“He risked his life to protect you,” Atlas reminded me.“To ensure your safety.”
My fingers curled slightly against my arms.
Silence settled between us again.Thicker this time.
“He’s proven himself,” Atlas said finally.“Time and time again.Not just in that moment—but in everything that’s come after.”
I looked away.Because I didn’t want to hear it.Didn’t want to admit he was right.
“You don’t have to like him,” Atlas said, his tone softening just slightly.“I’m not asking you to.”
Good.Because that wasn’t happening.
“But when things go wrong—” he paused, his gaze steady on me “—and they will… Archie is the man you want in your corner.”
The words settled deep.Uncomfortable.Unavoidable.
I stared out into the dark again, the swing still moving gently beneath us.And for the first time—words failed me.
6
Archie
Atlas had told me to be careful.And he’d meant it.
I’d seen it in the way his gaze held mine a second too long.In the way his voice had dropped just slightly, like he was trying extraordinarily hard to get his point across.
Be on your guard.
I hadn’t argued.
But I hadn’t agreed to his terms, either.
There was no way I was locking myself inside one of the Cavalho safe houses like a caged animal, waiting for something to come for me.That wasn’t how I worked.
I needed space.Movement.Control.
Still—I wasn’t stupid.The kind of money on my head wasn’t just incentive.It was temptation.Enough to make even loyal men reconsider their position.
Atlas had pointed that out too.Quietly.Delicately.But the meaning had been clear.
Your own men could turn on you.
So I’d cut them loose.Sent them away under the guise of an extended break—orders they didn’t like, didn’t understand, and definitely didn’t agree with.
There had been protest.Pushback.Questions.
I hadn’t answered any of them.I’d just made it clear it wasn’t a discussion.Because I knew how this ended.If they stayed, they became targets.Or worse—opportunities.And I wasn’t about to put a price on their heads just because someone had put one on mine.
I worked better alone, anyway.Always had.There was less noise.Less risk.Less blood spilled where it didn’t need to be.
And tonight was part of that.
An unexpected lead from a most unlikely source.Which meant I had to be extra cautious.
The call had come through earlier that afternoon, her voice familiar enough to pull me back a few years I hadn’t thought about in a long time.
I hadn’t trusted the phone call coming out of the blue after so long, but I went anyway.
