"Told you it was a setup," he growled.Nolan's voice came through gritted teeth. "Not by me. They've been monitoring my comms."A grenade clattered at our feet.Jeff grabbed me and lunged as it exploded, shielding me with his body. The impact rattled my teeth, leaving my ears ringing. When the smoke cleared, Jeff was bleeding from a shrapnel wound in his thigh."Jeff!""I'm good." He grimaced as he stood. "Go! I'll cover you."I hesitated for only a second before nodding. Nolan appeared at my side as we sprinted for the stairwell."You shouldn't trust him," Nolan said between breaths."And I should trust you?"He didn't answer.The sublevel was a nightmare of glass tanks and surgical equipment. And there, in the center - a woman floated in amber liquid, her features achingly familiar.Me. But different. Younger. Her skin traced with luminous veins.A scientist cowered behind a console. "P-please, you don't understand what you're interrupting!"I shot him in the kneecap. "Enlighten me.
The safehouse in Dubai smelled like salt and gunpowder. The ceiling fan wobbled overhead, casting uneven shadows across the maps and intel spread over the rickety table. Jeff leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching me with those piercing blue eyes that always saw too much.I rubbed my temples, trying to ignore the headache building behind my eyes. Three days since Berlin. Three days since we burned the last of the clones. Three days since Iâd slept more than an hour at a time."You need to rest," Jeff said, his voice rough."I need to finish this." My fingers tightened around the dossier in my handsâthe last known locations of Consortium operatives still loyal to Julianâs legacy.Jeff pushed off the wall and crossed the room in three strides. He took the dossier from me, his fingers brushing mine. "Youâre no good to anyone dead on your feet."I glared up at him. "I donât need a babysitter."His jaw clenched. "No, you need someone to remind you that youâre human."The words hit
The safehouse in Malta smelled like salt and antiseptic. Jeffâs wound had reopened during extraction, staining the bandages a dark, ugly red. He lay on the narrow bed, jaw clenched against the pain as I pressed fresh gauze to his side."Stop fussing," he muttered, but his hand found mine, fingers threading through my bloodstained ones."You idiot," I whispered. "You should have stayed in Tunis."His thumb brushed my knuckles. "And miss all the fun?"I didnât laugh. Couldnât. Not when the drive in my pocket felt like a live grenade. Not when every time I closed my eyes, I saw my fatherâs skull shatter.Jeffâs grip tightened. "Demi."I shook my head, focusing on rewrapping his bandages. If I spoke now, Iâd shatter.He didnât let me pull away. With a pained grunt, he sat up, ignoring my protest, and cupped my face. His palm was warm, rough with calluses."Look at me."I did.His blue eyes were steady, the way they always were in the middle of a storm. "Weâll burn it all down. Every last
The clone's scream echoed off concrete walls as strobe lights erupted through the darkness.I dropped into a combat crouch, rifle sweeping the blacknessâuntil a boot connected with my ribs. The impact sent me skidding across the interrogation room floor. My NVGs shattered against the wall.Naz's voice cut through the chaos: "Ambush! They knew weâ"Gunfire drowned her out.The cloneâthe other meâthrashed against her restraints. "They're coming!" Blood dripped from her split lip. "The real trap is in sublevel five!"I lunged for her restraints. "Who are you?"Her fingers locked around my wrist with terrifying strength. "I'm what happens when you fail."The door exploded inward.White smoke. Strobing muzzle flashes.I rolled left as bullets chewed through the chair where I'd just been standing. The clone took two rounds to the chest before her restraints snapped. She collapsed like a marionette with cut strings.Naz dragged me behind an overturned exam table. "We need to move!"I grabbed
The crunch of gravel behind me sent my finger to the trigger before my brain caught up. I whirled, pistol raisedâ"Easy, Perez." Naz stepped into the moonlight, hands raised. Blood streaked her tactical vest. "Aisha's contained. Jeff's secure at a blacksite clinic."I didn't lower the gun. "You followed me.""You left a blood trail even a rookie could track." Her eyes flicked to Julian's body, then back to me. "We need to move. That video wasâ""A trap. Obviously." My voice sounded hollow. The phone weighed like a brick in my other hand. "How long have you known?"Naz hesitated a second too long.The shot grazed her shoulder before she could answer. She staggered into a column with a curse. "What the fuck, Demi!""You knew my father was alive." I advanced, gun steady despite the tremor in my breath. "All this time. While we hunted Julian. While Jeff bled out. You knew."Pain twisted her featuresânot just from the wound. "I found out three days ago. The same files that exposed Julian's
Blood. Too much blood.Jeffâs weight sagged against me as we crashed through the lemon groves, his breath coming in ragged bursts against my neck. The coppery scent filled my nostrils, mixing with the salt air from the cliffs below."Almost there," I lied, adjusting my grip around his waist. His tuxedo jacket was soaked through, the fabric sticky against my palm.He coughedâa wet, guttural sound that made my stomach clench. "Should've... taken the shot...""Donât you fucking dare." My voice cracked. Ahead, a crumbling stone shed emerged from the darknessâNazâs rendezvous point.The door burst open before we reached it. Naz stood silhouetted against the glow of a dozen screens, her usually immaculate braids falling loose around her face. "Jesus Christâ""Pressure. Now." I lowered Jeff onto the makeshift med cot, my hands trembling as I ripped his shirt open. The bullet had torn through his left side, just below the vest line. Dark blood pulsed with each shallow breath.Naz slapped a tr