Hardline Torque by Maia Dylan

Survival taught him to run. Love demands he stay.
Victor Dane was trained to be a weapon—and discarded the moment he refused to keep pulling the trigger. Now injured, hunted, and alone, he’s dismantling the shadowy Directorate piece by piece, fully prepared to die doing it.

What he doesn’t plan on is Black Tide.
Tane Ikaika and his team don’t see Victor as expendable. They see a man who’s been used, broken, and left behind—and they refuse to let him fight alone. But trust doesn’t come easy to someone who’s survived by walking away first, and Victor knows exactly how dangerous attachment can be.

As stolen weapons move through Hawaii’s ports and the Directorate closes in, Victor is forced to choose between the only life he’s ever known and something terrifyingly new: loyalty, belonging, and a man who won’t let him disappear.

When the past comes calling and the war turns personal, Victor must decide—run, or finally stay and fight for more than survival.