They went in quietly—with a small team of four, there was no reason to risk anything drastic. Cinza kept them invisible, and Makoto picked the lock. Jeremy still wasn't sure how they were invisible, since to his eyes they looked totally normal, but given the security guard staring right at them from across the lobby, he wasn't about to question it.

  Another door, another lock and they were heading down into the basement. Suddenly, it wasn't a plain office building anymore—it was a high-tech fortress, sporting heavy steel doors locked down by multiple layers of security. They passed through a corridor of the things, heading to the exact spot Nikki had specified.

  Not a single guard to be seen, to Jeremy's surprise, as they passed through the basement. When they reached the door in question and examined it more closely, he realized why—nothing short of shaped blasting charges were getting through that door.

  "...Now what?" Jeremy asked, glancing at Cinza.

  She smiled. "Now, we show the limits of technology."

  Cinza held out her hands. Makoto took one, and Lani took the other. Jeremy stepped back, his skin already crawling. He checked the magazine on his pistol again, just to reassure himself.

  Cinza closed her eyes. "Begin," she murmured.

  Nothing seemed to happen. Jeremy glanced around, nervous that someone might walk up on them, but the corridor remained empty. Cinza was frowning, her eyelids pressing down tight. Suddenly, he could feel something—energy building up in the air, like electricity before a storm. He took another step back, as if the paltry distance could protect him from whatever Cinza was about to do.

  "Now!" Cinza shouted, and flung her hands forward.

  An ear-splitting sound of tearing metal echoed through the basement corridors. The door in front of them buckled inward for an instant, before tearing off its hinges and flying across the chamber inside. As it slammed against the far wall with a huge bang, Jeremy saw the crumpled bodies of the two guards behind it. They fell to the ground, and the door fell on top of them.

  They twitched, groaning underneath the heavy door. Jeremy was fairly certain they were both stuck, completely removed from the equation. Good thing, too, he realized as he rushed in, weapon drawn—because the other occupant of the chamber hadn't wasted a second.

  Riley was inside, crouched behind a bound and gagged Lily Laushire—and with a pistol aimed at the side of her head. Her pale blue eyes flashed with surprise underneath her short brown hair, but her face was hard and set—practically emotionless, a stark contrast from the friendly photographer Jeremy had met only the day before.

  Lani took a step forward. "...Why?"

  Riley didn't answer, staring at Cinza with an expression cold and sharp as ice. Jesus Christ, those are the eyes of a killer. How the hell did I not see her? "What happens now?" she asked, her tone frostier than a frozen river.

  "You give us Lily," said Cinza, her voice ragged. She was leaning on Makoto for support. "You tell us where Cornelius is, and you get to live."

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  "Hang on," said Jeremy. "Nobody's killin' anybody here."

  "I might," said Lani—and with how hurt he sounded, Jeremy actually believed him.

  "Nobody's killin'," he repeated firmly. "We turn this over to the authorities. She goes to jail for a long-ass time."

  "Assuming your authorities can hold her," said Cinza.

  "So we'll figure the damn thing out!" Jeremy snapped. "We're workin' on it! That doesn't mean we should become fuckin' murderers!"

  "Is it murder to protect your family?"

  Jeremy glanced at her, though he kept a careful eye on Riley out of the corner of his eye—and his gun trained squarely on her. "Since when is Lily fuckin' Laushire your family?"

  "Since May fifteenth, two thousand eighteen," said Cinza firmly. Since the day Rallsburg died… Jesus Christ... Cinza took a step forward, and Riley pressed the gun harder into Lily's temple. Lily's eyes widened, frantic, and they could hear her desperately trying to speak through the gag.

  "Riley," said Makoto from the back of the room. His own hands were up now, and he looked deadly calm. "You know what we can do. This won't hold us back."

  "No," she agreed, to Jeremy's surprise—though she still didn't move a muscle. "I have insurance."

  Cinza stopped moving—as did Makoto. Lani still looked like he might shoot, but Jeremy trusted him to never pull the trigger, even in circumstances as insane as these. Since no one else spoke, he gave in and asked the question they were all wondering.

  "What fuckin' insurance?"

  "Filed with a law firm. If I don't report in, they will go public." Riley glanced at Cinza. "Information about Lily Laushire, a woman who should not exist. The location of your home and the means to penetrate its defenses. Your entire library of spells."

  Cinza shook her head. "Information that will become public sooner or later. We can deal with the consequences."

  Riley's eyes narrowed. "Information about a certain middle school child."

  Who the fu… oh… Shit. Cinza's eyes widened. Her voice trembled slightly, echoing through the cold chamber. "You don't know who that is. We made sure of it."

  Riley's expression didn't waver in the slightest. "I know she attends middle school in Seattle. How long do you think it will take the public to deduce her identity? Particularly if she's one of the empowered eight?" She practically spat the last couple words—so strong was her disgust. Who the fuck is this woman?

  "Riley…" Lani said, his voice weak. "Why?"

  Riley's eyes flicked over to Lani, though she didn't move a muscle otherwise. Her voice shifted into the warm tone of the woman they'd met—the woman Lani had fallen for. "Lani, I gotta do what I gotta do. I'm sorry."

  "Fuck you," Jeremy growled. Lani trembled in place, unable to speak.

  Riley's voice switched back to cold yet again. "So… have you decided?"

  Makoto glanced at Cinza, clearly unsure. Jeremy pointedly looked up at the ceiling. "London Police are on their way. You'll be surrounded sooner or later."

  "And unless you want this information made public, you will ensure my safe and quiet departure," said Riley.

  "Ain't gonn—"

  "Don't lie," she added. "My team reports no police inbound."

  Shit… who's she wired into? We could ge—

  Jeremy's thought was interrupted as Riley looked down suddenly—the first moment she'd broken her perfect stance holding onto Lily. Jeremy was about to move in, attempt to take the opening, but the opportunity was lost a moment later. Riley looked over her shoulder, eyes wide—and dove out of the way.

  The fuck? Jeremy had a split-second to move—rush her and try to get Lily out of the line of fire, or get out of there before whatever could scare Riley got him, too. He went with the safe option, falling back.

  An instant later, he knew he'd made the right call.

  The solid stone wall exploded, chunks of rock utterly annihilated in a massive burst. Dust filled the room—only to be sucked away by a rushing wind. Jeremy struggled back to his feet, still clutching his pistol tight, and the rest of the room followed suit. Riley still clutched Lily tight, gun to her head, as the whole room seemed to rotate to face the new doorway that had just been blasted into it—and the figure standing in the middle of the dust cloud.

  "...What the hell is going on in here?" asked Hailey.