Dad keeps his voice steady. “Greg… this ends in one of two ways. And only one of them keeps you breathing.”
His unhinged laugh echoes throughout the warehouse. “You think I’m afraid to die? I have nothing to lose. He stole my job, and you stole the woman I love.”
Wait, what?
“We both know that’s not true.”
Foster’s finger hugs the trigger as a surge of fear claws at my chest.
“She was mine first,” Foster declares through gritted teeth.
“But she chose me.”
“I’ve had to stand by and watch you two for years, building the life I always wanted. The family I always dreamed of.”
“I loved you like a brother,” my dad says, pain etched in his voice.
Those words hit him hard, his grip faltering on the gun for half a second, giving Karmen the chance to move. It all happens so fast, Foster doesn’t even register what’s happening until the dart is buried in his neck. His eyes go wide as he drops his gun, hands flying up instinctively.
“What—what the fuck—”
He stumbles, knees buckling beneath him, and my father catches him, lowering him to the concrete floor. Reid rushes forward and secures his hands before the tranquilizer takes hold. Karmen stands unmoving, chest rising and falling. I close the space between us in three strides.
“You okay?” I ask as my heart lodges in my damn throat.
She nods once. “Told you to trust me.”
A relieved laugh breaks free. “You did.” I whip around as my father pushes to his feet. “What the hell was he talking about?”
He drags a hand over his face, the weight of it all settlingover him. “Greg and your mother dated during their senior year of high school. But he was too controlling and selfish. She finally ended it after graduation, and because he was my best friend, I tried to keep my distance from her, but we fell in love anyway.”
Tears gather in his eyes as his voice cracks.
“Greg and I lost touch after that. Then we ended up at the academy together. He’d moved on. Or so I thought. I had no idea he still harbored this much resentment toward me.”
“I’m so sorry, Dad.”
He nods.
Reid claps a hand on both of our shoulders, breaking the tension. “Well, Iron Eagle has completed its first mission,” he says proudly, and a surge of pride rises in withing me at the name we all voted on this morning. “Not bad.”
“This is just the beginning,” Asher says.
My father moves towards the exit, pulling his cell from his pocket. “Family dinner at our house next Sunday. Tell the others.”
We all exchange knowing smiles.
“Mom will love that,” I shout back at him.
“Yep, so you all better have your asses there.”
The others move towards the SUVs, voices fading into the night as they coordinate transport and the next steps, but I linger behind. Benson’s hand loosely wraps around mine. The warehouse lights cast long shadows on the cracked pavement, and for the first time since all this began, I feel a sense of peace settle over me.
Benson releases a shaky breath before turning to face me, his hands moving to cradle my jaw. “You scared the hell out of me earlier,” he says quietly.
“I know,” I whisper.
“I thought…” His voice catches. “I thought I was going to lose you.”
