His eyes darted between Hena and the gun.
“I get it,” he said. “You’re pissed. You have every right to be. Like you said, I should have been honest with you from the start. I should’ve trusted you to handle it.”
The gun was impossibly heavy in her hands. Her head was foggy from whatever he had given her. But the adrenaline coursing through her veins kept her upright. Alert.
Haris stepped forward a fraction—slow, careful, his eyes locked on hers. “You don’t want to shoot me, Hena,” he said. “I know you don’t.”
He was right. She didn’t. She wasn’t sure she could physically pull the trigger.
Except this wasn’t just about her.
It was about Nasir. It was about everyone she cared about.
And Reza—the text message said he’d been neutralized.
Fury and grief merged and bubbled up inside her. Those words could only mean one thing.
She steadied her grip.
Haris saw the shift in her. His face darkened.
“My people will be here any minute,” he said. “You might be able to take me down, but you’re no match for what’s to come.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
She rested her finger against the trigger.
Breathe in. Breathe out.She braced herself.
A bang echoed in the cabin.
The door had burst open.
He hadn’t been bluffing. They were here. His people.
A heavy dread sank through her. It was over.
Then she looked toward the entrance.
She was seeing things. She had to be.
Because it wasn’t his people who stepped inside the cabin.
“Ammi?”
Her mother stood at the doorway, her breathing shallow. She clutched her sides as she took a halting step forward. Her eyes swept the room, landing on Haris, who stared at her, shell-shocked. Looking at Hena, her eyes drifted to the gun in her hand. Her mouth pressed tight. She turned to Haris.
“Thank you, Haris,” she said. “I heard you helped her escape tonight. I was certain you would take her to safety.”
His brow furrowed. She gave him a smile.
“Did you think I forgot about this place? I knew about it. I also knew it was important to you. That’s why I staked no claim to it, nor the money he kept tucked away here.” At his surprised expression, she nodded. “Ah, yes. I knew about that as well. It was a tidy sum, but considering all you did for us,you deserved it, didn’t you? I wanted you to have it. And look how life works. You’ve used this place exactly as I’d hoped—to protect my family.”
Hena’s heart raced. Ammi knew. She knew about this place. She knew about Haris. She thought he’d brought Hena here to protect her.
“Ammi, that’snotwhat happened. He—”
“It has been so many years.” She looked at Haris. “Time really does fly. Remind me what your role was? A fixer, yes?”