Chapter 24 · Traceless - Chapter 24: The Lock in His Blood

Cole's hand closed around Layla's wrist before the screens even went dark.

"Move."

She didn't argue. The baby was strapped against her chest, still quiet, and Cole pulled her toward the back exit while Vera's face flickered on every monitor. The grid hadn't gone down yet. That meant Vera could still track every step.

"She's watching us right now," Layla said.

Cole didn't answer. He shoved through the emergency door and dragged her into the stairwell. The lights were motion-activated, cold white, and they climbed fast. Two flights up, he stopped at a service panel and ripped it open.

"What are you doing?"

"Killing her access." He pulled a knife from his belt and cut into the wiring. Sparks jumped. The lights died. Emergency backup kicked in a second later, dim red.

Layla's breath was loud in the quiet. The baby shifted against her ribs.

Cole straightened and looked at her. His face was half shadow. "Vera's not just running the grid. She's running a kill protocol."

"What does that mean?"

"It means if I don't bring you in, HQ activates my tracker. Full shutdown." He said it flat, like he was reporting weather.