Henry clutched the manila folder tightly against his chest, the paper crinkling under his white-knuckled grip. The cold, damp air of the basement corridor bit through his jacket, but he barely felt it. His mind was spinning in a terrifying whirlwind of realization.Every single failed raid. Every leak that had tipped off the Syndicate. Every time a suspect slipped through their fingers at the last second. Every casual conversation over lukewarm coffee where he had innocently shared case details.It hadn't been an unknown hacker. It hadn't been a corrupt higher-up in City Hall.It was her.A heavy, suffocating weight settled in Henry's chest as he marched up the concrete stairwell toward the main precinct floor. His self-doubt vanished, replaced by a cold, deadly focus. The doubt that had crippled him earlier was gone. He didn't care about the Commander's explosive temper anymore. He didn't care about the political pressure from City Hall. He had a concrete, undeniable truth in his ha

The deafening roar of the Commander's pistol shattered the room.Henry dived violently to his left, his shoulder smashing hard into a heavy oak coat rack. The Commander's bullet missed his skull by an inch and went through the frosted glass door behind him.A second, suppressed gunshot coughed from Ashley's weapon. The round grazed the collar of Henry's leather jacket, burying itself deep into the wooden doorframe right where his head had been a second prior.Henry hit the floor hard, rolling through the broken glass, ignoring the sharp pain slicing into his arms. He kicked out with all his strength, slamming his boot against the side of Vance's heavy oak desk. The massive desk shifted a foot to the left, throwing Vance off balance and blocking Ashley's clear line of sight."GET HIM!" Vance screamed, recovering his balance and firing another wild shot into the ceiling as Henry scrambled to his feet. "OFFICER DOWN! HENRY IS THE MOLE! TAKE HIM DOWN! DEAD OR ALIVE!"Henry burst out of th

Instead, Valthera raised her hand and clapped her fingers twice.The heavy double doors swung open, and the Butcher stepped back into the room alongside a squad of Crimson gang mercenaries. They had heard the gunshot earlier and had fully expected to find Clara’s corpse on the floor, knowing Valthera’s brutal reputation. But seeing the girl still alive, they realized the ancient tyrant couldn't bring herself to finish the job."Take her away," Valthera ordered, turning her back on them and stepping back toward the dais. "Finish her off in the woods outside the city. I don't want her body buried on this soil. Traitors should be treated like outcasts.""Understood," the Butcher growled.Two heavy-set mercenaries stepped forward, grabbing Clara by her arms and violently hauling her up off the floor. Clara screamed out in agony as her shattered leg dragged across the stone, but she refused to bow her head.As they dragged her past her mother, Clara leaned her head back and spat blood dire

Sophia paused, a heavy breath escaping her lips. "Then, just hours ago, I saw the news broadcasts across the state networks. Your face was plastered on every screen, the city's most wanted criminal, targeted with shoot-on-sight orders. That was the moment I knew you were still alive. That was how I tracked your energy out to these woods."Clara felt a sharp, heavy heartbreak settle in her chest. All those years, Sophia had been searching for them, completely alone. But Clara had been dragged deep into the dark, hidden underbelly of the city, forced to cover her tracks, fake her identity, and live as a ghost among the Keepers just to survive.'If only I had known,' Clara thought bitterly, her mind racing. If only I had found her sooner, none of us would have suffered like this. Adrian wouldn't be in danger, and I wouldn't be a hunted animal."I have so many questions, Clara," Sophia urged softly, her grip on Clara's hands tightening slightly. "What on earth is happening? Why are you su

Two other armed mercenaries were violently kicking down locked bedroom doors down the hall, searching frantically for the hidden medical bunker."GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Clara’s furious voice roared through the ruined mansion.The mercenaries froze. The man holding the shotgun over Dr. Aldric slowly turned his head, his eyes widening in complete, utter shock as he saw Clara standing in the doorway, completely uninjured, flanked by Sophia and a group of strange, robed figures."What the hell...?" the lead mercenary stammered, dropping his grip on the doctor as his brain struggled to process the sight. "How... how are you alive?! You're supposed to be dead in a ditch miles outside the city! How the fuck did you get back here?!"Clara stepped forward, her eyes blazing with an icy, dangerous red glow. "That is absolutely none of your business. Leave this house right now... or I promise you, none of you will walk out of here alive."For a second, silence hung over the room. Then, the lead merc