Chapter 3
Morgan
The safehouse looked nothing like the ones in my books. No glowing screens, no secret panels. Just a converted farmhouse with plain walls, battered furniture, and the faint smell of burned coffee.
I stepped inside, still barefoot, my clothes rumpled, every muscle in my body taut. I wanted to collapse. But I couldn’t. Ruby was still out there.
Cyclone and River moved past me, quiet, professional. Soldiers. They each had a wedding band on their finger.
Damian stayed in the center of the room, tall and immovable, stripping his rifle down like it was an extension of his hands. Methodical. Controlled. Deadly.
“Sit,” he ordered without looking up.
“I’m not a dog,” I snapped, crossing my arms.
One corner of his mouth twitched—almost a smile, but not quite. His gray eyes cut to mine, pinning me. “No, love. Dogs listen.”
Heat rushed to my face. I hated that he made me feel both furious and safe in the same breath.
“I’m not staying here,” I said. “Ruby’s out there, and I can’t—”
“You can,” he interrupted, voice like iron. “And you will. Walk out again, and you won’t come back. They will kill both you and your sister in front of each other.”
The truth in his tone hit harder than the words. My chest ached, but I dropped into the chair opposite him anyway, fingers twisting in my lap. “Then what do we do?”
He set the rifle aside, finally meeting my gaze. “We find her. But we do it right.”
The steadiness in his voice lit something in me I hadn’t felt since Ruby was taken. Hope.
Damian’s eyes lingered on me longer than before, and for once, I didn’t look away.
“Why Luthor?” I asked.
He stilled, jaw flexing. For a long moment, I thought he’d ignore me. Then he spoke, voice low and edged with something darker than anger.
“Because he’s cost me. Men I trusted. People who didn’t deserve to die. He makes sure his hands stay clean, but it’s his game all the same.”
The scar along his jaw caught the light. I wondered if Luthor had left that mark, too.
“I thought I had him once,” Damian continued. “Libya. A compound. We raided it, but all we found were bodies and burned files. He was already gone. I buried a good man that night. I swore I’d never let Luthor take another.”
His words sank into me, heavy as lead. He wasn’t just fighting for me. For Ruby. This was personal.
“Then Ruby’s not just my fight anymore,” I whispered.
His eyes locked on mine, fierce and unyielding. “No. It’s ours. But if you step into this war, love, you don’t get to break.”
My pulse raced, but my chin lifted anyway. “Then teach me how not to.”
For the first time, I saw something flicker behind his gray steel eyes—surprise. Maybe even respect.
And I knew this battle had only just begun.