“A very careful, controlled trap,” Roman clarifies. “With us and our best team of agents backing you up.”
I search for Valen’s steady gaze, but he’s anything but steady right now.
“No,” he says flatly. “Absolutely not.”
“Thank Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.” Chief blows out a breath and sinks back into his chair opposite me.
“Valen—”
“I said no.” Valen’s low rumble cuts Grant off before he can even begin, his grip on my thigh punishing. He might be even more scared than I am, which means he might not be thinking clearly. “I’m not using Clover as bait. End of discussion.”
“It’s not your decision.” My voice is gentle but slices through the tension with the grace of a grenade.
Six sets of eyes descend on me, and for once, I don’t shrink away.
“Clover.” Valen’s voice holds a warning, but it’s time he learned to trust me too.
“Valen,” I reply with the same controlled tone. I tug his hand away and stand up. My legs shake, but I lock my knees. “She’s controlled enough of our lives. Even if you can’t remember it, I do. I can’t go back to that. I won’t.”
I pace the length of the kitchen and grasp both elbows, holding them close to my body. “Even when I was free, I wasn’t. Not really.” I hold each man’s eye for a count of three. “I’m done being her victim. I’m done being scared of anything that moves, and some things that don’t. I’m done fighting her in my nightmares. I’m done running. If the only way to end this is to face her…” My voice wobbles, and Valen springs from his chair to stand at my side. “Then that’s what I’m going to do.”
“Not alone, you won’t.” Chief pouts, but I also see a certain amount of pride hiding behind all that fear.
“I know, but I do have to do it. Don’t you see? It has to end. I have to end it before it ends me.”
Valen wraps his arms around me so tightly that I’m not sure I can take a full breath. “Then I’ll be by your side. Every step. No negotiation.”
“We’re all in,” Grant says firmly. “We don’t move until we’re certain Clover is protected.”
“I’m in,” I say, pretending to be brave and hoping that eventually my lie becomes my truth.
For the next two days, we plan with men and women with more military experience than I can even fathom.
Grant pulls up maps on his laptop. Sterling makes lists and compiles spreadsheets. Chase paces, tossing out increasingly wild ideas that Grant shoots down with barely concealed exasperation.
“We need somewhere isolated,” I say slowly, an idea forming. “Somewhere with meaning for us both. Somewhere she believes I’d go.”
“The tree,” Valen says. “Ourtree.”
“It’s not technically on the compound,” I say. “It’s in the middle of the woods and far enough away from neighboring properties that no innocent people could be hurt. There’s enough cover from the forest for your team to hide, but it’s open enough that we’ll see her coming.”
“Trees hold meaning for her too, right?” Valen asks. “Roots of Salvation. She has a tattoo of a tree on her wrist.” His gaze darts to mine, and he shakes his head as if he’s trying to grasp the last threads of the memory. “Everyone got one when they crossed over from Styx to Stone.”
I nod, emotion welling in my eyes—it’s fear mixed with hope because as much as it shouldn’t matter, not now, it does. Every time Valen recalls something from our past, it ignites the hope that one day he’ll remember me too.
That he’ll remember us.
“It’s workable,” Grant says, typing rapidly. “Roman can position his team in the woods. We’ve already set up cameras and motion detectors throughout the property. We’ll use them to secure the perimeter.”
“And when she shows up?” I ask.
“We contain her,” Grant says simply. “Peacefully, if possible. By force if necessary. Before we turn her over to our contact at the FBI, we need to understand the full scope of whatever she’s hiding.”
“When?” Valen asks.
“Tomorrow night,” Grant says. “We need time to set up, but not so much time that she makes another move. We’ll get a message to her that makes her think Clover’s coming to the tree alone. She’ll assume Clover’s an easy target.”
“There’s no way she’s working alone,” Chief says. His expression is dark and demanding as he studies me.
