Chapter 16 · The Hunter Breaks Rank

Lucas's phone went straight to voicemail.

Drake tried again. Still nothing. He was standing in the middle of a Copenhagen side street, smoke still in his hair from the archive fire, and his partner wasn't picking up.

"He never goes dark," Drake said. His voice came out flat.

Ella was watching him. She had soot on her jaw and the stolen authorization form folded inside her jacket. "How long?"

"Twelve hours." Drake checked the call log. Three missed from Lucas yesterday, all before they'd broken into the archives. Nothing since. "He called me. I didn't answer."

"Drake."

"I didn't answer because I was breaking into a Guild facility with you." He shoved the phone in his pocket. "And now Vera knows someone accessed those files. She knows it was us."

Ella stepped closer. "You think she went after Lucas?"

"He's my partner. He helped me get out of New York." Drake's jaw tightened. "If she thinks he's compromised—"

"She'll purge him." Ella finished the sentence. Her voice was quiet. "The same way she purged anyone tainted after the bond."

Drake didn't need her to say it. He'd seen Vera's kill orders. Clean, surgical, no second chances.