Wolf checks the locks for the third time.
Trigger sits at the table with a laptop and three radios, his voice low as he speaks into the comms.
And Saint isn’t here.
That’s the worst part.
I’m sitting on the bed with my daughter in my arms, wrapped in three blankets.
I’m not sure if it’s because the air is cold…
Or if the cold is inside me.
I try to keep my breathing steady.
“She’s okay,” Wolf says gently from across the room. “She’s safe.”
I nod.
But my heart isn’t here.
It’s somewhere out there in the dark.
With him.
The baby stirs in my arms and makes a soft little sound.
I look down at her tiny face.
Her eyelashes flutter.
Her lips twitch like she’s dreaming.
“You don’t know any of this,” I whisper softly. “And I’m so sorry.”
A knock hits the door.
I nearly jump out of my skin.
Every muscle in my body goes tight.
“It’s me,” Marco says quietly from the other side. “Just… checking.”
Wolf gives me a small nod.
I walk to the door and open it just a crack.
Marco stands on the porch with his hands visible, keeping a careful distance like he knows how little trust he’s earned.
“I know you don’t trust me,” he says.
He doesn’t sound offended.
Just honest.
“You don’t have to. But I need you to hear this.”
I wait.
