Chapter 1100:
The man sprawled in the mud forced his eyes open through the rain and stared at the woman who had just discarded him without hesitation.
Kari met his eyes. A subtle curl formed at the edge of his lips—not from pain or thanks, but pure, unmistakable ridicule.
Her hand tightened into a fist. Guilt slammed into an unfamiliar burst of anger, twisting together inside her chest and leaving her breath tight.
The Eastern Isles commander gave Brad one last look—helpless now, broken and useless like a thrown-away rag. After a short assessment, he raised his hand, signaling his troops to clear a passage and point out an escape route. “Take that path and go. What happened here will remain between Miss Yates and me.”
Kari eventually knelt before Brad. As he shut his eyes like someone yielding to the inevitable, she spoke quietly. “You saved me. I’ll see that your woman is taken care of.”
Brad forced his eyes open. A rough, humorless breath slipped from him before he muttered hoarsely, “She’s fine without you. She’s got more courage and backbone than you ever will.”
He wanted no part of her hollow mercy. In that earlier moment, he had simply decided she’d reached her limit. Escape was unlikely. As a soldier, he followed instinct—accepting responsibility, protecting others, and stopping the damage where he could. That was all.
Kari rose abruptly, refusing to look at him again. Facing Corbin and the wounded guard, she said flatly, “We’re moving out.”
Corbin glanced down at Brad, who was barely clinging to life on the ground, then lifted his eyes to Kari’s unyielding back. His jaw clenched as hesitation and anger flickered through his gaze. After a long moment, he knelt beside Brad and whispered close to his ear, “Your woman is here.”
𝗗𝘰w𝘯𝘭o𝗮d 𝘗𝘋𝖥𝘴 frе𝗲 𝗼𝘯 𝗴𝘢𝗅𝘯ov𝗲𝗹𝘴.𝖼𝗈𝗺
Brad jerked his head toward him. The fog clouding his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a sharp, frightening clarity.
He grabbed Corbin by the arm. Surrounded by enemies, he couldn’t say a word. He could only lock onto Corbin with a look filled with shock and burning anger.
Corbin leaned closer, dropping his voice even further. “No. Kari didn’t bring her. They were split up. I don’t know if she’s alive.”
“Hurry up! Are you moving or not?” an Eastern Isles soldier snapped from nearby.
Corbin had more he wanted to say, but instead he spat blood onto the ground, swung his rifle onto his shoulder, and turned after Kari.
They were mercenaries, nothing more. When the employer discarded the objective, there was no reason to bleed for it.
After walking only a few steps away, Corbin looked back—and saw Brad, fueled by those words alone, dragging the fallen rifle toward himself, swaying violently as he forced his shattered leg to bear his weight.
A sharp shudder passed through Corbin. Admiration faded, leaving nothing but regret behind.
If he’d come with more backup, if he hadn’t wasted a second, maybe this man wouldn’t be dying here now.
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.
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