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Chapter Twenty
The desert wind howled around us, a gritty whisper of everything we’d left burning behind.
Liam didn’t slow until the smoke faded into the horizon. We crouched behind a ridge, hearts racing, the bunker’s distant ruin still flickering against the sky.
I exhaled shakily. “She’ll come after us harder now.”
“She always does,” Liam replied. “But this time, we hit back.”
Freya wiped sweat from her brow, her braid loose and streaked with ash. “The upload reached the Ark, but it’s only a matter of time before Scarlett tries to intercept or spin it.”
“She won’t get the chance,” Liam said. “Not if we move first.”
I turned to him. “To where? Another bunker? Another trap?”
He shook his head. “No. To the capital.”
I stared. “What?”
“We need to expose her publicly. Face to face. In her own stronghold.”
Freya crossed her arms. “That’s suicide.”
Liam’s eyes locked with mine. “Not if Isla leads the reveal.”
My throat tightened. “Me?”
“She’s the only one who can trigg
