Chapter 121 Carter
Carter
Iforced myself to pull back, though every part of me wanted to stay locked in Harper’s arms until the world burned out. But there wasn’t time. Not with Redwood circling, not with Sable still breathing, not with the fight unfinished.
River emerged from the treeline, his rifle slung but his eyes sharp. “We cleared the east. Temporary quiet, but they’ll regroup.”
“Of course they will,” I muttered, straightening, the soldier sliding back over my skin like armor.
Cyclone approached, bandaged arm stiff, rifle still hot from the fight. Gideon trailed close behind, his laptop tucked under one arm, eyes shadowed with exhaustion. They all looked worn thin, but there was no quit in them. Not here. Not with this enemy.
I tightened my grip on Harper’s hand before letting go, needing her to see it wasn’t distance—it was focus.
“We can’t keep waiting for them to hit us,” I said, my voice low, hard. “We hold the line today, they’ll come back tomorrow with more bodies, more firepower. This doesn’t end until we cut the head off the snake.”
River nodded once, jaw tight. “Redwood headquarters.”
Gideon opened his laptop, the glow catching his face. “I’ve been tracking chatter. There’s a hub—remote, heavily fortified, but it’s where they move money, weapons, intel. We take it down, we cripple their network.”
“Not cripple,” I corrected, my eyes narrowing. “We finish it.”
Silence fell heavy between us, each man measuring the weight of the words. Cyclone was the first to break it, his grin sharp despite the blood on his sleeve. “About damn time.”
I looked back at Harper. She stood tall despite the tremor still in her hands, her eyes steady on mine. Not pleading for me to stop. Not begging me to leave her behind. Just with me.
That kind of trust carved deeper than any scar.
I turned back to the team, my voice steel. “We go after Redwood. No more running, no more reacting. We take the fight to them—end it before they can touch her again.”
River’s eyes flicked to Harper, then back to me. He gave a short, grim nod. “Then we plan.”
The fire that had burned low in my chest since the ridge roared to life again. This wasn’t just survival anymore.
This was war. And I wasn’t stopping until Redwood was ash.