“He would burn down cities for you now.”
My pulse stumbles violently.
Because—
God help me—he would.
Wu’s eyes sharpen slightly.
“And the worst part, Hannah?”
Clay goes completely still.
Wu smiles faintly.
“You would let him.”
The truth of that hits me so hard it physically hurts.
Because somewhere along the way—
without even realizing it—
Clay became home.
And that terrifies me almost as much as Sentinel does.
The tunnel lights suddenly flicker.
Once.
Twice.
Gabriel’s head snaps toward the darkness behind us.
“Movement.”
Russ immediately raises his weapon.
“Where?”
Then—
gunfire explodes from deeper inside the tunnel behind Sentinel.
Everybody jerks toward the sound.
The Sentinel operatives spin instantly into defensive formation.
Wu’s expression changes for the first time.
Concern.
Real concern.
A voice suddenly roars through the darkness behind them:
“GET DOWN!”
