Page 85 of Rook
His jaw tightened, not in anger, but in fear. “This isn’t…”
Stone cut in. “Let her.”
Rook shot him a look, but Stone didn’t budge. “She’s part of this now. Whether we like it or not.”
Avery’s heart thudded. Rook exhaled slowly, then took her hand and guided her to the table. “Stay close.” She did.
Ledger turned his laptop toward her. “This is the Reapers’ movement pattern for the last month.”
Red dots blinked across the map, creeping closer to town, closer to the bakery, closer to her.
Avery’s stomach twisted. “They were watching me.”
Rook’s grip tightened on her hand. “They were watching me.”
Fish’s voice came from the far side of the table, quiet, even. “They thought hitting her would make you react.”
Avery looked at him. Fish didn’t look away.
Stone nodded. “They hit her to pull us in.”
Grim added, “They’re stupid. But not that stupid.”
Havoc snorted. “Stupid enough to piss off Rook.”
Rook ignored them, pointing to three circled locations. “These are their known hangouts. We hit the warehouse first. It’s the least fortified.”
Ledger nodded. “I’ve got camera feeds from the street. Two guards. Maybe three inside.”
Grim cracked his knuckles. “Easy.”
Fish shook his head once. “Easy gets people killed. We go in smart.”
Stone shook his head. “We’re not going in guns blazing. We’re gathering intel. We need to know who’s calling the shots.”
Avery looked at Rook. “You’re going?”
He met her eyes, steady and unflinching. “Yeah.”
Her throat tightened. “Is it dangerous?”
He didn’t lie. “Yes.”
She swallowed hard. “And you’re still going.”
He stepped closer, cupping her cheek with one hand. “I have to. They came after you. They made it personal.”
Her breath trembled. “Noah…”
He leaned in, his forehead resting against hers. “I’ll come back to you.”
She closed her eyes. “You better.”
He smiled, small, soft, but real. “I will.”
Stone cleared his throat. “Rook. We need you.”
Rook kissed her, a quick, firm press before he pulled away.
