Nate leaned toward me. “I like him.”
“You like chaos.”
“I contain multitudes.”
Upstairs, Doc called for Regan.
She moved instantly, but Edge caught her wrist.
For one second, they looked at each other like everything in the room had fallen away except the girl upstairs and the vow between them.
Then Regan pulled free gently.
“I’ll get her ready,” she said.
Edge nodded.
Regan disappeared upstairs.
Edge stayed at the bottom, staring after her.
JD lowered his voice. “You know this is the only way.”
Edge did not answer.
River walked over then, looking older than he had ten minutes ago. “We’ll hold Santa Fe.”
Edge looked at him.
River’s mouth twisted. “You focus on your daughter. I’ll focus on keeping our hometown from turning this into a public execution.”
Tarak’s hand squeezed River’s shoulder once before falling away.
Edge gave River one hard nod.
Then he looked at me again.
“If she calls for you,” he said, “you come.”
The room went quiet.
My chest tightened.
Nate’s head turned slowly toward me.
Callum’s eyes sharpened.
JD noticed too.
Of course he did.
Edge kept staring at me. “Not because I like it. Not because I trust what it means. Because Doc said she needs someone she trusts when the panic hits, and for whatever reason, tonight, that might be you.”
I swallowed.
“Yes, brother.”
His jaw flexed at the word.
