Page 65 of Peak’s Code

Peak turned toward her. “No.” She hadn’t said anything. He had read the decision on her face anyway.

“Captain is your president,” she said.

“And you’re not trading yourself,” Peak growled.

“He’ll die.”

“Not if we find him first,” Peak insisted.

“It’ll be a trap,” she said. “Even if they gave us a location, we’ll be walking into a trap.”

“I know,” Peak said.

“Then stop looking like you’re ready to walk into it.” Maeve stepped away from him. “This is exactly what I warned you about.”

“What?” he asked.

“People near me become leverage,” she said.

“Captain made his own choices,” Peak said, moving closer to her.

“He did, but Wren didn’t.” The words came out sharper than she intended. Pain flashed across Peak’s face before he hid it. Maeve hated herself for putting it there. “I didn’t mean⁠—”

“Yes, you did,” Peak said.

“No, what I meant was that Wren chose to help me investigate. She still paid for it.”

“And you think sacrificing yourself will undo that?” he asked.

“I think it might save Captain,” she said.

“And what happens to Wren once Mercer has you too?” he asked. Maeve went still, and Peak stepped closer, still. “If the Director gets you, Wren loses the only person still looking for her.”

“The club will keep looking for us,” Maeve insisted.

“Not like you’ve been looking for your sister,” Peak said.

“You will look for me.”

Peak’s jaw tightened. “Damn right I will. But don’t stand there and ask me to trade you for Captain like it won’t destroy me to do that.” The force of his words silenced her. Warden watched them without speaking. Maeve looked at Peak and saw the fear beneath his anger and the tension in his shoulders. She saw the way his hand remained half-raised as if he wanted to reach for her but wasn’t sure she would let him. This wasn’t about the club’s mission anymore—it hadn’t been for a while.

“You can’t care about me this much,” she whispered.

“Little late for that,” he said.

“We’ve known each other two days.”

“I’m aware,” he breathed.

“You don’t know what happens next,” Maeve said.

“Neither do you.”

“I could get you killed,” she said.

“So could riding a motorcycle.”

“That isn’t funny.”