Chapter 82 Havoc
Havoc
We’re close.
I feel it before I hear it.
That shift in the air.
That tension that says you’re not alone out here.
I raise a hand.
The team freezes instantly.
Silent.
Still.
Ready.
Aspen stops beside me, breathing controlled—but I can feel the energy coming off her.
Fear.
Hope.
Desperation.
All tangled together.
I tilt my head slightly.
Listen.
There—
Voices.
Low.
Annoyed.
“—told you he’d slow us down,” one of them mutters.
A second voice snaps back.
“Shut up and keep moving.”
Then—
A third sound.
Faint.
Confused.
“I… I need to go home…”
My chest tightens.
Aspen’s hand grips my arm hard.
“That’s him,” she whispers.
I nod once.
Eyes scanning.
We’re just at the edge of the tree line now.
Through the brush—
I see them.
Three men.
Armed.
Moving along the dirt road that cuts behind the property.
And between them—
An older man.
Unsteady.
Disoriented.
Trying to keep up.
Failing.
One of the men grabs his arm too roughly, jerking him forward.
“Move!”
Grandpa stumbles.
Almost falls.
Something inside me goes cold.
Dead cold.
Because they don’t know what they’re handling.
And they don’t care.
Aspen inhales sharply beside me.
I feel her shift.
Like she’s about to run toward him.
I catch her wrist.
Firm.
She looks at me—eyes wide, pleading.
“Let me go,” she whispers.
“Not yet,” I murmur.
Because timing matters.
Because if she runs in now—
He gets hurt.
She gets hurt.
Everyone loses.
I lean closer.
“Stay with me,” I say quietly.
Her jaw tightens.
But she nods.
Trust.
Even now.
Even here.
Good.
I signal the team.
Two left.
One right.
I take center.
We move.
Silent.
Precise.
Predators closing in.
The men don’t see us.
Too focused on the problem in front of them.
“Why’d we even grab this old guy?” one of them mutters.
“Orders,” another says. “Shut up.”
Grandpa stumbles again.
This time, he goes down to one knee.
“I’m tired…” he says softly.
And that’s it.
That’s all it takes.
The guy holding him loses patience.
“Get up!” he snaps, yanking him harder.
Too hard.
Aspen moves.
I don’t stop her this time.
Because we’re already in position.
“Hey!” she shouts.
All three men turn.
Too late.
I step out of the shadows.
Weapon up.
“Drop it,” I say.
Calm.
Flat.
Deadly.
They hesitate.
One second.
That’s all they get.
The one on the left goes for his gun.
I fire.
He drops.
The second swings toward Aspen—
Ace takes him down before he can even raise his weapon.
The third—
He shoves Grandpa forward.
Uses him like a shield.
Coward.
“Back off!” he shouts, pressing a gun near the old man’s side.
Grandpa doesn’t understand.
He just looks confused.
Scared.
“Aspen?” he says, squinting at her. “Is that you?”
Her breath breaks.
“I’m here, Grandpa!” she calls, voice shaking. “I’m right here!”
His eyes light slightly.
Recognition flickering.
“They said… they said you left,” he murmurs.
Something inside me snaps.
I shift slightly.
Angle.
Calculate.
Distance. Wind. Movement.
The man’s grip is sloppy.
He’s nervous.
Good.
I lower my weapon just a fraction.
“Let him go,” I say.
“Stay back!” he snaps.
His hand tightens.
Gun pressing harder.
Grandpa winces.
Aspen takes a step forward.
“Please,” she says, tears in her voice. “He’s sick. He doesn’t understand—just let him go.”
The man hesitates.
Just a flicker.
That’s all I need.
I fire.
Clean shot.
He drops instantly.
Grandpa stumbles forward—
Aspen is there before he can fall.
“Grandpa!” she cries, wrapping her arms around him.
He clings to her like he remembers her.
Like he feels safe.
Even if he doesn’t fully understand why.
“I couldn’t find the house,” he says softly. “I got lost…”
Her face crumples.
“I know,” she whispers, holding him tighter. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
I step closer.
Scan.
All threats down.
Team clear.
Good.
But I don’t relax.
Not yet.
Not when she’s still shaking.
Not when he’s still confused.
Not when this could’ve gone worse.
So much worse.
I crouch beside them.
Gentler now.
“Hey,” I say quietly.
Grandpa looks at me.
Suspicious.
Confused.
“Who’re you?” he asks.
Aspen lets out a soft, tearful laugh.
“This is Havoc,” she says. “He’s… he’s helping us.”
Grandpa studies me.
Then nods slowly.
“Good,” he says. “You needed help.”
Yeah.
She did.
And I’m not going anywhere.
I meet Aspen’s eyes.
And I see it.
Relief.
Gratitude.
Something deeper.
Something that wasn’t there before.
Or maybe it was.
And now we just can’t ignore it anymore.
I stand.
Offer a hand.
“We need to move,” I say.
Because we’re not done.
Not even close.
But as I watch her help her grandfather to his feet—
As I watch the way she holds him, protects him—
I make one thing very clear in my head.
They tried to use him.
Tried to break her.
Tried to send a message.
They succeeded in one thing.
They made this personal.
And now?
Now I’m not just protecting them.
I’m hunting whoever thought this was a good idea.
And I won’t stop—
Until they’re all gone.