Page 78 of Sage Haven

Eradicate the line.

Erase them.

Every last trace.

And I’d come so far.

I’d gutted their empire.

One body at a time.

I only needed one last thing. One younger brother left in the line.

Klay was smart—and slippery.

He was always one step ahead.

But I could feel it: his time was running out.

And so was mine.

I couldn’t wait much longer. Not for him.

I couldn’t keep playing the game the way I had been.

If I wanted a chance at stopping him, I had to become the predator.

I had to outthink him. I had to outmaneuver him at every turn.

And that meant Sage…

She was my last piece.

She was the bait.

She didn’t know it, and I hated that she didn’t.

But to catch Klay, I had to play his game.

I had to make everything look real.

I had to make it believable.

If Sage suspected anything—if she even hesitated—Klay would see through it.

And she’d be dead before I ever found her again.

This was the gamble I had left.

The only one that mattered.

I had to hope I was right.

Because now, her life was in my hands.

For better or worse, she had become mine to protect.

Even if she ended up hating me for it.