12. Blaze
BLAZE
The second Trigger said Wolf brought company, every muscle in my body locked tight.
Not fear.
Preparation.
I moved instantly.
One hand caught Flick’s wrist gently but firmly, guiding her backward toward the hallway leading to the upstairs rooms.
“Stay behind me.”
Her fingers tightened around the mug hard enough I thought it might crack.
“Hersh—”
“Now, Flick.”
She went quiet after that.
Not because she trusted the situation.
Because she trusted me.
And somehow that hit even harder.
Another knock rattled the downstairs tavern door.
Heavy.
Impatient.
Wolf didn’t knock like that unless something mattered.
I crossed the apartment quickly, every instinct sharpening as I reached beneath the old side table near the stairs.
Flick’s eyes widened slightly when I pulled the handgun free from underneath it.
Yeah.
Life had changed.
A lot.
I checked the magazine automatically before sliding the weapon against my back beneath my shirt.
When I looked up again, Flick was staring at me differently.
Not scared.
Just… seeing me.
Really seeing me.
The Army Ranger.
The man forged out of all the years between then and now.
“You keep guns hidden around your apartment?” she whispered.
“The Town’s gotten rougher the last few years.”
That wasn’t exactly a lie.
Her gaze dropped briefly toward the weapon before lifting back to mine.
“You ever have to use it?”
Too many times.
I didn’t answer.
Didn’t need to.
Something in my face must have said enough because her expression softened with quiet heartbreak.
God.
I hated that look.
Not pity.
Never that.
Just sadness for things she hadn’t been there to witness.
Things I was glad she’d never seen.
Another knock downstairs.
Then Wolf’s voice again.
“Blaze!”
“I’m coming.”
I kept my eyes on Flick another second.
Rain pounded the windows behind her.
Thunder rolled low across Eagle River.
And standing there in oversized borrowed clothes with fear still lingering in her eyes, she looked way too breakable for the kind of danger headed our way.
“You lock the door behind me,” I said.
“No.”
The answer came instantly.
Stubborn as hell.
Some things never changed.
“Flick—”
“I’m not hiding in a closet while you go downstairs with a gun!”
“You’d rather stand in the middle of a firefight?”
“I’d rather know what’s happening.”
Jesus Christ.
Sixteen years later, and she could still push every button I had.
I stepped closer before lowering my voice.
“If something goes wrong down there, I need to know you’re safe.”
The fight in her expression faltered slightly.
Because she heard what I didn’t say.
I can’t lose you again.
Her throat moved hard.
Then finally?—
“Okay.”
Barely audible.
I brushed my thumb once against her wrist before stepping away.
“Lock it after me.”
This time she nodded.
I headed downstairs fast.
The tavern sat mostly dark except for the dim lights above the bar.
Trigger stood near the front entrance with one hand resting near the weapon at his hip.
Wolf stood beside him.
And beside Wolf?—
My pulse stopped cold.
Female.
Dark hair soaked from rain.
Long coat.
Sharp eyes scanning the room like she trusted absolutely nobody.
Federal.
Easy to spot.
But it wasn’t the woman that hit me.
It was the teenage girl standing beside her.
Sixteen maybe.
Dark blonde hair.
Terrified eyes.
Bruises around her wrist.
And the second she looked at me?—
She flinched.
Not from recognition.
From fear.
Wolf’s expression stayed grim.
“We’ve got a problem.”
“No kidding,” I muttered.
The woman stepped forward first.
“Deputy U.S. Marshal Ava Moreno.”
She flashed credentials quickly.
“I’m assuming you’re Blaze.”
“Depends who’s asking.”
Her jaw tightened slightly.
“Cute. We don’t have time for that.”
Trigger folded his arms nearby, already irritated.
“Lady, you dragged Wolf out here at midnight in a thunderstorm. Start talking.”
Ava looked toward the staircase briefly.
One glance.
But enough.
She knew someone else was upstairs.
Sharp.
Very sharp.
When she looked back at me, her expression changed slightly.
“You have Felicity McKenna here.”
Not a question.
My entire body went still.
Behind me, upstairs?—
A floorboard creaked softly.
Flick heard everything.
Wolf swore quietly under his breath.
Trigger’s posture changed instantly.
Danger mode.
“How do you know that name?” I asked calmly.
Ava held my stare.
“Because the cartel found another witness.”
Silence slammed through the tavern.
The girl beside her wrapped both arms around herself tighter, visibly shaking.
Ava’s voice lowered.
“And if we don’t move fast…”
She glanced toward the stairs again.
“They’re going to realize Felicity’s here.”