Chapter 25 · The Empty Vault Calls Back

"Put the gun down."

Kael's voice is flat, but his hand is steady on my wrist. We're standing in front of the vault door—the real one, two floors below the penthouse, behind a wall that slid open when he pressed his palm to bare concrete. The air down here smells like metal and old fear.

I don't lower the gun. I keep it aimed at his chest.

"You lied," I say. "You told me my mom worked logistics. You told me she disappeared after a job went bad."

"She did."

"Then why the hell is her name all over your sister's files?"

Kael's jaw tightens. The curse mark on his neck is darker now, crawling up toward his ear in thin black lines. He looks like he hasn't slept in days. Maybe he hasn't.

"Because your mother wasn't just logistics," he says. "She was the one who locked this vault. And I need you to open it."

I laugh. It comes out sharp and ugly. "You need me."

"Yes."

"After lying to my face for six days."

"Yes."

"While my brother's out there with a target on his back."

Kael takes a step closer.