She’s not counting. She’s not wrapped in her invisible armor. For the first time since I’ve known her, her walls are completely down. Every emotion plays across her face—fear, determination, love. But it’s the anger turning her amber eyes golden that I regret most of all.
She let me in. Somewhere along the way, she stopped hiding from me, and now the poison that is my blood is consuming her.
My fingers brush against hers. They’re ice-cold, so I wrap them in my palms.
“We have to go,” she says, and I’m startled by how steady she sounds. “Now.”
“You’re not going anywhere, Clover,” I growl.
Something flickers across her face. Not fear. Something worse. Resignation. Like she expected me to make a decision, but I chose wrong.
“She has Chief,” Clover says.
“I know.” My voice breaks. “But I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t.” She squeezes my hand hard enough to leave marks with her nails. “But if something happens to Chief because of me, I’ll never forgive myself, and then everyone will lose.”
I know what she’s saying, but I can’t get my mouth to work to persuade her we’ll find another way.
“You’ve made every decision so far, Valen. You’ve moved me from safe house to safe house, and I’ve never questioned you.”
“That was tactical,” I argue. “It’s what I do, what I’ve trained for.”
“But what you’re not seeing is that it’s always been my decision to make,” she says. “I went along with it because it was easy, it was safe, and I was scared. But look where it’s gotten us. The only man who has ever felt like a father to me is being held by someone who allowed her twin sister to die right before her eyes. Do you have any idea what it feels like to constantly livein fear, Valen? To allow other people to make all your decisions because you don’t trust yourself enough to make them?”
“You were surviving, Clover.” Madi places a hand on Clover’s forearm, but I don’t think she even feels it.
“I can’t hide behind my fears anymore.” The anger in her tone has softened, but it’s still backed by steel. “This is my decision, and I’m going with or without you. Chief is my friend, my responsibility.”
“I care for him too, Clover.”
“We all do,” Chase says. “You’ve always been one of us, Clover. And that extends to everyone who loves you.”
“We go together,” I say finally. “All of us. I don’t give a fuck if she wants you alone. We’re done giving in to her demands.
“Federal agents are on standby,” Grant says. How many pockets did he have to line to make that happen? He must read my thoughts. “But I can only hold them back for so long. We have to find out what she’s hiding, and soon.”
Everyone understands that whatever knowledge Terra’s hiding could be catastrophic for someone in this room.
My gaze falls to Sterling’s computer screen, and I start running tactical scenarios in my head. Entry points. Sight lines. Extraction routes. If I can just control enough variables, I can keep everyone safe.
That’s what I tell myself.
It’s what I always tell myself.
But this time, I have everything to lose.
The clearing opens before us,and my heart stops.
Chief is tied to a crumbling chimney—a small splotch of blood coats his upper lip while his head lolls to one side, but his chest rises and falls steadily, so it’s clear he’s alive.
Terra Stone stands in front of him, saying words I can’t hear, but when Chief chuckles, her voice rises. “What do you mean, you knew I’d take you? Are you senile or just plain stupid?”
I scan the perimeter, counting threats, calculating angles. My hand hovers near my weapon. I will protect Clover. Focus. Stay in control.
All our planning goes up in smoke when Clover makes herself known. She didn’t even wait for Roman’s signal, for fuck’s sake.
“Let him—” Clover’s voice wavers, and she physically shakes her entire body before trying again. This time, it comes out strong and confident. “Let him go, Terra.”
