The rain hammered against the windshield as Valeria drove through the empty streets. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tight, knuckles white.
She'd been running for three years now. Ever since Marcus died. Ever since they all started hunting her.
In the backseat, four-year-old Elara hummed softly, playing with her stuffed rabbit. The little girl had no idea her mother was the most wanted woman in the underground world. No idea that half the crime families in the country would kill to get their hands on what Valeria had created.
Something that could control every criminal organization, every government official, every dirty deal on the planet.
The System.
One device that could rewrite the balance of power across the world. Governments would kill for it. Cartels would start wars. Crime families would burn cities.
But it only worked for one person. The retinal scanner was programmed to recognize only one pair of eyes. Not hers.
Elara's.
Her daughter was the key to everything, and she didn't even know it.
"Mama, where are we going?" Elara asked, her voice sleepy.
"Somewhere safe, baby," Valeria lied. There was no safe anymore. Not for them.
The weapon wouldn't work for just anyone. Valeria had made sure of that. She'd coded it to her daughter's eyes—the only key that could unlock it. If something happened to her, the weapon would be useless. A very expensive paperweight.
She glanced in the rearview mirror. Was that the same black car from ten minutes ago?
Her phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number: We have what you want. Pier 47. Come alone.
Valeria's blood ran cold. They had Marcus's files. The only proof that could clear her name and let her live in peace. But it was obviously a trap.
She had to try anyway. For Elara.
"Mama, I'm scared," Elara whispered.
"Don't be scared, sweetheart. Mama's here."
But Valeria was scared too. She'd killed men with her bare hands. She'd built an empire from nothing. But right now, she was just a mother trying to protect her child.
The headlights appeared out of nowhere.
A truck, moving fast, aimed straight at them.
Valeria yanked the wheel hard. The car spun out of control, tires screaming against wet asphalt.
"ELARA!"
Everything went black.