Chapter 131
Harper
The world narrowed to shadows and footsteps.
Every branch that cracked underfoot made my heart lurch, every sweep of the floodlights froze my breath in my throat. The compound loomed closer with every step, its fences and towers cutting against the night sky like jagged teeth.
Carter moved just ahead of me, steady and silent, his body angled so I was always inside his shadow. I matched his pace as best I could, my bag bouncing softly against my hip, my pulse pounding in my ears.
River signaled a halt with a quick hand. We crouched low behind a ridge of rock while Gideon tapped furiously at his tablet. The glow lit his face, beads of sweat tracing down his temple despite the cold.
“Comms blackout in three… two…” His whisper ended with a soft click. The hum of the floodlights didn’t change, but something in the air shifted, like the compound had gone suddenly deaf.
River gave a sharp nod. “Move.”
My legs shook as we descended the last slope, sliding into the cover of brush just short of the outer fence. The guards above paced lazy arcs, rifles slung, unaware that their net had holes wide enough for us to slip through.
Carter reached back, his hand brushing mine. Just a second, just a touch, but it steadied me.
Together.
I mouthed the word, even if he couldn’t see it.
Cyclone cut the fence with swift precision, the metal wires curling back without a sound. One by one, the men slipped through. When it was my turn, my breath caught, my chest tightening. But Carter was there, his hand guiding me through the gap, his eyes locking with mine until I nodded.
Then we were inside.
The air smelled of oil and iron, heavy with the weight of everything Redwood had built here.
And for the first time, instead of imagining myself as prey, I imagined them falling.