Chapter 12 · Her Mother's Door

The elevator drops fast enough that Mara's stomach twists. Kade's wrist is still warm where she grabbed it in the gallery, where Silas smiled like he owned them both. The doors haven't opened yet and she's already planning the next lie, the next exit, the next breath that won't get them killed.

Then the doors slide open and Silas is gone. They're alone in a service hall. White tile, gray pipes, the hum of old air scrubbers. No cameras she can see. Kade steps out first, scans left and right, then pulls her after him. His hand stays on her wrist. Not tight. Just there.

"Where are we?" she asks.

"Sub-three. Maintenance level." He's already moving, like his body remembers the layout even if his brain doesn't. "There's a data vault two halls over. If your mom worked here, her files are locked behind biometrics, but the emergency override runs through the maintenance network."

Mara keeps up. Her heels click too loud on the tile, so she kicks them off, leaves them by a utility closet. The floor is cold. Her dress is too tight for running, but she's not thinking about that.