Page 157 of Broken Oath

He saw the grief clearly now.

Years of it.

Buried deep.

Carried alone.

The same grief he saw in the mirror every morning.

Then she spoke.

“They know where you are.”

Every operator reacted.

Weapons shifted toward the surrounding rooftops, windows, boats, and warehouses.

The woman didn’t move.

She didn’t flinch.

She wasn’t worried about herself.

She had come because she was worried about them.

Rook stepped out from behind cover.

Sniper’s voice entered his earpiece.

“Rook.”

“I know.”

He kept his weapon lowered but ready.

One step.

Then another.

The distance between them narrowed.

The woman watched him approach.

For the first time, something unsettled her composure.

Her fingers curled once at her side.

A tiny movement.

Almost nothing.

But Rook noticed.

He stopped ten feet away.

Close enough to see a thin scar near her temple.

Close enough to see snow melting against her skin.