Chapter 30 Havoc
Havoc
She’s scared.
Not weak.
Not fragile.
Scared in the way that comes from losing something you can’t replace.
I get that.
Better than most.
The room clears slowly.
Ace, Blaze, Wolf—all giving us space.
Smart.
I step closer.
Not too close.
Not yet.
“You’re right to be worried,” I say.
She looks up at me.
Surprised.
“But this doesn’t stop unless we stop it.”
Her jaw tightens.
“That’s what Joseph thought.”
The name lands between us.
Heavy.
Complicated.
I nod slowly.
“Yeah.”
“And he died.”
There it is.
The truth.
The fear.
The reason she’s holding on so tight.
I take a breath.
Careful with my next words.
“He died trying to protect people,” I say.
“That matters.”
Tears shine in her eyes.
“It mattered to the world,” she whispers.
“But it cost Dylan his father.”
That one hits.
Hard.
I glance toward the couch.
Kid asleep.
Dog guarding him.
Everything that’s at stake.
“I’m not him,” I say quietly.
Her gaze snaps back to mine.
“I know,” she says.
And something about the way she says it…
Feels different.
I step closer before I can stop myself.
Close enough to see the exhaustion in her eyes.
The strength.
The fight.
The way she’s still standing when most people wouldn’t be.
“We’re going to end this,” I tell her.
“And no one in this house is getting hurt.”
She searches my face.
Like she’s trying to decide if she believes me.
Then—
Very slowly—
She nods.
“I trust you.”
And that right there?
That’s the moment I should’ve stepped back.
Created distance.
Kept this professional.
But I don’t.
Because something in my chest shifts.
Something I’m not ready to name yet.
And that’s a problem.
A big one.
Because she’s not just anyone.
She’s Tank’s.