Page 85 of Peak’s Code

"The IRS?"

Wren shrugged. "They scare me, so no.” Peak laughed loudly enough that even Warden looked over from the hallway. Maeve hadn't heard him laugh like that before. It made her smile even wider.

Director's voice thundered through the speakers. "Kill them!" Instantly, red emergency lights began flashing. The blast doors behind them unlocked, and mercenaries poured into the hallway as gunfire erupted around them. Warden's shotgun answered immediately. The booming blasts echoed through the underground complex.

Peak drew his pistol. "Maeve,” he shouted. She looked at him. "How long until the download is complete?"

Wren answered first. "Three minutes until every file leaves this building."

Peak nodded. "Can you destroy the servers after?" he asked.

Wren smiled. "Oh, I've been waiting eighteen months to do that." She typed furiously, and the screens changed again. Instead of financial records, a countdown appeared. SERVER PURGE INITIATED flashed across the screen.

Peak's eyebrows shot up. "You built a dead man's switch."

Wren looked offended. "Of course I did."

Maeve laughed. "You really are my sister."

"I know." Another explosion shook the facility, and dust rained from the ceiling.

Warden shouted from the hallway. "We've got company!"

Peak moved toward the door, and Maeve caught his arm. "Be careful."

He looked down at her hand around his wrist and then back at her. "I plan on it, honey,” he said.

Maeve smiled softly. "Good."

Peak leaned down just enough to kiss her forehead, and then he looked at Wren. "Take care of your sister."

Wren grinned. "I was about to tell you that I’d take care of Maeve.”

Peak laughed. "I guess that means we're on the same team."

"That’s not even a question. We always were on the same team, Peak,” Wren said. He nodded and then disappeared into the gunfire.

Maeve turned back and looked at the countdown on the computer screen. 126, 125, 124. Wren's hands never stopped moving. "What are you doing now?"

"Making sure nothing survives,” Wren said.

"The files are already copied,” Maeve reminded.

"I know." She looked up. "But if these servers stay intact, they'll rebuild." Maeve understood. This wasn't about revenge. It was about ending things completely. Wren wouldn’t leave behind any backups, hidden accounts, or secret identities. No more women would disappear because someone rich enough believed people could be bought and sold.

Wren pressed one final key, and the countdown accelerated.

FACILITY SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE CONFIRMED

Maeve's eyes widened. "You blew up the building?"

Wren looked surprisingly innocent. "I might've repurposed the emergency fire suppression system."

"What does that mean?" Maeve asked.

"It means—” A deep rumble rolled beneath their feet. "We should probably leave." Maeve laughed. For the first time in eighteen months, it wasn't from relief or hysteria. It was because her little sister—the brilliant, stubborn pain in the ass she'd spent a year and a half searching for—had just declared war on one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the country. And she was winning.

The first server went dark, followed by another, and another. The steady hum surrounding Maeve changed as entire rows of machines began shutting down. Wren stared at the monitors. “Come on. We have to go.”