Something cold settles into place inside my chest.
Not fear.
Not rage.
Focus.
Pure and sharp enough to cut.
“Move,” I say quietly.
And just like that—
We disappear into the dark.
26
Russ
The compound breathes beneath us.
Guards pacing.
Boots scraping concrete.
Low voices drifting through the dark.
I crouch along the broken roofline with Clay beside me while cold wind slides across the canyon.
Below us, lights cut weakly through cracked windows.
Somewhere inside—
Olivia.
My jaw tightens automatically.
Lucas’s voice crackles softly through comms. “Ground team in position.”
I keep my eyes on the courtyard below.
Two guards crossing paths near the south entrance.
Another smoking near the vehicles.
Patterns.
Timing.
Weak points.
“Copy,” I murmur.
Clay glances sideways at me. “You good?”
No.
“Move.”
