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Heavy.
Because now—
This isn’t just about stopping him.
It’s about something buried in her past.
Something that was never supposed to surface.
And I can already tell—
This?
This is only the beginning.
Not happening.
I don’t hesitate.
I move.
Gun steady. Closing the distance.
“Hands up,” I order. “Now.”
For the first time—
He shifts.
Not fear.
Calculation.
Then he smiles.
Wrong move.
“Tessa—wait,” she says behind me.
I stop.
Barely.
But I do.
“I need him alive,” she adds, quieter.
My jaw tightens.
Because I know what that means.
Risk.
More time.
More chances for this to go sideways.
But I nod once.
