The storm had devoured the night.

Waves crashed against the rusted pillars of the old pier, each one sounding like a warning. The wind howled through the skeleton of abandoned warehouses, carrying the smell of salt and oil and something darker—blood and fear. Lena’s headlights cut a narrow path through the rain as she drove toward the docks, her hands gripping the wheel so tightly her knuckles were white.

Cole sat beside her, his eyes scanning the shadows beyond the windshield. His jaw was tight, his gun holstered but ready. Every few seconds, lightning lit up the sky, revealing the churning sea and the broken signs that once bore the name Reed Shipping Company.

“This is the place?” Cole asked, shouting over the roar of the storm.

Lena nodded, her throat dry. “She said the pier.”

“Then we go in quiet,” he said. “If Evelyn’s waiting, she’ll have eyes everywhere.”

Lena pulled the car behind a line of abandoned crates and killed the engine. The silence that followed was suffocating. Only the rain and the thunder remained.

Cole checked his weapon and motioned for her to stay close. They stepped into the storm, water soaking their shoes instantly. The pier stretched ahead like a graveyard of steel and shadows. Every flicker of lightning revealed more decay—rusted chains, broken glass, and the faded outline of the Vale Enterprises logo on a shipping container.

Lena’s heart ached. “He used to own this place,” she whispered.

Cole glanced at her. “Adrian?”

She nodded. “Back when he was Voss. Before the fire. Before all of this.”

Lightning flashed again, and for a moment, Lena thought she saw someone standing at the far end of the dock. A tall figure, motionless against the chaos.

She blinked—and it was gone.

Cole noticed her stillness. “What is it?”

“Someone’s here,” she said.

They moved forward slowly, the wind whipping their coats around them. The wooden boards creaked underfoot. Lena’s pulse pounded with every step.

Then she saw it—a single light burning inside the largest warehouse. Faint, flickering. An invitation or a warning, she couldn’t tell.

Cole’s voice was low. “Stay behind me.”

He pushed the metal door open with the barrel of his gun. It screeched like a dying thing.

Inside, the warehouse was nearly empty except for rows of old crates and a single chair in the middle of the floor. A lantern hung from the ceiling above it, swaying in the wind.

And in that chair—someone sat with their hands tied.

Lena froze. “Adrian?”

Her voice echoed off the walls.

The man lifted his head slowly. His hair was soaked, his face bruised. Even in the dim light, she recognized him instantly.

“Lena,” Adrian said hoarsely. “You shouldn’t have come.”

She ran forward, but Cole’s arm shot out, stopping her.

“Wait,” he warned. “This feels wrong.”

A door slammed somewhere behind them. The echo was followed by the sound of heels clicking against the wet floor.

Lena turned, heart hammering.

Evelyn Reed stepped out of the shadows, dressed in black, her lips curved in a calm, cruel smile. Her eyes gleamed like polished glass under the lantern light.

“Always so predictable,” she said. “I knew the moment I sent that message you’d come running.”

Lena’s voice shook with fury. “What did you do to him?”

Evelyn tilted her head. “Oh, nothing… yet. He’s just stubborn. He refuses to tell me where the backup file is.”

Cole raised his gun. “Don’t move.”

Evelyn only smiled wider. “Detective Rivers. Still playing the hero, I see. You never learn, do you?”

“Put your hands where I can see them.”

She laughed softly. “You think you can stop me? You have no idea what’s coming.”

Suddenly, a red dot appeared on Cole’s chest.

Lena gasped. “Sniper!”

Cole dove to the side as the shot shattered the lantern, plunging the warehouse into darkness. The sound of boots thundered from the upper floor—Evelyn’s men, moving fast.

Lena dropped to her knees beside Adrian, fumbling with the ropes. “Hold on, I’ll get you out.”

“Lena—no,” he hissed. “She wants you here. She needs the drive.”

“She already has one!”

“Not the real one,” he said through clenched teeth. “The one you’re carrying.”

Lena froze, her hand instinctively reaching for the chain around her neck. Hidden beneath her shirt was the small flash drive Cole had given her.

Evelyn’s voice echoed through the darkness. “You didn’t really think I’d let him give it away, did you?”

The words hit like ice. Cole fired again, muzzle flashes lighting the shadows. “Run!” he shouted.

Lena cut the last rope and pulled Adrian up. He staggered but managed to stand, leaning heavily on her shoulder.

Gunfire erupted from above. Bullets sparked off metal and concrete.

Cole covered them, yelling over the chaos, “Back door! Go!”

Lena dragged Adrian toward the exit. He stumbled, cursing under his breath. “I told you not to come.”

“And I told you I don’t take orders,” she snapped.

They burst into the open air, rain slamming down in sheets. The pier was a blur of chaos—shadows moving between crates, flashes of gunfire reflecting off the water.

Cole followed close behind, firing as he moved. “Car’s around the corner!”

They reached the edge of the pier, but the way back was blocked—two men with rifles stepped out of the mist.

Cole aimed and fired, hitting one, but the other shot back. The bullet grazed his arm, spinning him sideways. Lena screamed, ducking behind a crate with Adrian.

Evelyn’s voice carried through the storm again. “There’s nowhere left to run, Lena. Give me the drive, and maybe I’ll let him live.”

Lena’s breath came in ragged gasps. “She’s bluffing.”

Adrian’s eyes met hers. “She’s not.”

Lightning flashed, and for an instant, Lena saw Evelyn standing at the edge of the pier, her gun raised, her smile almost sad.

“You should have stayed out of this,” Evelyn said softly. “But then again… you’re just like him.”

She fired.

Adrian shoved Lena aside, and the bullet tore through his shoulder. He fell hard against the wet planks.

“No!” Lena screamed, crawling to him. Blood mixed with the rain, flowing between the cracks in the wood.

Cole grabbed her arm. “We have to move!”

But Lena wouldn’t let go. “He’s bleeding—”

Another shot rang out, splintering the crate beside them. Evelyn was getting closer.

Adrian’s hand found hers, weak but steady. “Take it,” he whispered.

“What?”

“The drive. Don’t let her have it. No matter what.”

Tears blurred her vision. “I can’t leave you.”

He gave a faint smile. “You already saved me once. That’s enough.”

Before she could respond, Evelyn’s men closed in. Cole fired again, shouting, “Go, Lena! Now!”

Lena hesitated, torn between love and survival—but Adrian’s eyes told her what to do. She pressed his hand to her heart, then ran into the storm.

Bullets chased her down the dock. She weaved between crates, clutching the flash drive under her shirt. Thunder roared as if the heavens themselves were at war.

Behind her, she heard Cole yelling, then silence. A deafening explosion followed, throwing her to the ground. The pier shook, splinters flying through the air.

When she lifted her head, flames consumed the warehouse. The entire pier was burning.

“Adrian!” she screamed, trying to stand, but her legs gave way.

Through the rain and smoke, she saw a shadow stumbling toward her—tall, limping, blood running down his arm.

Adrian.

He reached her just as the structure behind them collapsed, fire lighting the sky like dawn.

“Come on,” he rasped, pulling her up. “We have to go.”

They staggered together toward the end of the pier, where a small boat rocked violently against the dock.

She looked back once. The flames swallowed everything—Cole, Evelyn, the men. The world behind them was ending.

Adrian pushed her into the boat. “Get down!”

He untied the rope and jumped in after her. The engine sputtered, then roared to life. They sped away as the pier collapsed behind them in a blaze of orange and gold.

Lena stared at him, tears mixing with rain. “You’re hurt.”

He gave a faint, broken laugh. “You think this is the first time she’s tried to kill me?”

She managed a trembling smile. “You’re impossible.”

He looked at her then—really looked—and for a moment, the storm faded. “You should have left me.”

“I never will,” she whispered.

Thunder cracked overhead, and Adrian’s gaze shifted past her—toward the horizon.

“Then hold on,” he said quietly, “because it’s not over yet.”

Lena turned.

Out at sea, through the curtain of rain, a second boat was following them—its lights growing brighter with every second.

Evelyn Reed was still alive.

And she was coming for them.