Chapter 21 Laney
Laney
The safehouse doesn’t feel safe.
I know that’s irrational.
I know the men protecting us are the best in the world. I’ve watched them move, watched them plan, watched them turn chaos into strategy in seconds.
But after seeing the fire lighting up the sky over town…
After hearing what she’s willing to do?
I can’t stop shaking.
The cabin is small.
Isolated.
Tucked deep into the trees, where the road disappears into the mountains. The wind brushes against the wooden walls, making the whole place creak softly.
Wolf checks the locks for the third time.
Trigger sits at the table with a laptop and three radios, his voice low as he speaks into the comms.
And Saint isn’t here.
That’s the worst part.
I’m sitting on the bed with my daughter in my arms, wrapped in three blankets.
I’m not sure if it’s because the air is cold…
Or if the cold is inside me.
I try to keep my breathing steady.
“She’s okay,” Wolf says gently from across the room. “She’s safe.”
I nod.
But my heart isn’t here.
It’s somewhere out there in the dark.
With him.
The baby stirs in my arms and makes a soft little sound.
I look down at her tiny face.
Her eyelashes flutter.
Her lips twitch like she’s dreaming.
“You don’t know any of this,” I whisper softly. “And I’m so sorry.”
A knock hits the door.
I nearly jump out of my skin.
Every muscle in my body goes tight.
“It’s me,” Marco says quietly from the other side. “Just… checking.”
Wolf gives me a small nod.
I walk to the door and open it just a crack.
Marco stands on the porch with his hands visible, keeping a careful distance like he knows how little trust he’s earned.
“I know you don’t trust me,” he says.
He doesn’t sound offended.
Just honest.
“You don’t have to. But I need you to hear this.”
I wait.
“She won’t stop,” he says. “And she won’t negotiate. She sees you and the baby as leverage. Not family.”
My throat tightens.
“Then why help us?”
Marco looks down at the wooden porch for a moment.
For the first time since I’ve known him, he looks tired.
Because I grew up being what she made people into.
Then he lifts his eyes to mine.
“And I don’t want your daughter to grow up that way.”
Something in his voice finally breaks through the wall of fear wrapped around my chest.
“She burned part of the town,” I whisper.
“Yes.”
“And Saint—”
“Saint will survive,” Marco says firmly.
There’s no hesitation in his voice.
“He’s not the kind of man this ends badly for.”
I look down at my baby again, brushing my thumb gently across her cheek.
“She smiled at him today.”
Marco’s mouth twitches slightly.
“That was it for him, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” I say softly.
“Completely.”