“I didn’t scream,” she says softly.
“I know,” I reply.
“You heard me.”
I stop just before the exit, the cold night air spilling in beyond the threshold.
I look at her then—really look.
At the woman who turned captivity into leverage. Who bent a monster’s system back on itself. Who held the line long enough for me to reach her.
“I didn’t remember,” I admit quietly, “how beautiful you were.”
Her green eyes soften—not flattered. Seen.
“That’s because,” she says gently, “you weren’t looking before.”
I step into the night with her in my arms.
Helicopter rotors thunder overhead. My team fans out. The world snaps back into motion.
But something has already shifted.
This wasn’t just a rescue.
It was an introduction.
And as I carry Scout Fallon toward safety, one truth settles deep and unshakeable in my chest—
Sentinel isn’t finished yet.
But whatever is beginning between us?
That’s just getting started.
19
Scout
The helicopter is loud, but the space between us is quiet.
I sit on the bench seat, wrapped in Logan’s jacket, knees drawn up slightly as the vibration hums through the frame. The medic wanted to strap me down, wanted vitals and lights and questions.
Logan said no.
Not sharply. Not aggressively.
Just—no.
He sits across from me now, forearms braced on his thighs, helmet pushed back, eyes on me in that steady way that makes me feel… anchored. Like if the aircraft fell out of the sky, he’d still be exactly where he is.
Watching.
Making sure I’m real.
The medic finally retreats to the other side, giving us the illusion of privacy.
“You’re shaking,” Logan says quietly.
