Chapter 132
Carter
The compound swallowed us whole.
We slipped from shadow to shadow, every step a countdown. The fences and lights were behind us now, but that didn’t mean safety—it meant we were in the wolf’s den. And wolves bite hardest when cornered.
I raised a fist, signaling a halt. The team froze instantly. Two guards rounded the far corner, their rifles loose, their conversation careless. They didn’t know their comms were dead. Didn’t know we were already inside.
River motioned left. Cyclone shifted right. Silent, clean. Two muffled shots later, both bodies dropped into the dark. Gideon dragged them into cover, his movements fast but controlled.
“Path clear,” River whispered.
I scanned ahead. The main building loomed, a block of steel and concrete, its windows blacked out, its doors reinforced. But I knew what was inside—servers, weapons, intel, the rot that fed Redwood’s power. Cut that out, and the whole network bled dry.
Harper crouched close, her bag tight against her side, her eyes wide but steady. She shouldn’t have been here, and yet—I couldn’t imagine this fight without her. She wasn’t slowing us down. She wasn’t breaking. She was proving, step by step, that she belonged at my side.
I leaned close, my voice low, meant for her alone. “Once we breach, it’ll get loud. Stay with me. Don’t let go.”
Her nod was quick, sure, her whisper fierce. “Always.”
That single word dug deeper than any bullet ever could.
I looked back to the men, my hand tightening on my rifle. “We hit the control node. Fast, precise, no wasted movement. Once their systems are down, we take out whatever’s left standing.”
River gave a curt nod. Cyclone chambered a round with a grin. Gideon’s fingers danced over his keys, preparing the digital strike.
I drew in one steady breath, the weight of Harper’s presence at my back anchoring me.
Then I raised my rifle, eyes locked on Redwood’s heart.
“Let’s finish this.”