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Heavy.

Because now—

This isn’t just about stopping him.

It’s about something buried in her past.

Something that was never supposed to surface.

And I can already tell—

This?

This is only the beginning.

Not happening.

I don’t hesitate.

I move.

Gun steady. Closing the distance.

“Hands up,” I order. “Now.”

For the first time—

He shifts.

Not fear.

Calculation.

Then he smiles.

Wrong move.

“Tessa—wait,” she says behind me.

I stop.

Barely.

But I do.

“I need him alive,” she adds, quieter.

My jaw tightens.

Because I know what that means.

Risk.

More time.

More chances for this to go sideways.

But I nod once.