The vault door shook under the weight of boot after boot. The hinges screamed like something alive. Liam jammed an iron pipe into the locking mechanism. Milo crouched by the control console, chewing on the end of a wire like it might help him think faster.
"You said this door would hold," Ava hissed.
Milo made a helpless gesture. "I also said once that pineapple belongs on pizza. I say a lot of things."
Liam didn't smile. His jaw was tight, eyes sharp. "We need to move. Now."
On the other side of the city, the Lang penthouse glowed like a lighthouse for sinners.
Mara stood in front of the wall of windows, silk robe barely tied. Rafe entered shirtless, whiskey glass still in hand. The city lights wrapped around them like a crown and a warning.
"They want to buy us," she said softly.
He tilted his head. "Maybe it's time we let ourselves be expensive."
"Or maybe," Mara whispered, stepping close, "it's time we remind them who built this city."
Rafe's laugh was low and dangerous. "Then remind me first."
Mara pushed the glass from his hand, shattering it on the floor. The shards glinted like diamonds under the city lights, but neither of them flinched. Her mouth crashed against his with a hunger that bordered on violence, teeth nipping at his lower lip hard enough to draw blood. He tasted like whiskey and something darker, something that made her pulse quicken.
Her hands yanked at his belt, fingers desperate to undo the buttons of his slacks. When they finally gave way, she reached inside, wrapping her fingers around his hardening cock. He hissed against her mouth, hips thrusting forward as she stroked him roughly. His cock grew hot and heavy in her palm, already leaking precum that she used to slick her movements.
With a growl, Rafe spun them around, pressing Mara against the window. The glass was cold against her bare skin, a stark contrast to the heat of his body. He lifted her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around his waist as he ground his hips against hers. The friction made her whimper, her silk panties soaked through from the contact.
"You're already so fucking wet for me," Rafe growled, nipping at her throat. His fingers found the edge of her panties, tearing them away with a single rough yank. Mara gasped at the sudden exposure, feeling the cool air brush against her slick folds.
"Please," she breathed, rolling her hips against him. "Fuck me, Rafe."
He didn't make her wait. Gripping her ass with one hand, he used the other to guide his cock to her pussy. He pushed in slowly, watching her face as she stretched around him. Mara's head fell back against the window, a low moan escaping her lips as he filled her inch by inch.
When he was fully sheathed inside her, Rafe stilled, savoring her tight heat. Mara writhed against him, nails digging into his shoulders as she tried to urge him on. But Rafe held her there, trapped between his body and the glass as he nibbled at her ear.
"Beg for it," he whispered, voice dark with command.
Mara's breath hitched. "Please, Rafe. Please fuck me. I need it. I need you."
The words barely left her lips before Rafe withdrew almost completely, then slammed back into her with enough force to make her cry out. He set a brutal pace, pounding into her with relentless strokes that made the window rattle behind them. Mara's legs tightened around him, meeting each thrust with a desperate grind of her hips.
She could feel him hitting the sensitive spot deep inside her, each impact sending sparks of pleasure along her nerves. Her clit rubbed against the base of his cock with each movement, the friction building her closer to the edge.
Rafe's mouth found hers again, swallowing her moans as he fucked her harder. His teeth found her shoulder, biting down as she clenched around him. Mara's nails raked down his back, leaving red lines in their wake as she clung to him, lost in the storm of their bodies.
Her orgasm hit her like a thunderbolt, white-hot and all-consuming. She arched against him, crying out his name as her pussy pulsed around his cock. Rafe groaned, hips stuttering as he felt her come apart.
"Fuck, Mara," he growled, speeding up his pace. "You're milking my cock so good."
The sound of her name on his lips, combined with the filthy praise, sent another wave of pleasure crashing through her. She was barely coming down from her high when Rafe's movements became erratic, his breath coming in harsh pants against her neck.
With a guttural curse, he buried himself deep inside her, spilling his hot release. Mara felt his cock throbbing within her, each pulse sending tiny shocks of pleasure through her overstimulated nerves. They stayed like that, breath mingling, hearts racing, as the city lights twinkled around them like silent witnesses to their passion.
When Rafe finally pulled out, Mara's legs trembled, barely able to support her weight. He held her close, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, a stark contrast to the roughness that had come before.
"Never let them forget," Rafe whispered, voice low and dangerous.
Mara's laugh was breathless, still riding the high of their shared pleasure. "They'll remember. Every single one of them will know who owns this city."
And in that moment, as they stood there with the proof of their passion cooling on their skin, they both knew it was more than a promise. It was a vow written in sweat, blood, and the skyline that bore their names.
When they finally stilled, the city hummed around them. No promises. No lies. Just the pact they'd made long ago: us before everyone else.
Back beneath Verrin, the first metal bar on the vault door snapped.
Milo yelped. "Okay! Bad news: they're coming in."
Liam pulled Ava toward the control room, the emergency lights painting their faces in red streaks. Outside, Revenant's boots were getting closer.
"You're bleeding again," she said, brushing a line of blood off his shoulder.
He caught her hand. "Don't."
She stared at him. "Liam."
Something in the way he looked at her cracked the wall she'd built around herself since this began. They'd already crossed too many lines, but this time, there was no hesitation left between them.
They didn't speak after. They didn't need to. His forehead rested against hers as the last bolt on the vault door gave a warning groan.
Milo's voice shattered the moment. "Hey, lovers, in case you missed the soundtrack, our death scene is loading!"
Liam snapped up, adrenaline slamming back into place. "Move."
The vault door finally cracked open. Revenant operatives flooded in with guns and flashlights. Liam grabbed Ava's hand. Milo followed, half panicking, half laughing like a man who couldn't believe this was his life.
They ran through the side corridor toward an old service tunnel. The red siren lights strobed through the dust like broken lightning.
Behind them, a voice echoed through the metal.
"Run," it said. Smooth. Calm. Revenant.
Ava didn't turn around. Neither did Liam.
Across town, Rafe pulled Mara against him, both of them still breathing hard. "They think they can erase us," he murmured.
"They'll try," Mara replied, brushing a smear of blood from his lip.
Rafe's smile was feral. "Then we make them bleed first."
The city never really slept.
It only waited.
Verrin's skyline burned in pale electric light as the storm rolled farther out to sea. From the rooftop of an abandoned train signal tower, Milo had built what he proudly called his "hacker throne": a folding table, a cracked tablet, three wires he probably stole, and a single dish antenna that looked more like a frying pan than actual tech.
Liam stood near the edge, scanning the streets below through the scope of a borrowed rifle. Ava crouched beside Milo, watching the data flicker on his monitor. They could hear Revenant moving through the city now. Not footsteps. Not boots. The kind of movement that happens when power tilts in someone else's favor.
Milo broke the silence with a grin that didn't quite hide how scared he was. "I've always wanted to bring down a shadow government with a tablet and bad Wi-Fi."
Liam didn't look away from the streets. "Don't screw this up."
"I prefer the term improvise," Milo said, fingers flying over the cracked screen.
Down below, Verrin's night was changing. Traffic lights flickered off. Screens on skyscrapers flashed static. A ripple of blackouts crawled from block to block like ink bleeding through paper.
Ava's earpiece crackled. A low, lazy voice came through.
"Noah Price. I hope you like fireworks."
"Just don't get yourself killed," Ava whispered.
"Too late for that," Noah replied. She could hear the grin in his voice.
Noah wasn't on the rooftop with them. He was somewhere in the underbelly of Verrin, hijacking broadcast servers the old way. The "White Raven" had decided to stop whispering. Tonight, he was going to scream.
At 02:17, every digital billboard, every public screen, every feed on the street cracked into the same black screen. Then the raven symbol appeared. A clean white silhouette on endless black.
NOAH PRICE: "Good evening, Verrin.
You've been living inside someone else's story. Revenant has been writing it for years."
The city froze. Ava could imagine people in bars, apartments, and taxis staring. Wondering.
Noah's voice sharpened.
"They erase people. They erase lives. And they've already started their next protocol."
Ava's pulse kicked up. She didn't need to ask how long they'd have before Revenant struck back. She could feel it in the air, thick and electric.
Inside a sleek high-rise conference room, Revenant's operatives watched the broadcast in silence. A man in a gray suit set his glass down without making a sound.
"Trace it," he said.
They were already tracing.
Liam's voice cut through the night. "They're moving."
He pointed toward three dark SUVs rolling through the lower dock streets with precision. Not panic. Not a reaction. Execution.
Milo swallowed. "I'm guessing they're not here to donate snacks."
Ava crouched beside him. "Noah needs two more minutes."
Liam checked the magazine in his gun. "He doesn't have two minutes."
Milo's hands shook for the first time since this started. Then he laughed nervously. "Okay, but if I die tonight, make sure someone clears my browser history."
Ava didn't even look up. "Focus, genius."
On the billboards, Noah's voice rose.
"They can erase names from records, faces from cameras, and entire histories from memory. But not all stories can be rewritten. Some of us refuse to disappear."
The raven symbol flared brighter. Then Noah did what no one expected: he dropped names.
Names of powerful people. Revenant collaborators. Government officials. Corporate heads.
And then he dropped something else.
A photo. Mal Ward.
Alive. In uniform. Standing with Revenant.
Liam stiffened. His breath came out like a blade drawn too fast. Ava didn't have to look to know what was in his eyes.
Down in the underbelly, Noah's location lit up on Revenant's grid like a beacon. They were moving on him fast.
Back on the rooftop, Ava whispered, "He's not going to make it out."
Liam's knuckles tightened around the rifle. "Then we make sure this wasn't for nothing."
The SUVs stopped at the base of the tower. Revenant's men poured out like shadows, silent and fast. Milo cursed under his breath. "I hate this part."
"Cover him," Ava said. She knelt beside Milo, palm on his shoulder. "End it clean."
Milo nodded. "For once in my life, I actually want to look cool."
The first gunshots cracked through the night.
Liam dropped two men before they reached the second floor. Ava took another from the window. Milo slammed a key on his tablet.
All across Verrin, Noah's voice rang out one last time.
"Let the world see you now, Revenant."
The raven symbol didn't disappear. It spread. Their broadcast had seeded itself into every unprotected screen, every open feed, every unsecured system in the city. They could kill the messenger. But the message was already airborne.
Milo unplugged the tablet with shaking hands. "It's done."
Ava squeezed his shoulder. "You did well."
Liam stood at the window, eyes locked on the street where Revenant's men regrouped. "They're not retreating."
"Of course not," Milo muttered. "We just kicked a wasp nest."
Ava's phone buzzed. One message. No number.
YOU'VE MADE YOURSELF VISIBLE. NOW WE COME.
She stared at the screen as the distant sirens started to wail.
The city was awake now. Not the soft kind of awake that followed a late party. This was the sharp, electric kind that came when something dangerous had just happened. Verrin's screens still glowed with the white raven symbol. It pulsed like a heartbeat.
Ava's boots pounded against the old train tunnel as she and Liam pulled Milo through the dark. Behind them, Revenant operatives were in full pursuit. Floodlights swept the tunnel like searching hands. The air stank of wet concrete and gun oil.
Milo's voice cracked through the noise. "Remind me again why hackers don't get dental insurance?"
"Shut up and run," Liam hissed.
They burst into an open chamber at the end of the tunnel, a maintenance hub long abandoned. Rusted rails cut across the floor. Old screens flickered dimly from some forgotten generator. Kai was already there, pacing like a man waiting for a firing squad.
He saw them and stiffened. "You brought company."
"Revenants on us," Liam said flatly.
Milo doubled over, hands on his knees. "No kidding."
Kai's eyes flicked to the ceiling. "Then we don't have long."
Ava stepped closer, lowering her gun but not her guard. "You said you were inside. That you fed them lies."
"I did," Kai said. "I still am. But now they want the trade to happen here."
Liam's voice turned to steel. "What trade?"
Kai's answer was quiet. "You. For him."
A new voice echoed from the shadows. "Hello, little brother."
Liam froze.
Mal Ward stepped into the weak light. Same jaw. Same eyes. But sharper now. He wore Revenant's black jacket like it was his second skin. The air between them went cold and still.
"Mal," Liam whispered.
Mal smiled faintly. "Took you long enough."
The world narrowed to two brothers staring at each other across rusted rails. Milo backed up slowly, muttering, "Yeah. I'm just gonna… not be in the middle of this."
Ava moved closer to Liam. She didn't touch him this time. She just stood next to him, steady.
Liam finally found his voice. "You were dead."
Mal shrugged. "Better than being a ghost."
"You joined them."
"They saved me," Mal said, calm. "You never understood what Verrin really is. This city eats those who try to be noble. Revenant doesn't. They rewrite it."
Liam took a step forward. "They erase people, Mal."
Mal's smile faltered, but only for a second. "They erased the right ones."
The floodlights cut through the chamber entrance. Revenant operatives moved in, smooth and silent, like this was already decided. Ava raised her gun. Liam didn't. His hands were fists.
Kai positioned himself between the operatives and the group. Milo's eyes widened. "Wait. Which side are you on again?"
Kai didn't answer. He just took the safety off his weapon.
"Step aside," Mal said. "You don't have to die here, Liam."
"I already did once," Liam growled.
For a long moment, no one breathed.
Then Liam moved. Not to shoot Mal. To shoot the pipe valve above the entrance. A burst of steam exploded into the chamber. The operatives staggered. Ava fired twice. Milo yelped and ducked behind an overturned crate.
Kai opened fire, too. On the Revenant operatives.
Milo blinked. "Oh, thank God, he's with us."
The fight roared through the tunnel like a storm finally breaking. Flashlight beams slashed through the steam. Gunfire ricocheted off iron. Ava moved like she'd been waiting for this moment all night.
Liam and Mal collided at the center of it all. No guns. Just brothers. Fists. Grief. Anger. Every punch was a sentence they never said. Mal slammed him into the wall. Liam countered with a blow to the jaw that made Mal stagger back, blood in his mouth.
"Why?" Liam spat.
"Because they're winning," Mal hissed back. "And you're still trying to be a hero."
Ava covered Liam's flank, dropping one operative who tried to flank him. Milo managed to hack into the ancient terminal at the far end of the chamber and killed the power to the floodlights. Darkness swallowed the room. Revenant's advantage flickered and died.
Milo pumped his fist. "Boom. Hacker potato strikes again."
"Shut up and stay down," Ava hissed.
Liam had Mal pinned against the wall now, arm at his throat. Rain dripped through a broken vent above them.
"You can still walk away," Liam whispered.
Mal smiled a little. "And go where? Back to pretending? No, brother. We've already chosen different worlds."
For one heartbeat, Liam almost believed he could pull him back.
Then Mal twisted the knife in his words: "Revenant has Arthur. He's not coming back."
Liam's breath caught like something broke inside him.
Mal shoved him back hard, disappearing into the steam with Revenant's retreating soldiers. They didn't need to win the fight. They'd already delivered their message.
The chamber fell silent except for the hiss of broken pipes. Liam stood frozen where Mal had left him. Ava stepped closer, but didn't touch him yet. He wasn't ready.
Milo lowered his tablet slowly. "So… that was your brother. He's super cheerful."
Kai holstered his gun, exhaling hard. "They've made their move."
Ava finally put a hand on Liam's arm. He didn't look at her, but he didn't pull away.
"We're not done," he said quietly.
"No," Ava replied. "We've just started."
Far away, on a tower somewhere above Verrin, Mal watched the city from a blacked-out penthouse window. Revenant's leader stepped up beside him, a figure whose face remained hidden in the dark.
The leader spoke. "You gave him the message?"
Mal's jaw tightened. "Yes."
"Good," the voice said softly. "Now they know what's coming."