She swallowed. Hard. Getting him to admit those things so easily came as a shock. She cleared her throat. “Then tell me why you left him behind enemy lines to die.”
“To make you suffer.” He sighed. “But now all that has changed, and you have my men. What are we going to do about that?”
“Nothing you can do,” she said. “They’re already being transported. You don’t have too many options left.”
“Then why are you here?”
“To offer you the deal of the century before Locke and Mendoza are turned over to the government and you become the hunted,” she said with a cock of her brow.
“I’m listening.”
She took a breath. “You walk away. End the hit. Disband Black Ledger. Go dark, for good. And in return, I bury the evidence I’ve got on a plethora of things you’ve done over the course of your life. You get to keep breathing. And the people I care about stop dying.”
He laughed. “You think I’m afraid of your evidence?”
“No. I think you’re afraid of exposure. Of being dragged out of the shadows and into the light. You’ve built your kingdom in the dark, Gunner. Let’s see how well it burns.”
His smile faded. “And what if I say no?” he asked.
Savvy looked him dead in the eye. “Then I’ll burn it down myself. And I’ll start with you. Trust me when I say I won’t do it quietly. I will bring out every bad deed. Every single horrifying thing you’ve done, and you will become the most hated man not just in the country, but in the military and around the world. Imagine what that will look like. Even the shadowy world of criminals you turn to for help won’t fucking touch you.”
They stared at each other, two ghosts from the same war walking different paths.
He broke the silence first. “You always were dangerous when you believed in something.”
“I still am.”
Another long beat of quiet.
Then Gunner exhaled. “Let me guess. You brought friends?”
“They’re here for the fireworks.”
“Thought so.” He didn’t seem rattled. Didn’t even glance toward the tree line. “Then let’s not keep them waiting.”
Savvy’s finger hovered near the flare in her pocket.
One signal.
One flash.
One war.
The bayou had gone still. Not quiet—still.
No frogs croaked. No owls called. Even the water seemed to hold its breath, afraid to ripple.
Savvy stood her ground, Gunner less than six feet away now, his gaze fixed on her like he was reading a classified file only he could access.
He hadn't noticed the flare in her hand yet.
Or maybe he had. Maybe he just didn’t care.
“You know,” he said slowly, “when I heard it was you they tapped to lead the 73, I laughed.”
She didn’t respond.
He continued. “Because I knew what kind of woman you were. Always playing savior. Always thinking you could outmaneuver the rot.”
