crack that fills everything.
Pain blooms hot and immediate in my chest, my breath leaving me in a harsh exhale, my vision blurring at the edges. Kate screams my name, but I am still standing.
Hassan’s eyes widen slightly, almost impressed. I raise my rifle, and this time he doesn’t get a second shot. I fire once. His bodyjerks, the bullet taking him clean, going straight through his forehead, splattering his brains all over the wall behind him.
He collapses hard onto the floor, blood spreading dark beneath him, the war ending in a single ruined breath.
For a moment, everything is silent except Kate’s shaking sobs and Julian’s frightened cries. I turn toward them, my knees buckling.
Kate’s eyes are wide with fear as she stares at me. “Ryder…”
I try to speak and tell her that it’s done, that he can’t hurt them now, but my body is already giving up, blood soaking through my shirt, warmth leaving too fast.
I take one step, then another, and just as I’m about to get to them, the world tilts violently. Kate lunges forward, one hand still clutching Julian, the other reaching for me.
“Don’t,” she pleads, voice breaking. “Don’t you dare—“
My fingers brush her wrist, and the last thing I see is her face, then gravity wins. I topple forward, the room spinning into darkness as her scream tears through the house like the sound of the world ending.
29
