The deep cells beneath the Caelis estate did not exist on any blueprint. They lay beneath the foundations of the old winery, carved directly into the damp bedrock where the air always tasted of salt and lime. There were no chandeliers here, no obsidian tables, only the dull, monotonous hum of the ventilation system struggling against the subterranean moisture.Evan sat on a low wooden stool outside the iron-barred cell, a single unshaded bulb hanging between him and the woman inside. His white shirt was still damp from the rain, the blood on his cuffs dried into a crusty, dark brown. In his lap rested the leather-bound shipping ledger Bruno had dropped.Seraphine was sitting on the stone floor, her back against the weeping wall. The cut on her cheek had stopped bleeding, leaving a jagged, dark line that split her pale skin. Despite the chains locking her ankles to the iron ring in the floor, she looked entirely at ease, as if she were merely waiting for a delayed train."You're wastin

The suppressed gunshots rattled down the narrow concrete corridor like cracked whips. Evan dropped low, using the fallen operator’s body as a temporary shield as high-velocity rounds chewed into the cinderblock behind him, spraying fine gray dust across his face and coat."Flank him!" the lead operator shouted, his voice ringing with the unmistakable authority of a seasoned paramilitary officer. "Hold your fire on the left arm—don't hit the ring!"Evan’s jaw tightened. They really think I’m just a mark with a piece of jewelry.He rolled to his right, coming up smoothly behind a rusted generator housing. His breathing remained eerily steady, his heart rate kept under rigid control by years of conditioning and the cold, hyper-focused clarity surging through his veins. The serpent ring pressed against his knuckle, its metallic scales humming against his flesh as his senses heightened. He could hear the scrape of combat boots on damp gravel, the sharp intake of breath from three men advan