Page 5 of Gunnar

My voice resounds off the mountain, and he releases her like she’s burned him.

She pulls away, shaking, trying to catch her breath.

I take a step closer, my attention fixed on her.

There’s no question now.

“She stays.”

“Are you crazy, Gunnar? This is the last thing we need—” Orson cuts in.

I unleash a snarl, and everyone recoils.

The girl makes a small sound, but she doesn’t back away.

Then she whirls around. “What the hell is this?” she snaps at the gray-haired man. “You said you were bringing me to a safehouse.”

I don’t look at him.

I don’t take my eyes off her.

“You’re safe,” I tell her.

She lets out a short, disbelieving laugh. “Safe?” Her gaze moves over the clearing—blood in the gravel, rifles broken, men down in the dirt. She stops on me. “You almost killed them.”

“They came armed,” I say, my voice rough from the shift. “They aimed at my brothers. But they’re still breathing.”

Her eyes flick to the bodies. One of them groans. She shudders.

“My agents will remain on site for additional protection,” the gray-haired man cuts in.

“No.” I take one step closer to her. Close enough that I can feel the heat of her, the sharp edge of her fear.

“No one else stays,” I say. “You drop her. You leave.”

“She’s a federal witness,” he replies. “There are procedures⁠—”

“Not here.”

Behind me, my brothers step forward without being told. One of them kicks a broken rifle farther into the dirt.

The message doesn’t need translating.

The boss studies the clearing. The blood. The men still groaning.

He gives a long sigh. “You’re taking responsibility for her?”

“Yes.” I give a deep nod.

The girl wheels on him, eyes dazzling blue. “No. Absolutely not. I’m not staying here.”

The man steps forward, holding out an envelope.

“Here’s your compensation. You’ll find it generous⁠—”

I knock it aside without looking. It drops between us.

“Don’t want it.”