Chapter 84
Carter
Sable shifted in the chair, his breathing ragged from blood loss, but his eyes still glinted with that infuriating arrogance. He wanted control. He wanted to make this his stage.
Not tonight.
“Start with the accounts,” I said, my voice like steel. “Who funds you?”
A dry laugh slipped from his throat. “You think small, soldier. It’s not about who funds me. It’s about who profits. Politicians, bankers, men in uniforms with medals on their chest. Cut off one head, three more grow back.”
River’s eyes narrowed. “Names.”
Sable’s smile sharpened. “Too many to count. But you’ve heard of Redwood, haven’t you?”
The room stilled. Even Gideon’s typing faltered.
I knew that name. Everyone in our world did. Redwood wasn’t a person—it was a project. A ghost network, whispered about in black sites and safe houses. Smuggling. Trafficking. A web too wide to kill clean.
My jaw locked. “Redwood’s a myth.”
“No,” Sable said, his grin stretching thin. “Redwood is real. And Harper? She’s leverage. Her fear feeds the machine. Heroes like you, desperate to protect—always the easiest to manipulate.”
I shoved the rifle harder against his chest until he gasped. “Say her name again, and I’ll make sure you never speak another word.”
He coughed, chuckling even through the pain. “You can’t stop Redwood. But you’ll try. And when you do, you’ll see how deep this runs. How high.”
Behind me, I felt Harper’s presence tighten like a wire. She didn’t speak, but I knew she’d heard every word.
River broke the silence, his tone grim. “We’ve got enough. Gideon, cross-reference Redwood with his accounts. See where the trail leads.”
Sable leaned back, blood dripping down his wrist where the zip ties cut into flesh, his voice a hiss. “You think you’re protecting her. But you’ve already lost. Because the moment she was marked, she became the one thing you can’t live without—and the one thing we’ll never stop hunting.”
I leaned in close, my fury cold and sharp now. “Then hunt all you want. Because I’ll never stop killing you back.”
And for the first time, his smirk cracked.