Page 67 of Guarded Knight

But if I had one wish, it would be that we could end all of this without drawing danger toward her.

I take a trained breath that steadies the knife-edge of my concern. “Arthur’s art cabin. Off Grenvista Trail, right by your apartment where we walked the first day. Arthur is away for a few days, which is why we need to strike now. We identified it as one possible location to draw Cameron out of hiding where we can rig cameras, alarms, the works. If Cameron shows, he’s ours.”

Lara frowns. “In the woods? Gosh, you guys know how to put on a show. I swear I saw something like this in a slasher film once.”

I’ll admit, it does sound like the opening to a horror movie.

I carry on as if it’s settled, because if I think about this too much longer, I might force us into a U-turn. I know Xander thought it was a good idea, entrapment, but now that the woman I care about is going to be the bait, it seems like the stupidest idea he’s ever had.

And we were teenagers together; he’s had quite a few.

Anton rubs his eyebrow. “Now comes how we tip Cam off to your whereabouts…”

Lara is already one step ahead. “I’ll just text Cameron directly.” Lara’s chin tips up. “I’ll tell Freya I have to do something this weekend and I’ll promise to tell her everything after.” Lara glances at me, and there’s guilt on her features. “It’s better if she’s not involved right now.”

I nod curtly.

“Hopefully, she’ll understand…”

It pains me to see how Lara crumbles under what she feels is a lie to her best friend.

I put my hand on her arm. “You know how you left Starlight Canyon so people wouldn’t worry about you?”

Her eyebrows raise.

“It’s like that.”

“Yeah. That’s true.” She concedes.

I turn my attention to Anton. “How far did you get with reeling in Callum and Luke for support?”

Anton cracks his knuckles. “They’re both off this weekend and up for a party.”

I know it’s just Anton’s way of talking, but nothing about this is fun.

Despite knowing Lara will be covered by two officers and two lethally trained ex-SEALs, my heart pounds hard as if telling me I’m about to fuck up. Putting Lara in the firing line is against all instinct.

Anton unfolds a drawing of the plan we made for the sting at Arthur’s and spreads it over the console. “We’ll set up cameras here, here, and here.” He points to station points near the cabin. “Luke and Callum will be stationed here. If Cameron shows, we box him in. He doesn’t get a second chance.”

“Wait.” Lara asks, “Isn’t this illegal?”

Anton explains. “Doesn’t matter if the door’s unlocked. In this state? He crosses the threshold; he’s trespassing. That’s jailtime.We’ll have it on camera, and when we get a confession out of that asshole for all the other shit he’s done to you, the case will be there.” His tone leaves no room for misinterpretation. “And we’ll get a confession.”

Her eyes are bright and clear. “If this ends it, let’s do it.”

I drag in a breath. “You’re sure? Once we start, there’s no going back.”

She meets my gaze. “I’ve never been more sure.”

Anton closes the map with a decisive snap. “You’ll get your life back, Lara.”

Lara glances over at me and offers a soft smile, one that, strangely, I read as reassuringme.Because she gets me. She knows I’m unraveling inside thinking about doing it this way. If it were up to me, I’d put Cameron in a chokehold while she has her feet up with a glass of wine.

I’m a SEAL, trained to take threats down. But this isn’t just another op. It’s personal. And as much as I want to believe I can keep my heart out of it, the way she looks at me tells me I’m already too far gone.

But this is the first and maybe only opportunity to get the bastard. I don’t want him roaming free any longer.

Lara’s eyes are bright, her chin tilted like she’s daring the world… and me. And I’m reminded of the fight I can’t win with maps or cameras or brute force.