POV: Emily
The morning light filtered through the cracks in the cabin's wooden walls, bathing the room in a soft glow. I lay there, tangled in the sheets, Jake's arm wrapped protectively around me. The events of the previous night were a blur raw emotions, heated passion, and a desperate need for each other in the face of everything that had happened.
But as the warmth of his body soothed me, the reality of the situation came crashing back.
Carter had betrayed us.
The memory of it left a sour taste in my mouth. He had stood there, gun drawn, ready to hand us over to Marcus. The man who had once been Jake's closest ally, someone I had thought we could trust... had turned on us without hesitation.
I felt Jake stir beside me, his breath warm against my neck. For a moment, I allowed myself to stay there, wrapped in the comfort of his presence, but the weight of the betrayal pressed too heavily on my chest. I couldn't ignore it. Not now.
I gently pulled myself out of Jake's arms, slipping out of bed and reaching for my clothes. The cool air bit at my skin as I dressed, and the thoughts that had been swirling in my mind since Carter's betrayal finally settled into one harsh truth: we were alone in this now.
No more allies. No more trust.
"Emily?" Jake's voice was groggy as he propped himself up on his elbows, his eyes still heavy with sleep. "What's wrong?"
I hesitated for a moment, glancing over at him. His hair was tousled, his face softer in the early morning light. But the man I had fallen for was still carrying the weight of his world on his shoulders, just like I was.
"We need to talk," I said quietly, pulling my shirt over my head and turning to face him fully. "About Carter."
Jake's expression darkened at the mention of his name. He sat up, running a hand through his hair, his muscles tense. "Yeah," he muttered, the anger simmering just beneath the surface. "We do."
I crossed the room, sitting on the edge of the bed, close to him but not quite touching. I needed to keep a clear head for this conversation. "How long do you think he was working with Marcus?" I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.
Jake exhaled sharply, his jaw clenched. "I don't know. Could have been months... could have been years. Carter knew everything. He was with me from the start."
The bitterness in his voice was unmistakable. This wasn't just about a betrayal. It was personal. Carter had been Jake's confidant, his right hand man, and now... he was the enemy.
"We can't trust him anymore," I said, my voice firmer now. "Whatever he knows, Marcus knows. We're vulnerable, Jake."
"I know," he replied, his voice low. "But it's more than that. Carter knows how I operate. He knows my strategies, my weaknesses. He's not just a threat, Emily. He's a liability."
I felt a cold chill run down my spine. Everything we had done,every move we'd made was compromised. Marcus had more than just money and power on his side now. He had someone who knew us inside and out, someone who could predict our every move.
"We have to rethink everything," I said, my mind racing. "We can't rely on any of the plans we made before. Carter will have already told Marcus everything."
Jake nodded, but his expression was distant, his thoughts clearly somewhere else. He was struggling with this more than I was, and I couldn't blame him. This was his battle as much as mine, but Carter's betrayal cut deeper for him.
"Jake," I said softly, reaching out to take his hand. "We'll figure this out. But we have to move fast."
His eyes flicked to mine, the intensity in them undeniable. "You're right. We can't waste any more time."
A New Plan
By the time we had pulled ourselves together and started making plans, the sun was already high in the sky. Jake paced the length of the small living room, his mind working a mile a minute as we brainstormed our next move.
"We need to go on the offensive," Jake said, his tone sharp, decisive. "Waiting for Marcus to make his next move isn't an option. Carter's betrayal means they're one step ahead, and we can't afford to let them stay there."
I nodded, though the anxiety gnawed at my stomach. "What do you have in mind?"
Jake stopped pacing, turning to face me. "Marcus is always one step ahead because he controls the board. But if we can disrupt his supply lines,his financial network we can force him into a corner. Make him vulnerable."
I frowned. "We tried that before. We hit his accounts, and it worked... for a while. But he came back stronger."
Jake's eyes narrowed. "We didn't go far enough last time. This time, we're not just targeting his money. We're taking down the infrastructure that supports it."
I blinked, unsure of what he meant. "His infrastructure?"
Jake walked over to the table, pulling out a map of the city. He pointed to several key locations, each one marked with red circles. "These are Marcus's warehouses. He uses them to move assets, money, information everything that keeps his empire running. If we can take them out, hit them all at once, we can cripple his operation."
It was a bold plan, risky. But it made sense. If we could hit Marcus where it hurt, not just financially but operationally, we could level the playing field. For the first time since Carter's betrayal, I felt a flicker of hope.
"We'll need help," I said, scanning the map. "And we can't rely on anyone from the inside. Not after what happened with Carter."
Jake's expression hardened. "We don't need them. I've got contacts people who owe me favors. They're not connected to Carter or Marcus, and they'll stay loyal if the price is right."
I raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"
"As sure as I can be," Jake replied, his voice grim. "Right now, it's our best shot."
Cutting Ties
We spent the next hour finalizing the details of the plan. Jake made a series of discreet phone calls, arranging for the help we would need to pull off the coordinated attack on Marcus's warehouses. As the pieces fell into place, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were racing against time. Marcus wasn't going to sit back and let us regroup. He would be coming for us, and soon.
"We'll need to move quickly," Jake said, hanging up the phone after his last call. "Once Marcus catches wind of this, it'll be a race to see who hits first."
I nodded, my stomach tight with anticipation. "How soon can we get started?"
"Tomorrow night," Jake replied. "That's when we'll have everything in place."
I stood up, crossing the room to stand beside him. "Then we don't have much time."
He turned to face me, his expression serious, but there was something else in his eyes something darker, more vulnerable. "Emily... I know this isn't what we expected. And I know Carter's betrayal hit hard. But we can't let that stop us."
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. "We won't. We're in this together."
Jake's hand found mine, squeezing it gently. "Together."
Trusting Ourselves
The hours passed slowly as we prepared for the next phase of our plan. I could feel the weight of everything hanging over us, Carter's betrayal, Marcus's looming threat,but for the first time I felt like we had a real chance. We weren't just reacting anymore. We were taking control.
That night, as we lay in bed, Jake's arm wrapped around me, I couldn't help but wonder what the next day would bring. We were walking into dangerous territory, and I knew there was a chance that things wouldn't go the way we planned.
But as Jake held me close, his breath steady and warm against my skin, I knew one thing for certain: no matter what happened, we were stronger together.
We had lost our trust in Carter... but we still had each other.