Chapter 21 · Don't Open That Door

"Open the vault," I said, pressing the gun harder against Julian's chest. "Or tell me why you're protecting the woman who kept my mother in a cage."

Julian didn't look at the weapon. His eyes stayed on mine while one hand clamped around my wrist.

The other held the vault key an inch from the lock.

"Take the gun away from me," he said.

"You first."

His fingers tightened. Heat spread through my sleeve. Blood soaked through the shirt over his ribs, but he still had enough strength to break my grip if he wanted.

That was Julian Knox's favorite advantage—knowing exactly how far he could push me.

The vault door stood behind him, sealed in black metal and silver lines. My mother's voice had just played through the speakers on the other side.

Don't let Julian open that door.

Not a warning. A command.

"You heard her," I said. "She knows what's behind it."

"She knows what happens when it opens. That's not the same thing."

"Then let me find out."

"Mara."

"Say you knew she was alive."

His jaw flexed.

That was answer enough.

I shoved the muzzle into his chest. His body went still beneath it.