Married to the enemies son

lastering her hair to her skin, but neither she nor Jace moved to go back. Som

d it over her without a word. She didn't protest. Her fin

s no way to get the drive remotely. It's hard-coded into the vault

gether," she

thing's wrong. He monitors travel patterns. I've been avoid

ivate plane under a proxy company. You said

face, tired and sharp. "Didn't think

eplied. "Especially when

sked if she'd always been this relentless. But not now

d of him anymore,

. "But I'm more afra

he first time. "You re

speak of family-not i

he'd become just another pawn. Victor hated that. Sent people after him. Claimed

he a

's in hiding. If this goes south,

er. "If this goes south, we'll both ha

or's empire t

o hesitation. No

house loomed ahead, lights glowing faintly through the mist. The storm blurred the

re done

e done s

me to tak

eth

dn't sleep

the scent of him lingering faintly-clean soap, leather, rain. Her mind replayed every

dn't matt

cost her too

r phone, crafting the first leg of their travel route. Jace had sent over the codes they'd need-secure airfields

nged. She sat across from Victor's wife, who picked at her grapefrui

t back. That

avy shirt with a casual looseness that didn't match the tightness in his jaw. He greeted his stepm

atching, it

it was s

his stepmother aske

drive down to the coas

up from her cup. "I've go

mple, boring. The kind th

away from staff and cameras. Jace handed her

to dis

to the city. They took the back road behind the estate,

. She wasn't afraid of flying, but she knew the altitude made people think-mad

night again. Cold, crisp, with snow

ay to the private bank, an obsidian building tucked between old sto

hree layers of biometric scans an

phrase," the gu

aned in and whispered to th

oor o

ld. Lit by strips of ligh

is palm against it. There was a hiss, and it sl

verything,

ulse thudding in her ea

ded it

that, the ba

r had

vier than it should've. Not physically-it was light

eillance footage. Paper trails leading to illegal

ari's empir

peak. Neither of them did as they walked out of the vault

hem like a wall, but it

uietly running. Jace held the door for her, and she slipped inside, fingers curled ti

We need to make sur

pulling into t

passed them in a blur-snow-covered shops, glowing windows

ke. "We're not going

said, eyes stil

orence. Quiet. Secure. Frie

him then. "Y

He got me out

oice low. "We're going to rel

r despite everything. "Not all at once. If we dump it now, he'

n wh

ement, certain journalists, international bodies. Piece by piece. Enoug

ned. "It'll pain

lread

e. Her thoughts drifted to her father, to the promises she mad

all three w

f it would

lower. "You can still back ou

ssed the point of no return the mome

o say something more. Maybe about how much this

ad, he ju

ned. The world outside felt muted, distant. But inside, in the low

just surviv

e striki

e safe house ju

itself was modest-stone walls, iron fixtures, shutters worn by time-but inside, it was fortified with quiet precision. Rein

lder, graying at the temples,

eeted him with a

Rossi said, glancin

lway

, just sharp. Measuring. Then he gave a

e stayed close, his hand resting lightly at her lower back-not possessive, just

were two bedrooms, a small study, a pantry stocked for w

dy locked behind them. She pulled the drive fro

ers tense, eyes locked on the ti

it," she

d. "Firs

embling just enough to notice. She ste

father's funeral. Contracts signed in secret. Footage of meetings that sho

sharp precision. "We start with the arms deals. Expo

Cold. But she saw the flicker in his

carry all of it,"

ck to the one person who h

lly looked-and for a mome

sks. All t

covered his hand with hers. He

e," she said

You were never the o

while. Not planning. No

xt room. Snow still fell be

e, a storm was quietly building-