Page 47 of Tag (The Golden Team #9)

Aponi

T he air inside Miguel’s place felt heavier with every breath—heat from the rising sun mixing with the copper tang of blood.

I wanted out.

But the second I stepped toward the door, Faron blocked the way.

“We’re not going anywhere until you start talking,” he said. His voice wasn’t loud, but it had that deep, immovable edge that told me he meant it.

“I’ve already told you—”

“You told us nothing,” Faron cut in. “Sable didn’t kill Miguel for sport. She left your face here for a reason. You think Tag and I don’t see the pattern?”

“I’m not—”

“You’re not protecting yourself,” Faron snapped. “You’re protecting something . And if you don’t tell us what, you’re gambling with everyone in this room.”

I clenched my jaw, feeling the prickle of heat behind my eyes. I hated this. Hated being cornered. “You don’t understand—”

“I understand fine,” Faron said, stepping closer. “Graves has wanted that drive for years. People died over it before you even knew it existed. Now Sable’s on your trail, and she’s not going to stop. If you’ve got a play, I want to hear it.”

Tag’s voice cut through before I could answer. “Faron, enough.”

His tone was low but threaded with steel. Faron stared at him for a long moment before backing off, jaw tight.

Tag turned to me. “You don’t have to tell him.”

That surprised me. “But you want me to tell you?”

“Yeah,” he said without hesitation. “Because if I’m going to keep you alive, I need the whole picture. No half-truths, no convenient silences.”

I looked between the two men—the brother who’d bled for me before I even knew we were family, and the man who’d just kissed me like the world could burn around us and he’d still hold on.

The truth sat heavy on my tongue.

Too heavy.

“If I tell you,” I said slowly, “you don’t get to un-know it. And it’s going to change how you see me.”

Tag’s eyes didn’t waver. “Then let it.”

Before I could decide whether to break, Faron’s radio crackled. “Incoming,” Gideon’s voice came through. “Two vehicles, maybe three, closing fast from the west. You’ve got less than five minutes.”

I was so happy we had Gideon and the team back.

Tag’s gaze locked on mine, intense and unflinching. “Decision time, Aponi. You tell me what I’m walking into—or we both find out the hard way.”

Outside, the low growl of engines was already bleeding into the morning air.