At the basement entrance, Kay listened closely, every muscle tense, before quietly pulling out his gun.

    The peopleing in were all familiar. Each one smelled like blood, and none of them wasted words.

    "Move."

    If he stepped aside, maybe he''d walk out alive. Dn hadn''t spent all that effort turning Kay into what he was just to lose him now.

    Kay tugged down the brim of his cap, grabbed two guns, andunched himself forward.

    Five guys dropped in a heartbeat. The rest started shooting, but Kay moved fast, diving behind cover. While bullets tore through the air, he reloaded with steady hands.

    There were over thirty of them, every face twisted in shock. "You''d shoot at us? Did you forget whose side you''re on?!"

    Kay didn''t answer. He just kept his eyes low, sliding fresh bullets into the chamber, using the glint of a nearby ss panel to line up his next shots.

    No matter what they yelled, he didn''t flinch. He moved like a shadow-calm, deadly, impossible to pin down.

    When it was over, Kay stood among the bodies. Suddenly, a bloody hand mped around his leg.

    "Betray us... and you''re dead."

    Kay didn''t even pause. He crushed the hand beneath his boot and looked up at the dark night outside. He pulled his ck cap lower over his eyes.

    The cap was part of his jacket—a single, shadowy outfit. It was all he ever wore.

    The metallic scent of blood thickened in the room. Outside, Milo and Buddy had taken down a few more attackers. Now the two dogs padded inside, stopping at the basement doorway like sentinels.

    Kay nudged a severed hand away with his foot and nced at the dogs. "Don''t you two have real names?"

    "Milo" and "Buddy" sounded more like ceholders than names.

    The dogs just wagged their tails, then suddenly barked toward the far end of the hall.

    Kay let out a sigh. More trouble. The old man really wasn''t letting ra go.

    He was about to disappear into the shadows when a voice stopped him cold.

    "If you try to stop me from killing ra, we''re done. Don''t evere near me again."

    Kay froze, squinting into the darkness.

    Tara stepped out, her face half-lit and determined.

    She was alone-clearly, she''d found this ce by herself.

    Kay''s eyes narrowed. "You..."

    This ce was a warzone. What was she doing here?

    Tara tilted her chin up, all attitude. "I told Walter I could handle you. There''s a whole team behind me they''ll be here soon."

    She walked closer, reaching up to touch his face. Even with his mask in the way, her fingers made his skin burn.

    He tried to pull back, but she closed the distance. "We''ve known each other for years, Kay. Tell me who''s more important to you, me or rà? I promise, if ra dies, I''ll be with you know I''ve always chased after Dn, but I keep my promises. Anyway, people are talking about me everywhere these days. I''m ready to disappear somewhere quiet. We could go together, just us. Isn''t that what you want?"

    Tara was relentless. She knew exactly how he felt about her-and she wasn''t letting go.

    No matter how messy things got

    with Dn, out in the world, she was

    still that shining Miss Warren. The

    respected architect. The girl

    everyone admired.

    Kay stayed silent. Tara''s patience snapped. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

    "Say something. Juste with me, right now. I don''t even need you to do anything to ra—just leave with me and that''s enough."

    Kay turned his head away.

    Tara

    her voeg her eyes and dropped

    her voice, soft and tempting. "You don''t want me to see your face?

    won''t look. Let me kiss you,

    okay?"

    She slid her hand under his mask, tugged it down, and kissed him.

    Her tongue slipped into his mouth, and Kay froze, his hands awkward and unsure, stumbling back a few steps.

    But Tara didn''t let up. She pressed against his chest, holding him close.

    She kissed him for what felt like forever. When she finally pulled back, her arms

    still looped around his neck, her voice was sweet and deadly.

    "Promise me. Leave with me now. Please?"

    All around them was chaos and blood, but her voice was all he could hear- dangerous, addictive, impossible to ignore.