Chapter 42 Harper
Harper
The air in the apartment turned razor-sharp, every breath cutting. Carter barked orders with the kind of clipped precision that made even River and Gideon snap to attention. His voice was low, controlled, but I could feel the tension radiating off him in waves.
“Pack only essentials,” he told me without looking up, already strapping gear across his chest. “We’re moving now.”
I froze. “Where—?”
“Doesn’t matter. Safer than here.” His tone was steel, final.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. The blanket slipped to the floor as I pushed myself upright, forcing my shaking hands to work. Phone. Jeans. A sweater. My mind cataloged what I reached for, but none of it mattered. None of it would keep me safe. Only Carter’s presence felt solid.
Gideon swept past me, checking the windows, muttering into a comms device. River stood near the door, his weapon ready, eyes scanning every shadow as though expecting it to move.
I shoved a few things into a bag, my heart hammering against my ribs. My entire body wanted to curl up and hide, but I wouldn’t give in to that. Not now. Not when Carter was right there, moving like the whole weight of the fight rested on his shoulders.
“Harper.”
I looked up. Carter was beside me, his eyes blazing, his hand sliding the strap of the bag from my fingers. “I’ll carry it. Stay close.”
The words should’ve sounded like a command. Instead, they felt like a vow.
“I can do this,” I whispered, needing him to know.
For a fraction of a second, his expression softened, something fierce and tender breaking through. His hand brushed my cheek, brief and grounding, before the soldier slid back into place.
“Stay behind me,” he said again.
The hallway outside was darker than it should’ve been, every corner a threat. River led, Carter at my side, Gideon covering the rear. My pulse thundered with every step, but I kept moving, one foot in front of the other.
I wasn’t naive. I knew I was still the weakest link here. But as Carter’s hand brushed mine, steady and sure, I also knew something else.
I wasn’t going to crumble. Not this time. Not with him.