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Kat leaned against the railing of the fishing boat, wind snapping through her short hair. The moon broke through the clouds, bathing the boat in quicksilver—then vanished behind a racing front.

This wasn’t just about clearing her name.

The operative.

The woman who’d bled for her country and been betrayed, anyway.

Salt spray stung her skin as the vessel plunged through the choppy water, each wave thudding through the deck beneath her boots.

In the wheelhouse above, Navarro stood silent at the helm. Only the tight flick of his gaze toward the horizon betrayed concern.

“Storm coming.” His accented English carried over the engine’s growl. “Bad one. We finish business quick, yes?”

Kat gave him a thumbs-up. Brock had found Navarro through channels best left unnamed. The man hadn’t blinked at the heavily armed group or their interest in the supposedly abandoned cliffs. A fat envelope of cash had secured both his boat and his silence.

Below deck, the team prepped, checking gear and loading magazines. Gage was with them, but Kat had stayed topside, letting the icy wind cut through her jacket as the cliffs loomed closer.

The weight of her Glock on her hip was a comfort. The bruise on her jaw had faded to a dull yellow, but the memory of Jane’s apartment—the copper smell of blood, the stillness—was sharp as ever. She should have been there sooner.

Another wave slammed the bow, sending icy spray over the railing. Cold water soaked her skin, but Kat didn’t flinch.

The cold kept her sharp. Better than adrenaline. Or fear.

Footsteps creaked behind her. The tread was familiar.

Leonid.

He came and stood beside her, shoulder almost brushing hers. For a moment, they watched in silence as the cliffs emerged—darker than the night itself, jagged and waiting.

“The Arken Institute’s hidden lab. Built into the cliff face. Sea on one side. Sheer rock on the other.”

“Perfect place for a last stand,” Kat replied, her eyes still fixed on the horizon.

“Or a trap.”

Something in his tone made her turn. Moonlight carved shadows across his face, catching the scar near his eye.

“Second thoughts?” She tucked her arm through his.

“About the mission? No.” He glanced down at her. “About you being here...”

The quiet worry in his voice cut deeper than she expected. But she couldn’t let it in.

Kat stiffened. “Don’t.”

“I’m not giving you orders. I’m asking.” His voice stayed level. “Stay on the boat. Let Navarro run extraction if it goes sideways.”

“You know I can’t do that.” The words came out razor sharp.

“We’re going in blind, Kat. Korolov’s turf. Unknown headcount. Eldridge might be on site, and if that’s true—” His hand gripped the railing, knuckles white.

“Then I need to be there.” She turned fully toward him. “You haven’t forgotten who I am, have you? MI6 trained. Senior field op. This is my job.”

He pushed loose hair that had escaped her hat behind her ear with tender care. “I know exactly who you are.”

“Then don’t ask me to play the damsel. I won’t knit socks while you charge the gates.” She softened her voice. “This isn’t about you protecting me. It’s about finishing what they tried to bury.”

Leo scrubbed a hand across his jaw. “I’ve lost people before, Kat.”

“I’m not yours to lose.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she wanted to take them back. They weren’t fair—not to him, not to everything they’d survived together. But vulnerability was still a foreign tongue, and she hadn’t mastered the language.

Something behind his eyes darkened and closed. “No,” he said at last. “You’re not.”

Her fingers brushed the edge of his vest. “That’s not what I meant.”

Her palm flattened against his chest, feeling the steady thud of his heart as she slid it under the layer of Kevlar. “I meant I belong to myself. I make my own calls. And I choose to be here, doing this, with you .”

The tension in his shoulders eased fractionally. “Stubborn woman.”

“You wouldn’t want me soft.”

His mouth curved. “No, I wouldn’t.”

The words had come easy—but the truth beneath them surged, hot and sharp.

God, she loved him.

Had for years. Before she’d had the nerve to name it.

“I get it.” Her voice was steadier than the storm in her chest. “Why you’re worried. I do. But I need to see this through. For Jane. For Gage. For me.”

His hand covered hers, warm and strong. “I know.”

She rose on her toes and kissed him. A kiss that held promises she wasn’t ready to say out loud.

His arm came around her waist, pulling her into him. The kiss deepened, her fingers sliding into the collar of his jacket, finding the soft brush of hair at his nape.

And there it was—heat blooming in her chest, melting through the cold like sunrise.

When they broke apart, breathless, a wolf whistle cut through the dark.

“About bloody time!” Fox’s voice called from the cabin doorway. “Zak, pay up. Fifty quid like I said.”

Kat turned, brows raised. “You’ve been betting on us?”

Fox grinned like a fool. Zak shook his head with a small smile.

“For, oh, nine years and change,” Fox said breezily. “You broke him in Oslo. We’ve been mopping up ever since.”

Leo’s arm tightened at her waist. “Fox, if you enjoy chewing solid food…”

“What? She deserves the full tragic history. Every time you called, he’d pace like a damn tiger. Poor bastard’s absolutely hopeless.”

“I can still fire you,” Leo growled, but there was no heat in his voice.

The cabin door banged open. Griff emerged, face grim. “Ten minutes to approach, boss.”

The moment snapped back to mission-mode. Leo’s posture firmed, the commander replacing the man. “Gear up. Final checks. We go dark in five.”

The team melted back into the cabin, leaving them alone again.

Kat touched his arm. “For what it’s worth,” she said quietly, “I’ve been just as hopeless.”

He cupped her face, thumb tracing the curve of her cheek. “We’ll finish this. Together. And then...”

“And then,” she agreed, covering his hand with hers.

Navarro throttled down the engine. His voice carried from the wheelhouse.

“Current stronger tonight. Cannot get closer.” He pointed to the cliffs. “Rocks too dangerous.”

Leo nodded. “Then we go in from here.”