Chapter 24
24
brODY
N ormally, easy mornings would bring me a sense of calm, but right now, a tight knot twists in my gut. Harper carefully folds her clothes, placing them in the weekend bag Billie brought for her when she visited. She moves slowly, like she’s trying to delay the inevitable—we’re leaving. Being in the city with more protection is the safest option, and I will always choose Harper’s safety first.
I watch her from the doorway and focus on the way the sunlight catches in her hair and splashes across her cheeks.
It’s moments when I can’t stop admiring her that I’m reminded exactly how far I’ve fallen. Every instinct screams at me to shield her, to pull her back into my arms, to keep her locked safely here, away from everything dark. But our reality waits for no one, and this place is no longer safe with Micah on the loose.
Harper’s pretty eyes meet mine across the small bedroom. She pauses, fingers lingering on a folded sweater.
“What’s on your mind?” I ask, knowing she’s lost in thought.
I move to her; my heart lurches at the fear lingering in her eyes.
“Just thinking about things,” she says.
Since last night, when we received that frantic call from Billie, Harper has been on edge.
My smile fades, replaced by seriousness. “No matter what comes next, we’ll walk through the fire together.”
Harper steps closer to me, wrapping her arms around my waist. “I’m really scared.”
“I know,” I say, holding her against me. “I’ve got you.”
She leans forward, resting her forehead against my chest, breathing as I wrap an arm tighter around her waist, holding her close.
Her voice is muffled. “I wish we could stay here. Just you and me. Everything feels simpler here.”
I rest my cheek against her hair, memorizing her scent, her warmth, and the steady beat of her heart. “Me too. But we’ll carry a piece back with us and come visit when it’s safe again.” I smile. “We’ve changed here.”
She nods, pushing back just enough to meet my eyes. “You’re right. We have.”
Silence settles around us. We both know the peace we feel here is fragile and temporary, but we cling to it, savoring the last precious minutes we have left.
Finally, reluctantly, I press a kiss to her forehead. “Finish packing. The helicopter will arrive soon.”
Harper sighs, stepping back, gathering her folded clothes. “I’m almost done. What will happen to Easton’s car?”
“He’s scheduled a transport to deliver it back to the city.”
“Oh,” she says.
I watch her for a few seconds longer before moving into the living room. Bags are scattered on the floor, one is packed with clothes and the other holds my gear. I systematically check my inventory of weapons, my mind already racing forward to what awaits us in the city. Micah, the public fallout, the uncertainty of Mia—it’s overwhelming. Being here is the true calm before the storm that’s waiting for us on the horizon.
Harper deserves peace and to feel safe. She should be able to live her life without shadows looming. If it costs me everything, I’ll make damn sure she gets that. Because protecting Harper Alexander isn’t just another promise I made to my cousin. She’s become my everything.
She’s the person who’s awakened parts of me I thought died years ago, who’s reminded me there is a life waiting for us that’s worth fighting for.
I haul the last bag onto the porch, setting it down with a thud as the familiar distant chop of helicopter blades grows louder. Harper steps out behind me, eyes lifted toward the sky, squinting in the sunlight. A breeze catches in her hair, lifting it around her face. She looks like a woman who’s ready to face whatever waits beyond this mountain—stronger, steadier, healed in ways I’ve only begun to understand.
“There it is,” she says, stepping closer as the chopper crests the tree line and descends toward the clearing. Her hand slips into mine, squeezing.
I squeeze back. “Ready?”
Harper nods once. “I have no choice.”
I lean in close, pressing a quick kiss against her temple. “This is almost over.”
The helicopter settles smoothly on the grass, blades still spinning. I gather our bags, and we move across the yard. When we’re twenty feet from the door, a noise cuts through the rhythmic pounding of rotor blades.
It’s the sound of a distant engine, faint, but it’s growing louder. Something about it feels off. Wrong.
I tense, immediately scanning the winding mountain road visible between the trees. Dust kicks up, clouding the air as a sleek black car comes into view, speeding toward the cabin at a dangerous pace.
Harper stiffens beside me, her fingers tightening around mine. Her voice is edged with sudden panic. “Brody, that’s …”
I already know. A cold chill slices down my spine.
Micah Rhodes.
I turn, urgency filling every movement as I drop my duffel full of guns. I cup Harper’s face. “Listen to me. You’re getting on that helicopter. Now. You hear me?”
She stares at me, eyes wide and frantic, already shaking her head. “Brody, no?—”
I grip her shoulders. “You have to go.”
Her eyes fill with panic, and she roughly grabs my arms, yanking me with her. “Come with me. Please.”
I keep my voice calm even though I want vengeance. “Harper, please, get in the helicopter. You have to trust me.”
Tears stream down her face, fear bright in her eyes. But finally, with trembling lips, she nods quickly, understanding that arguing now means risking everything. “Please be careful.”
“I promise.” I grip her hand one final time, tugging her quickly to the helicopter and helping her inside. My heart pounds violently as Harper settles into the seat, eyes never leaving mine as I buckle her in swiftly.
“Brody—”
“I’ll come for you,” I say, offering her one last reassuring smile.
Before she can protest again, I slam the helicopter door shut, patting it twice to signal the pilot.
I move to my duffel, pulling out handguns and extra clips, just as Micah’s car skids to a stop behind Easton’s car. Dust settles around, and anger flares in my chest.
Harper desperately presses her hand against the glass, eyes wide with panic, pleading silently for me to join her. She’s screaming at the top of her lungs.
My heart clenches, but I force myself to step away. The helicopter blades spin faster, lifting the craft upward as Harper’s tear-streaked face stares down at me through the window.
Turning, I face Micah’s car head-on. The helicopter rises quickly above the clearing, but I know Harper can see every detail unfolding below.
This is what it means to protect someone you love.
Micah steps out of the car, eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, his posture casual. Deadly anger roars inside me, and I glare at him.
I straighten my stance, my voice cutting through the fading noise of the helicopter above. “You really shouldn’t have come here, Rhodes.”
My fingers curl around the familiar weight of the gun. I pull it swiftly, aiming at Micah’s head. I won’t miss—sharpshooters never do. My pulse pounds heavily in my ears as every fiber of my being screams to end this now, to make sure he never gets another chance to hurt another woman or Harper again.
Micah freezes; surprise sweeps across his arrogant features before his expression quickly settles back into a calculating calm. He lifts his chin slightly, a defiant smirk meeting his lips as he challenges me, almost as if he’s silently daring me to take the shot.
A metallic click to my side splits the tense silence from the tree line, and my blood runs cold as I recognize the unmistakable sound of another weapon chambering a round.
Reluctantly, I glance sideways, my heart dropping as Nick steps from the woods, gun pointed directly at me.
“Nick,” I growl, confusion and frustration lacing my voice, “what the fuck are you doing?”
His expression remains cool, eyes locked firmly on mine, though a muscle twitches visibly along his clenched jaw. “Stopping you from making the biggest mistake of your life.”
My jaw tightens painfully. “You don’t understand?—”
“I understand perfectly,” he interrupts, eyes blazing with intensity as he keeps the gun locked on me. “Get in your car, Rhodes. Leave right now,” he yells.
I keep my weapon pointed at Micah.
Micah hesitates, weighing his options as his gaze flicks rapidly between Nick and me.
“Did I fucking stutter?” Nick steps forward, the threat in his voice unmistakably clear.
Then he swivels abruptly, shifting the barrel of his gun toward Micah, voice hardening to lethal steel as he says, “If you don’t get in your fucking car right now, I’ll blow your damn head off myself and end this.” His voice rises, echoing with a promise that even Micah can’t ignore. Nick pulls the trigger; a bullet whizzes through the trees. “You think I’m fucking joking? I’m a great shot.”
Micah steps back abruptly, running a hand through his hair, as if regaining control. He meets my gaze one final time, his voice cool and utterly devoid of emotion, saying, “This isn’t over, Brody. Harper belongs to me. One way or another, I’ll make sure she remembers that.”
My fist clenches tighter around the grip of the gun, but I hold myself in place, refusing to rise to his bait.
“The next time you fucking dare come near her, you won’t walk away. That’s a promise. Where is Mia?” My voice remains dangerously calm, my eyes never leaving his face.
Micah smiles, and I see pure evil. “Not sure what you’re talking about.”
Micah gives me one last glare, then turns toward his car. The engine roars to life, tires spinning violently, sending a spray of dirt and gravel, as he speeds away, leaving a cloud of dust hanging heavy in the air.
I watch until his vehicle disappears down the mountain road, every muscle in my body still coiled with rage. Before I can even exhale, I spin toward Nick, my gun trained firmly on him, my heart hammering violently in my chest.
He mirrors my stance, gun aimed steadily at my chest. Neither of us blinks. The air between us is tense, crackling with anger.
“Why the fuck would you do that?” I shout, my voice ragged and vibrating with rage.
Nick’s eyes are blazing wild. “Because ending him ends you and Harper, you dumb fuck.”
We stand locked in place, the forest echoing with our harsh words. Nick lowers his gun, though the intensity never leaves his expression.
“You pull that trigger, and it’s all over, Brody,” he says, his voice steady. “He wins. You lose. Harper loses you.”
My chest heaves as I lower my gun, the weight of Nick’s words sinking into me, shattering the adrenaline-driven rage that consumed my thoughts. He’s right; I nearly crossed a line I could never come back from.
“You don’t think he’s trying to trap you? No telling who he told he was coming up here.” Nick shakes his head, frustration and concern written on his face. “Get your shit together. We can’t protect her if you go rogue.”
I exhale heavily, dragging a shaking hand down my face, forcing myself back into control. The helicopter has vanished beyond the tree line, taking Harper to safety. But even as relief loosens the tightness in my chest, dread quickly fills the emptiness it leaves behind. I’m not with her right now. I can’t protect her if we’re apart.
Micah’s threat echoes chillingly in my mind—a cold, stark warning that he’s far from finished.
Unfortunately for him, neither am I.