The rain hammered New Avalon's streets, transforming the city into a glistening, brightly lit maze as we huddled in the van. Our hearts still pounded from the warehouse attack. My shoulder stung where a bullet had grazed me, but it was nothing compared to the unease in my stomach. Lena's discovery—someone had placed a tracker on our gear from the inside—meant the betrayer was among us. Her light brown eyes were fixed on her tablet, searching for the signal, her dark red hair wet and sticking to her face. Evie was in the back, her fair hair a mess, her usual playful smile replaced by a worried frown. Marcus was holding his handgun tightly, his knuckles white, his silence, fueled by his mental trauma, was heavier than ever. I was driving, my mind racing. Dorian's note, the betrayer, Crane's vault—it was all closing in, and we were about to enter a dangerous situation: Crane's skyscraper, the central hub of his seemingly impenetrable vault.
"Security map's ready," Lena said, her voice strained but controlled. "Sixtieth floor, mainframe access. Drones patrol the outside, guards on every floor, eye scans at the vault control room." She glanced at me, and there was a glimpse of something—belief, perhaps, or just desperation. The moment in the warehouse, her hand in mine, remained like a promise I couldn't fulfill.
"Plan's simple," I stated, my voice rough. "We climb the east side, avoid the drones, reach the mainframe. Lena, you install the tool to unlock the vault. Evie, you're on diversion—distract the guards, not Crane. Marcus, be the muscle." Evie nodded, but her eyes looked away, and I wondered if she was the mole. Marcus only grunted, his gaze distant, and I knew he was battling inner demons I couldn't see.
By midnight, we were at the base of Crane's skyscraper, a glass and steel structure piercing the sky. The rain was our shield, blurring the drones' sensors as we prepared our equipment—grappling hooks, climbing gear, Lena's tech pack. My heart raced, adrenaline surging as I clipped the rope to my harness. Lena was beside me, her breath visible in the cold, her fingers brushing mine as she checked my equipment. "Don't die up there, Jax," she whispered, her voice soft but intense. I wanted to kiss her, assure her I wasn't going anywhere, but the mission was calling.
"Keep me alive, Voss," I replied, flashing a grin that felt forced. She rolled her eyes, but her hand lingered on my arm, and it was enough to keep me focused. We began the climb, the glass slick under my gloves, the city stretching below like a bright sea. Marcus was a shadow above, his large frame steady despite the wind. Evie was below, her movements smooth, but I noticed her glancing at Lena, and the tension was thick enough to suffocate.
Lena's voice buzzed in my earpiece, guiding us past drone patterns. "Window access, fifty-eighth floor," she said. "Ten seconds to break in." I fired the grappling hook, the line pulling tight, and we swung through a shattered window, landing in a dark office. The air was sterile, humming with the sound of servers. My pulse quickened—this was it, the center of Crane's operation.
We moved quickly, Lena leading us to a service corridor. Her tablet was glowing, hacking cameras as we advanced, but Evie was too fast, slipping ahead to scout. "Guards, two hallways down," she whispered, her voice confident. "I got this." Before I could stop her, she was gone, her dark climbing gear blending with the shadows.
"Evie, damn it," I hissed, but Lena was already pulling me toward the mainframe room. Marcus covered our rear, his handgun drawn, his breathing uneven. We reached the door, a steel barrier with an eye scanner. Lena's fingers moved swiftly, connecting a bypass device, but her eyes kept darting to me, worry etched deep.
"You believe in me, right?" I asked, quietly, my hand touching her back. She gasped, and leaned into me, just for a moment, her warmth cutting through the cold.
"Always," she murmured, but there was a break in her voice, as if she was fighting her own doubts. The door clicked open, and we were inside—a room of flashing servers, the vault's control center. Lena was at the console, plugging in her device, her face lit by the screen's glow. My chest tightened—she was incredibly skilled.
Then everything went wrong. An alarm blared, red lights flashing. Evie. I knew her recklessness would hurt us. "Guards!" Marcus shouted, his voice raw as he braced the door. Gunfire erupted in the hallway, and I heard Evie's laugh—wild, unhinged—over the comms. She had drawn the guards, but too many, and they were closing in.
"Lena, how much longer?" I demanded, my gun out, my back to her as I guarded the door. Marcus was firing through a crack, his shots accurate but desperate.
"Thirty seconds!" she yelled, her fingers a blur. A drone crashed through a vent, its laser slicing the air, and I dove, tackling Lena to the floor. Her body was warm beneath mine, her eyes wide, and for a split second, I was lost in her—her breath, her fear, her strength. "Jax," she whispered, and it was a lifeline.
"Stay down," I said, rolling off and firing at the drone. It sparked, crashing, but more were coming, their whir filling the room. Marcus roared, slamming the door shut, but a bullet hit his shoulder, blood spraying. "Marcus!" I shouted, dragging him behind a server rack.
"Finish it!" he growled, his face pale, his PTSD making his hands shake but not his aim. Lena was back at the console, her bypass device humming as it unlocked the vault. I was firing, covering her, when Evie's voice crackled through.
"Got a problem!" she said, breathless. "Guards trapped me—east stairwell!" Her tone was too casual, as if she was enjoying the chaos, and Lena's curse showed she had enough of Evie's irresponsibility.
"Go!" Lena snapped, not looking up. I hesitated, my heart torn between her and the team. But Marcus was bleeding, and Evie had screwed us again. I sprinted for the stairwell, my boots pounding, gunfire echoing. I found Evie pinned behind a pillar, her knife flashing as she held off two guards. I took one down with a shot, but the other was on me, his fist slamming into my ribs. Pain exploded, but I twisted, breaking his arm with a crack.
"Move!" I yelled, grabbing Evie. We were back in the mainframe room when the floor shook, a deafening boom rocking the building. Smoke poured in, the air acrid, and Lena's scream cut through. "Bomb!" she yelled, her tablet sparking. The door was blocked, fire licking the walls, and Marcus was trapped near the console, his face grim as he held his wound.
"Jax, go!" he shouted, but I wasn't leaving him. Lena's eyes met mine, panic and trust clashing, and I knew we weren't getting out without a fight. The traitor's plan had just ignited the fuse, and we were all caught in the explosion.