KATHLEEN
The SafeHaven relaunch party glittered like a gilded trap.
Kathleen adjusted the silver pin on her blazer—the one Alina had given her that morning with a solemn *"for luck"*—and scanned the rooftop venue. Every tech titan in Veloria was here, sipping champagne beneath strings of delicate lights. The press buzzed near the stage, waiting for her speech.
Ava materialized at her elbow, her grip tight on Kathleen's wrist. *"We have a problem."*
She passed Kathleen a phone. On-screen, a live security feed showed three men in catering uniforms slipping through the service entrance.
*"Facial recognition flagged them,"* Ava muttered. *"Ex-Sandeke private security. All armed."*
Kathleen's pulse spiked. *"Evacuate quietly. Get Alina out—"*
*"Too late."* Ava's nod cut toward the elevators, where Carl stood with Alina perched on his hip, the little girl's eyes wide as she took in the crowd.
Carl's gaze locked onto Kathleen's. He read her expression instantly.
His arm tightened around Alina as he reached under his suit jacket—
The first shot rang out.
---
CARL
Chaos erupted.
Carl shoved Alina into Ava's arms and lunged for Kathleen as glass shattered. Screams filled the air. Another bullet whizzed past, embedding itself in the stage behind them.
*"Down!"* He tackled Kathleen behind a pillar, his body shielding hers.
She gasped beneath him, her fingers digging into his shoulders. *"Alina—"*
*"Ava has her."* Carl yanked his pistol free, peering around the pillar. The assassins were moving in, using panicked guests as cover.
Kathleen grabbed his arm. *"There's a service stairwell behind the bar. We can—"*
A shadow loomed to their left.
Carl fired first.
The man dropped. The remaining two scattered.
Carl hauled Kathleen up. *"Run."*
They sprinted for the bar, bullets biting into the marble at their heels.
---
KATHLEEN
The stairwell was pitch-black.
Kathleen's heels skidded on concrete as Carl pulled her downward, his grip bruising. Somewhere above, the door crashed open—heavy footsteps followed.
*"Faster,"* Carl growled.
They hit the landing just as a muzzle flashed.
Kathleen screamed as Carl jerked against her.
*No. No, no—*
He kept moving, dragging her into the parking garage. Blood soaked his left sleeve, dripping onto the asphalt.
*"You're hit—"*
*"Keep going."* He shoved her toward a black sedan, firing two shots over her head. A body thudded behind them.
Kathleen fumbled with the car door. Carl collapsed into the driver's seat, his breath ragged.
*"Keys,"* he demanded.
She dug them from his pocket, her fingers slick with his blood.
The engine roared to life.
Carl stomped the gas just as the last assassin lunged for the window—
The car plowed through the garage gate, leaving chaos in their wake.
---
CARL
Carl's vision blurred.
The sedan swerved onto the highway, Kathleen's hands tight on the wheel.
*"Stay with me,"* she begged.
Carl pressed his forehead to the window, the city lights smearing into streaks.
He'd spent a lifetime building walls.
But this woman—this fierce, relentless woman who'd fought through hell for a child that wasn't hers, who remembered the boy he'd been—
She'd torn them all down.
*"Kathleen."* His voice was rough.
She glanced at him, tears cutting through the blood on her face.
*"I love you."*
The words hung in the air, fragile and unbreakable.
Kathleen's breath hitched.
Then the car skidded into the emergency bay, and darkness swallowed him whole.