Chapter 24
Boone
Everything inside me locks down the moment Wren cries out.
The sound cuts straight through the night.
Through the wind.
Through the distance between us.
Through every bit of training that tells me not to react.
My instincts don’t care about training.
They care about her.
I take another step toward the edge of the porch.
Adam’s hand comes up slightly beside me.
Not stopping me.
Just reminding me to think.
Russ’s rifle stays steady, aimed squarely at the man holding Wren.
“Let her go,” I say again.
My voice is calm.
Cold.
But every muscle in my body is tight.
The man behind Wren laughs under his breath.
“Doesn’t look like you’re in charge here.”
Russ answers him immediately.
“Keep talking and see how long you stay standing.”
Mara ignores them.
Her eyes stay on me.
“You’re running out of time, Boone.”
“Then stop wasting it.”
“Take command of the system.”
“No.”
Her expression doesn’t change.
“You’ll let her die?”
“No.”
I meet her gaze.
“But I’m not handing the country over to a man who thinks collapse is a management strategy.”
Something flickers in her eyes.
Not anger.
Something closer to frustration.
“You still think this is about control.”
“What else would it be?”
“Survival.”
The man behind Wren tightens his grip on her arm.
She winces.
My jaw tightens.
“Touch her again,” I say quietly, “and you lose that hand. I should have killed you.”
Russ mutters beside me.
“Both hands.”
Adam’s voice stays calm.
“You’re not getting out of these woods.”
The man laughs again.
“You think this is the only team out here?”
That gets everyone’s attention.
Mara shoots him a sharp look.
“Enough.”
He shrugs slightly but stays quiet.
Mara looks back at me.
“You don’t understand the scale of what’s coming.”
“Try me.”
“The Architect isn’t creating the collapse.”
“He admitted he accelerated it.”
“Yes.”
Her voice softens slightly.
“Because it was already beginning.”
I shake my head.
“That’s not justification.”
“No,” she says.
“It’s reality.”
Wren suddenly twists hard in the man’s grip.
He wasn’t expecting it.
For half a second his balance shifts.
Russ takes a step forward instantly.
“Now!”
But Mara’s pistol presses harder against Wren’s side.
“Don’t.”
Everyone freezes again.
The moment gone.
The man jerks Wren back upright.
“You’re feisty.”
“Let go of me,” she snaps.
Even hurt, she sounds furious.
And I can’t help the flicker of pride that cuts through the fear.
Mara watches her carefully.
“You shouldn’t have fought.”
“You shouldn’t have kidnapped me.”
That almost earns a smile.
Mara looks back at me.
“She’s brave.”
“Yeah.”
“Which makes this harder.”
The man holding Wren suddenly grunts.
Everyone looks down.
Wren’s heel has come down hard on his foot.
He swears.
“Little—”
Before he can finish, she drives her elbow backward into his ribs.
The hit isn’t perfect.
But it’s enough to make him stagger.
Russ grins.
“I like her.”
Adam’s rifle shifts slightly.
“Take the shot?” Russ murmurs.
“Too risky,” Adam answers quietly.
Mara grabs Wren’s arm before she can break free completely.
But her grip isn’t as tight as before.
“You’re making this worse,” Mara says.
Wren breathes hard but keeps glaring.
“Good.”
The man behind her recovers and shoves her forward.
Hard.
She stumbles.
My control snaps.
I step off the porch.
Adam’s hand catches my shoulder.
“Boone.”
I shake him off.
“That’s enough.”
Mara’s voice rises slightly.
“Stop.”
But I keep walking.
One step.
Two.
Three.
The man behind Wren raises his weapon.
Russ’s rifle shifts instantly.
“Bad idea.”
The man hesitates.
Mara steps between us slightly.
Her voice sharp now.
“Everyone stop.”
The wind moves through the trees again.
Branches swaying above us.
The standoff tightening.
Mara looks at me.
“You think you can force your way through this.”
“Yes.”
“You can’t.”
“We’ll see.”
Her gaze softens for a brief moment.
Almost regretful.
“You’re exactly the man the Architect predicted.”
“That’s not a compliment.”
“No.”
She exhales slowly.
“It’s a warning.”
I take another step forward.
Her pistol rises again.
But something has changed.
She isn’t pointing it at Wren anymore.
She’s pointing it at me.
And that tells me everything I need to know.
Mara may believe in the Architect.
But she still doesn’t want Wren dead.
And that hesitation might be the only advantage we have.
Behind Wren, the wounded man shifts his weight.
Russ sees it instantly.
Adam too.
Three rifles adjust slightly.
The man holding Wren suddenly realizes something.
He’s standing in the open.
Surrounded.
Outnumbered.
And for the first time since this started—
He looks nervous.
Which means the balance of power just shifted.
And if Wren gets one more opening—
This entire situation might explode.