Chapter 47 Carter
Carter
Cyclone drove like the devil was chasing us—and maybe he was. The city lights blurred past in streaks, but my focus was on the road ahead, every muscle coiled, waiting for the next hit.
River’s tablet glowed in the dark as he pulled up intel. “Two confirmed dead. Both were contacts we leaned on last year. Whoever’s cleaning house knows exactly where to cut.”
“Which means someone fed them names,” Gideon muttered, his voice edged with steel. “We’ve got a leak.”
I shifted Harper closer against me, my arm locked around her shoulders. She tried to stay quiet, but I could feel her pulse racing under my hand, could feel her body tremble each time the SUV hit a bump. She was listening. She always listened.
“Where do we put her?” Cyclone asked, eyes never leaving the road. “Safe houses are burned. Your place is compromised. We need a fallback.”
My jaw clenched. I didn’t like any of it. Safe houses could be tracked. Motels weren’t secure. Every option ended with Harper in someone else’s hands, relying on walls that weren’t mine.
“She stays with me,” I said flatly.
River’s eyes flicked up. “Carter—”
“I don’t care what we have to burn down to make it happen,” I snapped. “She’s not being tucked away in a corner while we hunt. I’ll keep her in my line of sight, or I walk from this op and take her myself.”
Silence stretched. The engine roared.
Finally, River blew out a breath, nodding once. “Then we take her off-grid. Mountains. Cabins. Somewhere we control the perimeter.” His gaze sharpened on me. “But Carter—this isn’t just about shielding her. If she’s in your arms, she’s also in your fight. You ready for that?”
I glanced down at Harper, curled against me, her eyes open and steady despite the fear. And I knew the answer.
“I don’t have a choice,” I said, my voice low but absolute. “She’s already in it.”
Gideon grunted approval. “Then we hit back fast. Cut off the head before they regroup.”
“Good,” I growled. “Because I’m done running.”
The SUV cut onto the highway, the city shrinking in the rearview. Plans were forming, strategies laid out, but all I could think was this:
Whoever had marked Harper thought she was leverage. A weakness.
They had no idea she’d just become the reason I’d bring their whole world crashing down.