Chapter 23
Wren
Ican’t sit anymore.
The numbers on the screen keep climbing.
Power grid instability.
Dispatch overload.
Fuel disruptions.
Each alert another domino falling somewhere out in the country.
Inside the cabin the air feels heavy.
Boone and Adam are arguing quietly near the table while Russ monitors the radio channels.
The Architect’s voice still echoes in my head.
I’m accelerating the inevitable.
My chest feels tight.
I step away from the laptop.
“I need air.”
Boone looks up immediately.
“You okay?”
“Just need a minute.”
He studies me for a moment like he wants to argue.
Then nods.
“Don’t go far.”
“I won’t.”
I grab my jacket and step out onto the porch.
Cold air rushes over me.
Sharp.
Clean.
The mountains stretch dark and silent beyond the trees.
For a moment I just breathe.
Trying to slow my heartbeat.
Trying to think.
The wind moves through the pines like whispers across the valley.
And then—
A twig snaps behind me.
I turn.
Too late.
Something slams into my back.
Hands grab my arms.
A forearm locks across my throat.
“Don’t fight.”
The voice is low.
Female.
This must be Mara.
My stomach drops.
“What—”
The pressure on my throat tightens.
A man steps out from the trees.
Blood stains his sleeve, but his eyes are sharp and angry.
“Move,” he says, as he goes to grab me from the woman.
I twist hard, trying to break free.
Mara tightens her grip instantly.
Pain shoots through my shoulder.
“Stop.”
Her voice is calm.
Almost gentle.
“You’re not the target.”
“Then let go.”
“I can’t.”
The man steps closer.
He grabs my wrist and yanks it forward hard.
Pain flashes up my arm.
“Hey!” I gasp.
He leans close, his voice cold.
“You’re leverage.”
My pulse spikes.
Inside the cabin I can hear Russ’s voice faintly through the wall.
They haven’t noticed yet.
Mara turns me toward the trees.
“We’re leaving.”
“No.”
I plant my feet.
The man’s patience snaps.
He slams me hard against the porch railing.
Pain explodes through my ribs.
“Move,” he growls.
Mara grabs his arm.
“That’s enough.”
“She’s stalling.”
“Of course she is.”
Mara looks at me.
Something flickers behind her eyes.
Regret.
But it disappears just as quickly.
“Listen carefully,” she says.
“I’m not here to kill you.”
“That’s reassuring.”
“But I will if Boone and Adam refuse to cooperate.”
My heart pounds harder.
“What do you want from them?”
“The same thing the Architect wants.”
“And that is?”
Her voice lowers.
“For them to lead.”
I shake my head.
“You’re insane.”
“No,” she says quietly.
“I’m practical.”
The wounded man grabs my arm again and pulls me toward the trees.
Pain shoots through my shoulder.
I stumble.
“Let go of me!”
He shoves me forward.
“Walk.”
The cabin door suddenly slams open behind us.
Boone’s voice cuts through the night.
“Wren!”
Mara freezes.
For half a second.
Then she presses the pistol against my ribs.
“Don’t move.”
Boone stops dead at the edge of the porch.
Adam and Blade appear behind him seconds later.
Weapons up instantly.
Russ swears under his breath, as he walks out the door.
“Well, that escalated.”
Boone’s eyes lock on mine.
Then on the gun at my side.
“Mara.”
Her voice stays calm.
“Boone.”
“Let her go.”
“I can’t.”
The wounded man pulls me tighter against him.
My shoulder screams in protest.
Boone’s jaw tightens.
“If you hurt her—”
“She’s already hurt.”
His eyes flash.
“Mara.”
“Listen to me.”
She steps slightly forward, still keeping the pistol against my ribs.
“You don’t have a choice anymore.”
Adam’s rifle doesn’t move.
“You’re not leaving here.”
“We don’t need to.”
Mara gestures toward the mountains behind her.
“The system is already moving.”
Boone’s voice drops.
“You think kidnapping her helps your case?”
“No.”
“It motivates you.”
“To do what?”
“To stop fighting the Architect.”
I try to pull free.
The man behind me twists my arm sharply.
Pain explodes through my shoulder.
I cry out before I can stop myself.
Boone takes a step forward instantly.
“Enough!”
Mara raises the gun slightly.
“Then listen.”
Her eyes lock onto his.
“If you don’t take command of the system…”
“…she dies.”
The wind moves through the trees again.
Cold.
Relentless.
And suddenly the war the Architect started isn’t about infrastructure anymore.
It’s about the woman Boone cares about most—
Standing at gunpoint in the dark.