He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. Sawyer’s relaxed demeanor is a fallacy, and we both know it. The tension in his shoulders, the set of his jaw when he thinks I’m not looking—he’s worried too.
Which, of course, only makes me feel even more like a fool for doing exactly what this monster wants me to do. Especially at the risk of Sawyer.
“Fair enough.” He straightens in the seat. “Any update on movement outside of the boathouse?”
They’d used the coordinates Sawyer tracked to lock in where the call came from. According to Zane, Jack is being held in an old boathouse just outside of town. Unfortunately, it’s made of metal, so using a thermal camera to verify Jack is actually inside is impossible.
“No. Cowboy’s been watching the place non-stop. And we’ve got no movement on the exterior. The windows are all boarded up, so seeing inside is impossible.”
The two men share a look, and even without being a highly trained Navy SEAL, I can decode it. It might be a trap. Jack could already be dead. Or maybe he was never really there to begin with.
Zane pulls into the back parking lot of my coffee shop and puts the truck into Park. Sawyer climbs out first, his gaze scanning the area around us, before he opens my door.
I don’t miss the way he shields my every movement with his body.
Or the way Zane falls into step right beside me.
Tears prick the corners of my eyes. I’ve done nothing to deserve it, but both my brother and Sawyer would give their lives for me in an instant.
We move into the back entrance, and Sawyer locks the door behind us. The coffee shop is dark, with every shade drawn. Including brand-new ones installed on my large picture windows in front. The same ones shattered by a bullet just over a week ago.
“Sawyer, can I talk to Zane for a minute?” I ask.
“Of course. I’ll take the bags upstairs.” He leans in and kisses me on the cheek, then grabs the bags and heads upstairs. As soon as I hear the door close, I turn toward my brother.
“I know you think this was a mistake.”
“I don’t think it was,” he counters. “I know it was.”
“This is my life.”
“Not anymore. A member of my team—my brother in all ways but blood—is about to march into a trap because you don’t trust me to get your ex-boyfriend out.” His tone is sharp, angry. “This is literally what I do, Anastasia. And the worst possible thing you could do is give this guy exactly what he wants. We could have sent someone else to that marina to take Sawyer’s place until this was over. He could have chosen to come back and go on this suicide rescue mission, but you still would have been out of reach.”
“Except that’s not what he said. He wanted me back here in exchange for Jack’s safety. If I didn’t listen, who’s to say he wouldn’t have killed them both?”
“Whose to say he won’t anyway?” Zane replies coldly.
On any other day, his tone might have annoyed me. Today, though, when I’m already feeling so raw, all it does is add to the weight. Because everything he is saying is right.
“If I have a chance to save Jack, shouldn’t I? What if we did it your way? What if you, Weston, Ryker, and Garrison all marched in there in your tactical best to get him out and this guy does exactly what he said he would? What if he managed to take all of you out?” A tear slips down my cheek. “That’s five lives, Zane.”
“So, Sawyer is expendable? He’s the easier sacrifice?”
“Of course not!” I scream it, my emotions at a boiling point. “I love him, you idiot! Do you not think this is impossible? Do you not think I haven’t wanted to rethink this whole thing?”
Zane’s demeanor shifts, and he crosses his arms. “You love him.”
I close my eyes. Of course that’s what he would focus on. “Yes. I love Sawyer. This is impossible, Zane. I didn’t ask for any of this, and I just want it to stop! I’m at the point now where I want to just let him have me because then everyone else will be safe. Except...” I trail off. “Sawyer’s dumb enough to go after him anyway.”
“We all are,” Zane says. “And you letting this monster get you is not even an option.” He’s practically growling the words, and for a moment, I’m thrown back in time. To me, as a little girl who just lost her father, and the sister of a boy who had to grow up way too fast.
“I’m sorry.” I close my eyes. Less than a heartbeat later, strong arms come around me, and my brother pulls me in. I bury my face in his chest and let the emotions I’ve tried so hard to keep in check come pouring out.
“It’s going to be okay. Sawyer will be fine. And as much as this guy wants him there alone, he won’t be.”
“But—” I pull away.
Zane smiles down at me. “Little sister, how quickly you’ve forgotten what it is we are trained to do. This guy won’t see us. Not until we’re close enough to pull a trigger. And even then, he’ll only see us if we want him to. We will make sure both Sawyer and Jack walk away. Then, we’ll put everything we have into catching this guy.”
