I’d told myself it was tactical. That I couldn’t be everywhere at once. That Cap wouldn’t have pulled me if it wasn’t necessary.
But my body didn’t care about logic.
Every step away from the clubhouse felt like pressure building behind my ribs, like something stretched too tight. I replayed the last look Amanda had given me when I left her with Ariel. Calm. Trusting. Like she believed me when I said I’d be back soon.
That trust sat heavy in my chest.
I checked my comms again, even though nothing had changed. All channels clear. All signals green.
Safe.
I told myself that word like it meant something.
“Let’s just make it quick,” I muttered, already heading for the gate.
We loaded into the Rover. I double-checked the comms, adjusted the scope on my rifle, and tried to ignore the way my chest was tightening like a vice.
“She’s safe,” Ranger said, not looking at me. “You wouldn’t have left if she wasn’t.”
He was right.
And still?—
I couldn’t shake the thought that she was only safe when I was right by her side.
The west perimeter was dense.
The trees pressed in tighter the farther we went. Branches clawed at our gear. The ground dipped and rose unevenly, forcing careful footing. Every snapped twig sounded louder than it should’ve.
This was the kind of terrain that rewarded patience.
And punished mistakes.
I caught myself glancing back toward the compound more than once, even though it was already out of sight. That didn’t sit right with me either. I trusted my team. Trusted the protocols.
I just didn’t trust this silence.
Ranger and I moved quietly, scanning with scopes, checking the sensors one by one. The air was still. Too still. Not even a breeze to rustle the leaves.
I hated it.
“Second sensor clear,” Ranger muttered, pulling back from the tree trunk. “Signal glitch must’ve been weather.”
“It didn’t rain last night,” I replied.
Ranger didn’t respond right away. Neither of us liked coincidences.
Weather glitches didn’t explain clean resets. They didn’t explain timing.
And they definitely didn’t explain why my instincts were screaming like this was a setup.
I scanned the tree line again, slower this time. If someone wanted to blind us, this was the way to do it. Pull eyes outward. Thin the perimeter.
Make us choose.
He hesitated. “Could’ve been dew, or the temp swing.”
I didn’t answer. My eyes were already on the next tree.
