Page 48 of Urban Justice
“We have an opportunity here. If we take ten down, it’s ten we no longer have to worry about. I’m going after them. You and Lance need to leave. I’ll be fine.”
Luke couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “This is a suicide mission and a fucking stupid move.”
Her head whipped back to him. And even if he couldn’t lock eyes with her, he knew the insult had hit, and he guessed it only fueled her determination.
“You don’t understand the opportunity here.”
“No, you’re just being stubborn. You’re not thinking of your safety, or your team’s.”
“Don’t give me the Marine speech about no man left behind.”
“That motto keeps us alive, Sloane. I want to keep you alive, dammit! Even against your better judgment, you hard-headed woman.”
“I don’t need anybody looking after me, professor. So you can shove the hero act.”
It was like being dealt a fatal blow and Luke took a step back. The woman who’d made him smile, intrigued him, made him care, had turned on him. Discovering her true nature was like being sucker punched and he took a step back. In the brief time they had spent together, she’d inserted herself under his skin and he realized he’d fallen for her way harder than he thought, and instead of elation and joy, all he felt was pain and a sense of betrayal from the woman he’d hoped for.
After their discussion earlier, this felt like the final nail that completely closed any possibility of getting through to her. Maybe he’d been the one at fault, hoping to change someone just because he had feelings for them. That had been wrong, and he should’ve seen it. As a part of him shattered, all he could focus on now was getting her to safety.
“If you don’t give a fuck about your life, then think about Lance, the others on your team, and your mission. They take precedence over your personal mission or your stubbornness.”
There was nothing else that could be said, and Luke turned on his heel and jogged away, praying with every cell in his body that he’d made the right call. His heart beat hard, blocking any chance of hearing if someone followed him or any threats nearby. It was pure luck to have found Sloane before running into the traffickers, and he was using his last reserve of patience and control. His only focus was reaching the exit and getting out of there. It was the only way to numb the unexpected fear and pain—push everything out of his mind to be processed and dealt with later.
Physically exhausted and mentally drained, Luke gulped the night air as soon as he exited the tunnels, allowing himself to breathe before contacting Lance to ask him to come and get him. A second later his body relaxed as he heard her. Sloane had followed him. She was safe. It was over.