CAMILA POV
The shots echo in my ears long after we've escaped the hangar. My legs feel numb, my chest tight, but Alex's hand never leaves mine. He drags me through the back exit, through the rain, through the pounding panic inside me.
We dive behind a rusted plane wing abandoned in the weeds. My heart is trying to claw out of my throat, but Alex presses a finger to his lips, a silent command to stay still, stay quiet.
His eyes burn in the darkness. Fierce. Focused.
Alive.
I should be terrified. I should be sobbing.
Instead, all I can think is:
I feel safe here.
Even in a war zone, with bullets chasing us , I feel safe in his arms.
He leans close, his breath warm against my ear. "We move on my mark. You stay behind me. Always."
I nod, but my fingers grip his jacket tighter. "Alex…"
I swallow the fear , and the truth. "I remembered something else."
He pauses. Just a second , but a second is enough to feel the shift.
"What did you remember?"
"My mother," I whisper. "She made me memorize something. Numbers. Names. Places. I thought… I thought they were nightmares."
His jaw tightens , a silent realization clicking into place.
"You're the evidence," he murmurs. "You are the one thing Solano can't erase."
A shout erupts behind us. Flashlights sweep the airfield.
Alex curses under his breath and pulls me up. We run again.
Every time my feet falter, he's there. Every breath I lose, he gives back. When the world tries to swallow me whole, he holds me above the water.
We reach the fence line , rows of barbed wire glinting in the stormy dawn. Alex cuts through it quickly with a tool from his belt.
He ushers me through the opening first.
I turn back just long enough to see muzzle flashes , and Alex firing back with terrifying precision. One by one, the lights drop. The yelling stops.
He climbs through after me and grabs my hand again.
"We're close," he says breathlessly. "I know someone who can unlock what's in your head."
Someone… trusted?
Someone… dangerous?
The way his voice hardens tells me even he isn't sure.
But he looks at me like I'm the only thing that matters.
"Alex…" I whisper, "what if remembering kills me?"
He stops. Rain beads down his jaw, his lashes, his lips.
"Then I'll catch you," he says. "Every. Single. Time."
And somehow, I believe him.
More than anything, I believe him.
ALEX POV
We shouldn't have made it out. But we did.
I should feel triumph.
Instead, all I feel is dread.
Dillon knows too much. Solano is closing in. And now Camila is remembering pieces of a puzzle I didn't even know existed.
The world wants what's inside her.
I want her.
That makes everything more dangerous.
We reach the truck hidden beneath the trees. I help her climb in, check the perimeter again , paranoid, but with reason. My hands shake with the need to touch her, to reassure myself she's still here, still breathing.
Still mine.
I slam the door and pull onto the highway again, tires cutting through pooled rainwater.
She stares out the window, hugging her knees. "Do you think Dillon was telling the truth?"
"I think he'll say anything if it keeps his heart beating a little longer."
I tighten my grip on the wheel.
"But yes."
She closes her eyes, pain flickering across her face. I reach over and brush my fingers against hers , a silent anchor.
Her hand slides into mine easily. Desperately. Like it belongs there.
The GPS reroutes as I input the next location , the last person in my contacts I should ever trust.
Miles roll by in tense silence , until a soft voice breaks it.
"What if I remember everything… and I'm not the girl you think I am?"
I look at her , at the fear she's trying so hard to hide.
"You think I care who you were?" My thumb strokes her knuckles. "I only care who you are right now."
She breathes out , shaky relief.
Lightning flashes , and she's framed in silver light. Rain, kissed cheeks. Wide green eyes. A strength growing inside her she hasn't recognized yet.
I have.
And if I have anything to do with it… the world will too.
"You're not a weapon," I say quietly. "You're the one thing Solano never expected."
"What's that?"
"Hope."
She blinks. And for the first time, I think she lets herself believe it.
But the GPS beeps sharply , arrival.
An abandoned hospital looms ahead , glass shattered, ivy climbing the walls, ghosts lingering in every cracked tile. She shivers as she stares at it.
"This is it?" she whispers.
"Yeah."
"Who are we meeting?"
A silhouette stands in the doorway , lean, confident, familiar.
He steps into the sickly light.
Camila grips my arm.
"Who is that?"
I keep my gun low, eyes locked on the figure.
"My partner," I say.
The one who taught me everything I know.
The one who could be friend , or enemy.
He smiles, cold and knowing.
"Miss me, Coulson?"
I step in front of Camila.
He laughs lightly, raising both hands in mock surrender.
"Relax. If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have said hello first."
Trust?
Danger?
Both.
I tilt my head slightly. "We need help."
He arches a brow at Camila. "I can see that."
Camila steps closer, fingers bunching in the back of my shirt , claiming me without even realizing it.
The bastard grins.
"Well, well. Looks like you finally broke protocol."
My voice is a growl. "Cut the shit."
His smile fades.
"Let's find out what she knows before Solano gets to her."
He gestures toward the darkened hallway.
"Time to wake the sleeping truth."
I look at Camila , and she nods.
Brave. Terrified. Mine.
We cross the threshold.
The door slams shut behind us.
And the real war begins..