Page 49 of Shadowed Vows: Ghost (Nightfall Syndicate #1)

thirty-eight

Alina

K ade's warm hand engulfs mine as we walk toward the command center. His thumb traces absent patterns across my knuckles, the simple touch sending electricity up my arm.

The tactical watch he gave me last night gleams against my wrist, its weight still unfamiliar but oddly comforting.

The command center hums with activity—screens flashing with data, keyboards clicking, the low murmur of tactical discussions. As we enter, the room doesn't exactly fall silent, but there's a noticeable shift. Six pairs of eyes track our joined hands before flicking to the watch on my wrist.

Cole spots it first, his typically stoic expression breaking into a knowing smirk. "Well, would you look at that. He finally did it." He gestures toward my wrist with an exaggerated nod. "Took him long enough. "

Heat crawls up my neck as the team exchanges glances.

"About damn time," Jax mutters, slapping Kade on the shoulder as he passes. "Welcome to the family, Hellcat."

Asher raises an eyebrow, his mouth quirking up at one corner. "Does this mean we get to skip the bachelor party?"

I can't help chuckling at their reactions. "It's just a watch, guys. Not an engagement ring."

"Sweetheart," Remy's smooth voice is warm with amusement, "in this world, that watch means more than most wedding bands do elsewhere."

Kade's grip tightens almost imperceptibly around my hand, his thumb stilling its movement. The possessive gesture doesn't go unnoticed by the team, who exchange knowing looks.

"Alright, enough," Kade growls, but there's no real heat behind it. Something that might almost be happiness flickers across his features before his commander mask slides back into place.

Before anyone can continue the teasing, Cole's tablet pings. The sound cuts through the room like a knife, and Cole's expression transforms instantly, humor evaporating into grim focus as he reads the screen.

"We've got a problem." His voice drops, face paling. "Our surveillance picked up chatter about a shipment tonight." He swallows hard, glancing between us. "Kids, Kade. They're moving kids."

The shift in the room is immediate and visceral. The air grows heavy, charged with a dangerous energy I've come to recognize. These men—killers, soldiers, mercenaries—all have lines they won't cross. Children being trafficked crosses every single one .

My stomach twists into knots. This is exactly the kind of situation we've been working to prevent—the kind of evil that took Jenny from me.

I look up at Kade, watching as his expression hardens into something carved from granite, his eyes transforming into chips of arctic ice.

"We have to stop them." My voice is steady despite the rage building inside me.

Kade's hand slips from mine as he crosses to the tactical table, his movements fluid and predatory.

"Agreed."

Cole shifts uncomfortably. "There's more. We have a potential inside source, someone willing to give us information. But they're demanding full immunity, no questions asked."

Hope surges through me. "That could be our way in, Kade." I join him at the table, our shoulders nearly touching. "We could save those kids without risking a direct confrontation."

The look Kade gives me sends a wave of cold across my back—not from fear of him, but from a recognition of the darkness I see there. His jaw tightens, a muscle ticking beneath the stubble.

"And let a criminal walk free?" His voice drops to a dangerous rumble. "Someone who's been part of this operation, watching children being bought and sold?"

His massive hand curls into a fist on the table. "No. We take them all down."

The possessive tenderness from moments ago has vanished, replaced by something hard and lethal. This is the Ghost—the man who haunts the nightmares of enemies I've yet to meet .

"Kade, think about it." I press my palm against his forearm, feeling the corded muscle tense beneath my touch. "If we can save those children and get solid evidence to take down the entire operation, isn't that worth it?"

His gaze locks with mine, something dark and wounded flickering in those blue depths. "And what about the next time? Do we just keep making deals with traffickers, letting them off the hook?"

I stand my ground, my fingers digging into his arm. "If it means saving lives and bringing down the bigger threat, yes. We have to think about the bigger picture."

The temperature in the command center drops several degrees as Kade's entire demeanor shifts. The team goes utterly still, like prey animals sensing an apex predator.

"The bigger picture is justice, Alina." His voice carries a dangerous edge that makes my skin prickle with awareness. "For every victim, past and present. We can't compromise on that."

"But at what cost?" I challenge, stepping closer until we're chest to chest. "Are you willing to risk those children's lives for your idea of justice?"

Something breaks in Kade's expression—a fracture in his carefully maintained control. The man I glimpse beneath is raw with pain and fury.

"That's exactly why we need to act now." His massive frame looms over me, radiating lethal intent. "Those children don't have time for us to debate ethics."

The intensity of his gaze pins me in place, my legs pressing against the edge of the command console. My heartbeat thunders in my chest, but not from fear—from the dark, intoxicating power radiating from him .

"I've had to pick children over my team before." His voice drops to a whisper meant only for me, rough with emotion. "You really think I will let anything happen to them?"

My mouth goes dry at the naked pain in his confession. This isn't just about the mission—it's about his past, his losses, the choices that haunt him still.

Before I can respond, he spins toward Cole, who stands frozen near the tactical planning table.

"Get the team ready." The command rolls out like thunder. "We get the kids out and eliminate everyone else involved. Fuck all of them."

The team snaps into motion, the room suddenly alive with lethal purpose.

"Kade, wait," I persist, following him as he checks weapon caches. "There has to be another way. We can't just—"

He cuts me off with a look that sends heat pooling low in my belly. Even in anger, the effect he has on me is undeniable.

"Alina," he begins, his voice low enough that only I can hear. "I need you to understand something specific about what we're facing."

I nod, giving him my full attention. The watch on my wrist catches the light, a reminder of the commitment I've made to both him and this world.

He pulls up satellite imagery on the tablet. "This compound in Sonoma—it's where we tracked Steele's security team. These heat signatures confirm at least fourteen children being held in the east wing."

My stomach turns as I process what he's showing me .

He swipes to another image. "The guards carry Russian-made Vityaz submachine guns—the same weapons used in the assassination of that prosecutor in Singapore who was investigating missing children."

His finger traces a schematic. "The last three times we've gone after similar operations, we've lost people.

Bangkok, 2019—my agent Torres bled out in my arms after taking fire protecting twenty children from traffickers with the same weapons signature.

Manila, 2021—we lost Adams and Lee when a building rigged with C4 collapsed. And now Roman."

He takes a deep breath, his voice dropping further. "This mission... it's not just about taking down bad guys. Every time we go out there, I'm terrified of losing someone on my team."

The confession rattles me. I've seen Kade as unshakeable with his work, but now I glimpse the weight he carries.

"Every time I lost someone, it feels like a piece of me dies with them," he continues, his voice barely audible over the activity around us.

I reach out, pressing my palm against his chest, feeling his heart hammer beneath my touch. "Kade, I had no idea."

His hand covers mine, pressing it harder against him. "And now, with you here..." His eyes burn into mine. "I'm scared, Alina. I'm scared of you seeing this world, really seeing it, and deciding it's too much. But I'm even more scared of something happening to you."

My heart clenches. "I'm not going anywhere, Kade." I tap the watch on my wrist. "I chose this. I chose you."

He shakes his head, fingers tightening around mine. "You don't know what it's like. The things we have to do... they change you. And I don't want to see that light in you go out."

I press closer, letting him feel my heartbeat against his.

"I may not fully understand," I whisper against his chest, "but I'm here. And I'm not afraid of the darkness."

His hand slides up to grip the nape of my neck, fingers tangling in my hair. The gentle violence of his touch makes my breath hitch.

"Then you have two options, Alina." His lips brush my ear, sending a surge of desire through me.

"Come with us and follow my lead, or stay here." His grip tightens, tilting my head back so I'm forced to meet his gaze. "But we're doing whatever it takes to get those kids out and deal with the traffickers. Your call."

The air between us crackles with tension—not just from conflict, but from the dangerous attraction that seems to ignite whenever we clash.

For the first time since joining the team, since accepting his watch and all it represents, I have no idea what the right choice is.