Yes, he was cautious.
Yes, he went over every detail with a fine-tooth comb.
He was as prepared as a Boy Scout.
I looked at his face, lit by the harsh, white light of Rhea’s compound, and wondered if his outward confidence concealed inner doubt.
His hand, clenched tightly around mine, remained steady and unaffected by nerves. His stride was purposeful and deliberate, as if he were performing a familiar dance, one he had learned long ago.
Meanwhile, I felt like I had two left feet, stumbling over my own hesitation.
I hesitated and withdrew my hand, telling myself I had to steady my thoughts. One wrong step and everything might collapse. Our lives depended on it.
The last thing I wanted was to make that fatal mistake.
“Aidon, call and give our location to our security teams. It should only take them a moment to arrive.”
“Will do,” Aidon nodded before pulling out his phone. Zeno stood beside him, stoic and silent, but the look on his face was one I recognized.
He was focused. Most likely, he was going over all the details in his head methodically. Maybe he was stirring up the tumultuous emotions he must have been feeling about all this to use as fuel for his adrenaline.
That evening, I arrived with Thal and Zeno, and we avoided each other’s gaze, each of us intentionally silent. It felt right that way. It was for the best. Neither of us needed to let emotions run unchecked.
We arrived here with a purpose: to complete our task and leave. Everything else could wait for another time.
Since the firefight, he had avoided me—no texts, no calls. It was clear he resented me for being with Thal. I suspected that eventually, we’d have a proper talk about it or maybe he’d justgive me an earful. But for now, it was obvious I had made my choice, and surprisingly, he wasn’t contesting it.
Perhaps he was saving the confrontation for later, I mused, watching him from the corner of my eye, wondering when the storm between us would break.
“We’re ready,” Aidon said into his phone. “All clear here, but follow protocol exactly. We can’t afford any mistakes.”
He hung up and shoved the phone into his pocket. “Just a few minutes now.”
Thal nodded solemnly, and I let my gaze drift up to the sky. The bright lights of the compound created so much light pollution that it was nearly impossible to see many stars. But the night was clear, the sky as black as onyx, and the few stars I saw twinkled brightly. The moon, full and luminous in the distance, watched quietly and peacefully, as if a bloodbath wasn’t about to happen.
“You okay?” Thal asked, his voice so quiet only I could hear it.
I nodded, my gaze snapping back to his. My breath caught at the look in his eyes. We had spent the entire night making love, exchanging our deepest thoughts, and sharing the feelings that were growing between us. I was becoming devoted to Thal in a way that frightened me. I feared losing myself in him, but I had a sneaking suspicion that he would never let that happen.
All his talk about my independence and ability to make my own decisions was intoxicating. It was hard to resist. It might have even been exactly what I needed to break free from Zeno’s control.
As much as I loved him, as much as I wanted him, and as much as I was becoming addicted to his touch, it was his fervent insensitivity that made me do things my way and kept me by his side.
I couldn’t help but wonder if I would have crossed that line to be with him if he hadn’t done that, if he hadn’t said those things that I desperately needed to hear.
What if Zeno had that attitude? I might never have gotten with Thal at all. But I couldn’t live my life like that, always ruminating on the what-ifs and could-have-beens. Things were the way they were, and there was nothing I could do now to go back and change them.
This was me. Now.
And I needed to face this woman head-on, claim her, and step into the skin of confidence to become the woman I’d always wanted to be.
Strong. Purposeful. Free.
The gravel crunching under tires started softly but grew louder as the small army we’d gathered arrived. They turned off their lights and parked several hundred yards away, then stepped out of their vehicles and joined us, each heavily armed with weapons locked and loaded.
By the time they all stepped out of the darkness, dozens of big men were ready to charge into Rhea’s compound like a herd of bulls, prepared to do serious damage to anyone who stood in their way.
The tension was electric.
