Page 52 of Rogue Hope (Hope Landing: New Recruits #4)

Something flickered across Finn’s face—relief, perhaps, that she hadn’t immediately rejected him.

Without waiting for his response, she turned and led the way toward the small office adjacent to the hangar, slowing her pace to accommodate his still-recovering stride, acutely aware of his presence behind her and the not-so-subtle glances from her teammates.

The office was mercifully empty, its darkness a welcome respite from the brightness and noise of the celebration. Zara flipped on a small desk lamp, casting the room in soft, golden light before turning to face Finn, who stood just inside the doorway as if uncertain whether he was truly welcomed.

Zara had expected a lot of things when she’d arrived at the Knight Tactical hangar that evening for their much-delayed mission celebration—awkward moments with Finn, team camaraderie, maybe even a sugar high from too much sparkling cider.

What she hadn’t expected was for Finn to lay his heart bare before her, his eyes reflecting equal measures of hope and fear as he waited for her response to his statement.

Finn. Here. Permanently.

Her gaze drifted to his chest, where beneath his button-down shirt lay fresh bandages.

The bullet had missed his heart by centimeters.

Three surgeries and sixteen days in the hospital later, he moved better than she would have expected, though his breathing sometimes caught when he turned too quickly.

The fact that he was standing at all seemed miraculous.

She gestured toward the chair. “You should sit.”

“I’m fine standing.”

The stubborn edge in his voice made her smile despite herself. Some things hadn’t changed. “The doctors said?—”

“I know what they said.” His expression softened. “But some conversations should be had standing.”

For a long moment, she simply looked at him.

The man who had once destroyed her stood before her, vulnerable and open in a way she’d never been before.

Pale from blood loss, thinner than before, yet somehow more substantial.

The courage that must have taken—both stepping between her and that bullet, and now laying his heart bare—stole her breath.

“You want to stay,” she said finally, her voice steadier than she felt. “Here. With Knight Tactical.”

“With you,” he corrected gently. “The job is secondary.”

“That’s a significant change of perspective for a man who’s spent his entire adult life avoiding attachments.”

Finn nodded, accepting the observation without defensiveness. “I’ve spent years convincing myself that roots were a liability in our line of work. That connections made you vulnerable.” His eyes met hers, unwavering. “I was wrong.”

The simple admission, delivered without qualification, struck deeper than any elaborate declaration could have. Zara felt something shift within her—a loosening of the protective barriers she’d maintained around her heart since his departure seven years ago.

“You hurt me,” she said quietly, the words not an accusation but a simple truth that needed acknowledgment.

“I know.” His voice was heavy with regret. “I can’t undo that, Zara. I can only promise to do better. To be better.”

She studied him, searching for any hint of the old Finn—the one who kept parts of himself walled off, who maintained escape routes, who vanished when emotions became too real. Instead, she found only openness, his defenses completely lowered.

“Why now?” she asked, genuinely curious. “What’s different?”

“I’ve spent my life running. From connections, from permanence ...” His voice softened. “From you. All that running, and I ended up right back where I started, except with a lot more regret.”

He stepped closer, the movement causing a barely perceptible wince that he quickly masked.

“Working with you and the team—it felt right. Like finding something I didn’t know I was missing.

” His expression grew more earnest. “I’m not the same man who left seven years ago, Zara.

That man was afraid—of commitment, of vulnerability, of not being enough.

I can’t promise I won’t still struggle with those fears, but I can promise I won’t run from them. Or from you.”

Zara felt a warmth spreading through her chest, a cautious hope she’d never expected to feel again.

The sincerity in his eyes, the quiet conviction in his voice—this wasn’t the impulsive, guarded Finn she remembered.

This was a man who had faced his demons and chosen to stay despite them.

Who had proven with his blood what words could never convey.

“The team would be lucky to have your skills,” she said, taking a deliberate step toward him. “And I ...” She paused, her own vulnerability rising to match his. “I’d be grateful for the chance to discover who we are now. Together.”

The relief that washed over his face was so profound, so naked in its intensity, that Zara felt her own eyes growing suspiciously damp.

“Is that a yes?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“To both questions,” she confirmed, a smile breaking through her composure. “Yes to joining the team. And yes to exploring what could be between us. Slowly,” she added with gentle firmness.

“I can do slow,” Finn replied, his own smile spreading, transforming his too-pale face with a joy so pure it took her breath away. “I’ve been told I’m exceptionally patient.”

Zara laughed, the sound surprising her with its lightness. “By whom, exactly? Because I have significant evidence to the contrary.”

“Fair point,” he conceded, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “But for you, I can learn.”

The sincerity beneath the playful words touched something deep within her, and without overthinking it, Zara closed the remaining distance between them. She reached out, her fingers lightly touching his, careful to avoid the IV bruises still evident on the back of his hand.

“Welcome to Knight Tactical, Finn Novak,” she said softly. “Try not to hack our systems too often.”

“No promises,” he replied, his fingers gently intertwining with hers. “But I’ll always make sure you can find me.”

The promise, simple but profound, settled into her heart with unexpected weight. This was real. This was happening. And for the first time in years, Zara allowed herself to fully embrace the hope blossoming between them.

The moment was interrupted by the office door bursting open, revealing Izzy, Kenji, and Axel crowded in the doorway, their expressions shifting rapidly from eager curiosity to exaggerated innocence.

“Oh! Sorry,” Izzy exclaimed, not sounding sorry at all. “We were just looking for ... um ...”

“The fire extinguisher,” Axel supplied helpfully. “Safety first.”

“Right,” Kenji agreed with mock seriousness. “Very important. Safety. Although,” he added, glancing pointedly at their still-linked hands, “it appears we’re too late for that.”

“If you’re quite finished,” Zara began, only to be cut off by whoops and cheers from the main hangar as Jack, clearly watching through the window, gave the assembled team a thumbs-up.

“I told you all!” Kenji declared triumphantly as they made their way back into the celebration. “Pay up!”

“You bet on us?” Finn asked, sounding more amused than offended.

“On everything,” Zara confirmed with resigned affection.

“Just wait,” Kenji added with a mischievous grin. “I’m already calculating odds for the next milestones. First official date, first?—”

“That’s enough,” Zara interrupted firmly, though she couldn’t quite suppress her smile as the team surrounded them with genuine warmth and acceptance.

Admiral Knight offered a dignified nod of approval, while Ronan clapped Finn on the shoulder with enough force to make him sway slightly.

Zara moved closer, her hand finding the small of his back in subtle support.

“Told you she’d say yes,” Jack said smugly to Deke, who rolled his eyes but handed over what appeared to be a twenty-dollar bill.

As congratulations flowed around them, Zara felt a profound sense of rightness settle over her. This, all of this—the team’s good-natured teasing, the warmth of Finn beside her, the knowledge that tomorrow would bring new challenges they would face together—was exactly where she was meant to be.

Across the room, a flicker of movement caught her attention. Griffin stood near the exit, his phone pressed to his ear, his expression unusually tense. As she watched, he glanced around the room, his gaze briefly meeting hers before he slipped quietly through the door without a word to anyone.

A small chill ran through her, disrupting the warmth of the moment. Griffin was many things—reserved, taciturn, intensely private—but he never left operations, even social ones, without proper sign-off.

“Everything okay?” Finn asked quietly, noticing her distraction.

Zara hesitated, her instincts humming with something she couldn’t quite identify. “Probably,” she said, pushing the concern aside for the moment. “Griff being Griff.”

Before she could dwell on it further, Maya approached with Ronan, both beaming with congratulations and eager to share their own happiness. The moment of unease receded, though it didn’t entirely disappear.

“So,” Finn said later, as the celebration began winding down and team members drifted toward home in twos and threes, “what happens now?”

Zara looked up at him, at the face that had haunted her dreams for seven years, now present and real and promising to remain. At the man who had taken a bullet meant for her without hesitation. “Now? We take it one day at a time.”

His smile, soft and genuine, warmed her from the inside out. “I like the sound of that.”

As they walked together toward the hangar door, his steps measured but steady, Zara felt a curious mix of emotions—joy at what they had found, cautious hope for what might come, and beneath it all, a new foundation of trust that had been tested by fire and emerged stronger.

All because Finn had accepted the Lord as his Savior and moved into the light he was always meant to inhabit.

And she was willing to move through forgiveness into grace and beyond.

Whatever challenges the future brought, they’d work it out.

For tonight, that was more than enough.

It was everything.

The adventure continues in Book 5: Secret Hope!

The cards are stacked. The storm is rising. Their hearts are the wildest gamble of all.

Knight Tactical medical officer Kenji Marshall is drowning in debt and desperate enough to bet everything on one last poker tournament. But the exclusive island event he enters is more than it seems—and the host has deadly intentions.

Professional poker player Cassidy Reynolds has spent her entire career building Haven House, an international foundation dedicated to saving trafficked children. When she’s targeted for elimination, her only ally is the former SEAL with secrets of his own.

A rogue hurricane snaps communications, trapping them on the island with a cartel king bent on making them disappear. If Kenji and Cassidy can’t trust the chemistry crackling between them, they’ll be outplayed—and outlived—by a dealer who rigs every hand.