He walks past me and turns.
“You don’t get to freeze. You don’t get to wait. You see the threat, you end it.”
I adjust my grip on the knife.
He faces me again.
“They’re coming for you. So next time, you don’t back up.”
He steps forward once more.
“You make them fucking regret it.”
Chapter 34
Seth
She doesn’t flinch when she lands the punch.
A few weeks ago, her wrist still needed bracing. Today, she cracks the training pad with enough force to make my elbow jolt behind it.
“Good,” I say. “Now do it again.”
Brooke’s breathing is calm, sweat glistening at her collarbone. Her stance is tighter, her weight more balanced. I can tell she still favors her right side. She still guards that shoulder, but she has stopped treating herself like glass.
She hits the pad again, harder.
Fury drives every movement.
Beau whistles from the corner, where he is reassembling her Glock. “She’s gonna break someone’s jaw with that left hook. Not bad for a righty.”
“Damn right,” Brooke mutters.
I catch her eyes. “Reset your stance. Knife next.”
She grabs the practice blade and circles me without hesitation. Her steps are quick, her eyes locked on mine. I can see the calculation behind her movements now. It is not just fight or flight or panic.
She is starting to think like a killer.
Her lunge is quick and controlled. I deflect, step in close, and whisper, “Too high. Try again.”
She doesn’t get flustered. She doesn’t freeze. She ducks out and comes back lower.
This time, she nicks my ribs. Barely, but it is enough.
“Fuck yeah,” Beau says under his breath.
I give her a nod. “That would’ve cut deep.”
Brooke steps back, breathing hard.
This isn’t for praise.
This is for survival.
Later, we sit in the training room, just the two of us.
Travis and Beau are posted at the long table in the adjacent space, files spread and reshuffled as they chase every remaining thread tied to the manor and to Elliot. The sounds stay on the other side of the wall.
