---
Darkness clung to the underground corridors like a suffocating blanket, thick and unrelenting. Celeste moved swiftly, her heartbeat steady despite the weight of the mission pressing against her ribs. The underground sector of Collaway's compound was a maze of damp stone walls, dim lighting, and silence so absolute it rang in her ears. She had memorized the blueprints Eric had provided. Left, then down the narrow hallway, third door on the right.
Andrew's voice crackled softly in her earpiece. "Security is still down. Move fast."
"Copy," Celeste whispered, pressing herself against the wall as she peeked around the next corner.
Two guards stood by the door she needed. They were still, silent, but their presence was a problem. Celeste didn't have time for a fight, but she also couldn't risk them calling for backup.
A sharp whistle echoed from the hallway to the left, and both guards turned their heads. It was enough.
Celeste moved.
She was on the first guard before he could react, her knife slicing cleanly across his throat. He made a choked sound, eyes wide in horror, before he crumpled to the ground. The second guard turned just as she struck him hard in the throat. He staggered back, gasping for air, but Celeste didn't give him the chance to recover. A sharp twist, a snap of his neck, and he dropped.
"Guards down," she murmured into her comm.
"Good. Get her out of there," Andrew's voice responded.
Celeste wasted no time. She yanked open the door, stepping inside quickly.
The room was small. Bare. Cold.
And in the corner, chained to the wall, was Rina Westwood.
Celeste's breath caught for half a second. Rina looked exhausted—too thin, her face pale, her wrists raw from the shackles. But her eyes… her eyes still burned with that familiar fire.
"Rina," Celeste said urgently, kneeling beside her, already working on the cuffs.
Rina's breath hitched. "Celeste?"
"It's me," Celeste confirmed. "We're getting you out of here."
Rina's hands trembled as Celeste undid the last shackle. The moment her arms were free, she slumped forward, but Celeste caught her, steadying her.
"Can you walk?"
"I don't know," Rina admitted, her voice hoarse.
Celeste nodded, hoisting Rina's arm over her shoulder. "Then I'll help you."
A static crackle in her earpiece. "You need to move now," Andrew's voice came. "A guard just noticed the cameras are dead. You've got five minutes before they figure out something's wrong."
Celeste tightened her grip on Rina. "We're leaving now."
They moved as quickly as Rina's weak legs would allow. The halls remained eerily empty, but Celeste knew that wouldn't last. She took the same route she came in, every muscle in her body coiled, ready for a fight.
Halfway up the stairs, Rina stumbled. Celeste caught her, gritting her teeth. "Almost there."
Rina exhaled shakily. "I thought… I thought I'd die here."
"Not today," Celeste said.
As they reached the surface level, Andrew appeared from the shadows, his gun raised. His gaze landed on Rina, and his shoulders relaxed just slightly.
"You did it."
"Not yet," Celeste said. "Let's go."
Andrew nodded, leading the way through the side passage. Every second felt like an eternity. They had planned every detail, accounted for every possible obstacle, but one mistake—one wrong move—and they wouldn't make it out.
"Truck is in position," Eric's voice cut through the comms. "Get outside."
They slipped through the last corridor, nearing the exit.
Then—
Shouting.
Celeste's pulse spiked. "They know."
Andrew turned, firing two shots down the hallway. A body dropped. The alarm system blared to life.
No more stealth. Just speed.
They pushed forward, Rina barely keeping up. Eric's men were waiting just outside. The moment they burst through the doors, they were ushered into the black truck.
"Go!" Andrew barked.
The vehicle roared to life, tires screeching as they sped into the night.
Celeste pressed her hand against Rina's back, steadying her. "We're safe now."
Rina let out a shaky breath. "Jaxon… does he know?"
Celeste exchanged a look with Andrew.
"He will soon."
---
The underground hideout was in the southern part of town, beneath an old warehouse Eric owned. It was secure—fortified, impossible to track. The safest place Rina could be.
The moment they arrived, Jaxon was waiting.
The second he saw her, he froze.
His chest rose and fell sharply, his fingers twitching at his sides. For a moment, he didn't move, didn't breathe.
Then—
"Mom."
His voice cracked.
And just like that, he was a child again.
Rina barely had time to react before Jaxon crossed the distance, pulling her into his arms. His grip was tight, almost desperate, as if letting go would make her disappear.
Rina gasped softly, then melted into the embrace, her hands clutching the back of his shirt. "Jaxon…"
Jaxon buried his face into her shoulder, and that's when Celeste saw it.
The tremble in his arms.
The way his entire body shook.
Jaxon Westwood never cried. Not when he was beaten, not when he was betrayed, not when the world turned against him.
But now?
Now, he was breaking.
"I thought you were dead," he choked out.
Rina's fingers threaded through his hair, soothing. "I'm here. I'm here, my love."
Jaxon pulled back just slightly, his eyes red, his jaw tight. "He'll come for you."
Celeste stepped forward. "We'll be ready."
Jaxon exhaled, pressing his forehead against his mother's. "Not if I kill him first."
There was no hesitation. No uncertainty.
Jaxon Westwood had spent years waiting for this moment.
Now, the war had truly begun.