Page 154 of Ranger's Wildflower

---

Ace turns slowly.

“Tessa—”

“No,” I say, stepping forward. “I’ve done that. I’ve spent years running. Hiding. Letting people control where I go, what I do—”

“This isn’t that,” he cuts in.

“It feels like it,” I fire back.

His jaw tightens.

“Because he made it that way,” he says. “And I’m not giving him the chance to finish it.”

I shake my head, frustration building in my chest.

“If we keep moving, he keeps chasing,” I say. “We’re reacting. Not stopping him.”

“That’s not your call,” he says.

That hits.

Hard.

My chest tightens.

“Excuse me?” I ask, quieter now—but more dangerous.

Ace steps closer.

Too close.

“You’re the target,” he says, his voice low, controlled, but there’s something underneath it now. “That means you don’t get to take risks.”

My heart pounds.

“I didn’t ask for this,” I say.

“I know.”

“Then stop treating me like I can’t handle it.”

His eyes flash.

“You almost got taken tonight.”

“I didn’t,” I snap.

“Because we were here.”

The words slam into me.

And for a second—

Neither of us moves.

The tension between us sharp.

Heavy.

---