The ship groaned.
Steel screamed somewhere deep below the deck.
Rain hammered the cargo vessel while red emergency lights flashed through the darkness.
And somewhere beneath them—
A little girl was still crying.
The sound echoed through the ship speakers.
Small.
Scared.
Human.
It cut through every argument, every secret, every billion-dollar conspiracy.
Clara was still trapped.
And time was running out.
⸻
Allison's heart jumped when the ship shuddered violently beneath her feet.
Lucian immediately caught her elbow.
Steadying her.
Protecting her.
The gesture was automatic now.
Instinct.
And somehow that scared Allison more than the gunfire had.
Because people didn't accidentally become important.
It happened slowly.
Then all at once.
Lucian's hand lingered for a second before he let go.
Neither commented on it.
Neither trusted themselves enough to.
Theo noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
Theo noticed everything.
"You're doing the hand thing again."
