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More good news: Jim J wasn’t actually inside the Delta yet. It figured that he’d be holed up somewhere else, keeping his ass safe from any real danger.

“How do we get the net off them?” a masked woman—one of the few present—asked. She pulled on some of the netting stuck to Claire’s bare arm. “It’s bonded to their skin.”

Alastor smirked. “Then off it comes.”

“Wait—” I started, but it was too late. The woman yanked the netting off, taking the top layer of Claire’s skin with it. Her scream of pain turned my blood to ice, but it was just the beginning. Bit by bit, they tore the net off where it touched our skin, leaving our exposed arms raw and aching, along with the odd clump of hair.

They took my pack, my weapons, and Claire’s pistol before Alastor and a few others marched us into a small building with a sign that said Central Bank. The others scattered, probably to return to whatever posts they had. There were still seven of them and two of us, so escape was still gonna be damn near impossible.

Inside was mostly one room, with a few desks with computers and nothing else. It was trashed, with most of the furniture overturned and blood and drag marks on the floor, no doubt from whoever they’d killed when they took the place.

“What does this place need a bank for?” I asked Claire quietly. “They don’t use real money.”

“To maintain accounts,” she answered, “and there’s a vault for safety deposit boxes. People store valuables that aren’t money there.”

Sure enough, at the back of the building, through a tiny office, there was a huge metal door with a handwheel. It was already unlocked, apparently, because two guys pulled it open, and then Alastor shoved me—hard. I toppled to the floor inside the vault, and Claire followed.

The door slammed shut with a massive crash of metal, and a bunch of locks all clicked at once. I sprang up and pounded on the door, which only got me a bunch of laughs from the other side.

“Save your energy,” Claire said wearily as she stood. “If it’s like the one at the Cave, the vault is bomb-proof. Nothing will open it except the keys.”

Frustrated, I leaned back against the wall. “There has to be something we can do. Some way to get out of here.”

Claire shook her head. “I don’t think so, darling. I’m sorry.”

She lifted my arm to look at the patches of raw, tender skin. Some areas were lightly bleeding. “Are you alright? Does anything hurt badly?”

I shook my head, barely listening. My mind was working, trying to come up with a plan. There had to be a way.

Claire rested her hands on my chest, her eyes scanning my face. She looked worried about me, which was laughable. She was in the most danger here, and that wasn’t something I could tolerate.

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” I said forcefully, trying to ignore the pounding of my heart. “When they open that door, I’ll go on the offence, distract them, and you run like hell, you hear me?”

“No,” she returned, her hands tightening around handfuls of my shirt. “No way.”

“We don’t have a lot of options, Claire,” I bit back. “I’m getting you out of here, one way or another. That’s what I came here to do.”

“I said no!” she cried, lightly shaking me. “I don’t care what happens, I’m not leaving you here.”

I took a breath, trying to steady myself. “I’ll be fine. It’s not me they want.”

“Not true. Jim J will have it out for you now, ever since the fire.”

“Yeah, and look what happened to him then,” I countered. “I can handle myself.”

“I’m not going to leave you. There’s no point in even arguing about it.”

Desperation seized in my chest, and my grip on her arms tightened.

“What do you expect me to do?” I asked, frustrated. “Watch you die?”

“Isn’t that what you’re asking me to do, you stubborn ass?” she shot back.

“But I love you,” I burst out without thinking, and something inside me broke. I cupped her cheek, which was now wet. “I love you,” I repeated hoarsely. “I can’t let anything happen to you, because…”

Her lips were on mine before I could think of what else to say, and I gave in. Pulled her against me, twisted my hand in her beautiful hair, and took her mouth with mine. Our kiss was frantic and scared, just like us, but there was still that goddamn magnetic pull between us. The most powerful thing I’d ever felt.

When we broke apart, panting, Claire lay her head on my chest and wrapped her arms around me. I sighed and rested my cheek against her hair.