As a SEAL, I know that our best chance at saving them both is to comply with the demands—to an extent. But as her boyfriend, I want to keep Anastasia as far away from the danger as I can.
“This is a carrot on a stick,” Zane tells her. “He’s drawing you back in.”
“I’m not stupid. I see that, too,” she snaps. “But if there is even a chance to save him, we have to try.”
“And what about Sawyer?” Zane questions. “You seem so eager to send him right into the lion’s den.”
She looks up at me, eyes wide, and I can see on her face that the risk to me has finally registered. I reach over and take her hand in mine, angry that Zane sees fit to weaponize her feelings for me to get what he wants.
Even if it is what we both want.
“Sawyer is willing to walk into the lion’s den,” I say, anger lacing my tone. “We can save them both.”
“So long as a serial killer keeps his word,” Zane growls through the line. He sighs. “Send me the location, and we’ll do some recon. I won’t let him see me, and I promise not to go in.”
“I don’t trust you,” Anastasia replies.
“Anastasia, I won’t go in,” Zane assures her. “But if the two of you have already decided how this is going to go down, then I need to map out what Sawyer will be walking into. I won’t let a member of my team go in blind.”
She crosses her arms, then offers me a single nod.
“I’ll send them to you. We’re about thirty miles from the nearest marina. As soon as I get us docked, we’ll be headed to the airport.”
“Then I guess I’d better get a plan in place.” Zane ends the call, so I set the phone aside.
“Anastasia.”
“No. If you’re about to tell me that I can’t go back, that this is a mistake, then keep the words to yourself. I’ll go get Jack myself if I have to.” Her jaw is set, her eyes hard.
“I won’t pretend that I don’t see this as exactly what Zane described—a carrot on a stick. But I also know this won’t stop with Jack. So who’s next? Linda? Zane? Tessa? Weston? This guy is going to keep tearing apart your life until we catch him or give in. I won’t let there be any more blood on your conscience. It’s too heavy a burden to carry.”
One I unfortunately know quite well.
Saving her will mean nothing if she loses herself.
“I would love nothing more than to toss that phone into the ocean and disappear with you. But that’s not who you are. And frankly, that’s not who I am, either. So as long as my heart beats, I will fight for you and those you care about.”
Anastasia’s eyes fill, and the fire in her gaze extinguishes. “I feel like I’m making a decision that is going to cost me you.”
“You’re not making this choice, Anastasia—I am.”
Chapter 24
Anastasia
After docking Zane’s boat at a marina in Norfolk, Virginia, Sawyer and I hopped on a plane and made the trip back to South Carolina. The flight was only an hour and a half, but it felt like forever as I stared out the window, wondering just what the future holds.
Not for me. But for Jack. For Sawyer.
At least half a dozen times during the drive to the airport, I’d started to tell our driver to turn around. Surely the FBI can handle rescuing Jack, right? But if anything were to happen to him because of me…it’s just not something I could forgive myself for.
I already carry the weight of my silence with Violet.
Will I carry the weight of Jack’s death, too? Sawyer’s?
“You okay?” Sawyer glances back from the passenger seat to where I’m sitting just behind the driver’s seat.
I meet my brother’s gaze in the rearview, then look over at Sawyer. “Not particularly. And you promised to stop asking me that.”
