CALLAHAN POV
Three seconds to grab Vesper. Two seconds to reach the window. One second before the explosives detonated.
I didn't have enough time.
The floor buckled beneath us. Celestine's smile was the last thing I saw before the ceiling caved in. I threw myself over Vesper, covering her body with mine as concrete and steel rained down.
The world exploded.
We fell through three floors—me holding Vesper, twisting midair to take the impact. We crashed through a rotted floor into what used to be a warehouse basement. Pain shot through my ribs. Broken. At least two.
Didn't matter.
"Vesper?" I rolled off her, checking for injuries. "Talk to me."
She coughed, gasping for air. "You—you came—"
"Of course I came." I pulled her to her feet. Above us, the building continued collapsing. We had maybe thirty seconds before we were buried alive. "Can you run?"
"I think—yes—"
I grabbed her hand and ran.
The basement was a maze of old machinery and support beams. I'd memorized the building layout before I came—every exit, every weakness. We sprinted toward the east wall as the ceiling collapsed behind us, chasing us like a wave.
Twenty seconds.
I found the maintenance tunnel I'd mapped. Kicked the rusted door open. Shoved Vesper inside.
Fifteen seconds.
We ran through darkness. My night vision was better than most—years of hunting in shadows. I pulled Vesper forward, trusting her to keep up.
Ten seconds.
The tunnel exit appeared ahead. Moonlight streaming through.
Five seconds.
We burst out into an alley as the entire building imploded behind us. The shockwave threw us forward. I wrapped around Vesper again, taking the impact against a dumpster.
Then silence. Just our breathing. Dust settling around us.
Vesper was shaking in my arms. "You saved me."
"I told you. Nobody touches my wife."
She pulled back to look at me. Her violet eyes were wide, shocked. "You killed twelve men. I counted. Twelve men in less than a minute."
"Thirteen. You missed one in the hallway." I checked her over again. Bruises forming on her arms. Cut on her forehead. Nothing serious. "You're hurt—"
"I'm fine." She touched the blood on my face. Not mine—belonged to the men I'd killed. "You're covered in—"
"Not my blood. Don't worry about it." I stood, pulling her up. "We need to move. Theron Vex will send more. And Kieran—"
"Your brother." Vesper's voice was quiet. "He said you pushed him off a bridge. Left him to die."
My chest tightened. "He told you that?"
"Is it true?"
"No." I met her eyes. "But I understand why he believes it. We were thirteen. Our parents had just been murdered. The killers came for us. We ran. The bridge was rotting. I told Kieran to go first—he was lighter, faster. It collapsed under him. I tried to grab him. I wasn't strong enough." The memory still haunted me. Kieran's hand slipping from mine. His scream as he fell. "I searched for his body for weeks. Never found it. I thought he drowned."
"But he didn't."
"No. Someone pulled him out. Took him. Used him." I clenched my fists. "Theron Vex. That's who raised my brother. Turned him into a weapon against me."
Vesper was silent for a moment. Processing. Then: "The building. Celestine said she wanted to track you. She had a syringe—"
"Did she inject you?"
"No. You came before—" Vesper stopped. Looked at me. Really looked. "How did you find me so fast?"
I pulled out my phone. Showed her the tracking app. A red dot pulsing. "You've had a tracker in your wedding ring since the day I gave it to you. I always know where you are."
Her face went white. "You've been tracking me for five years?"
"Yes."
"That's—that's—"
"Controlling. Invasive. Possessive." I didn't apologize. "I told you, Vesper. I've been watching you. Protecting you. You're mine. I don't let what's mine out of my sight."
She yanked the ring off. Threw it at me. "I'm not your property!"
I caught the ring. "No. You're my wife. There's a difference."
"A contract wife! A fake marriage! None of this is real!"
"It's real to me." I stepped closer. She backed up against the alley wall. Trapped. Again. "It's been real since the day you signed. Since before that, if I'm honest. I saw you trying to save your father. Saw your loyalty. Your strength. I wanted you. So I created a situation where you'd need me."
"You destroyed my father's company. On purpose."
"Isolde destroyed it. I just bought the debt and offered you a way out." I touched her face. She flinched but didn't pull away. "I gave you a choice, Vesper. You chose to save him. I've been protecting you ever since."
"By killing people?"
"By eliminating threats. Yes." I wouldn't lie to her. Not anymore. "Every person who hurt you. Every person who tried to use you. Every person who made you feel small. They're all gone. That's what I do. I protect what's mine."
Tears slid down her cheeks. "I don't know if you're saving me or destroying me."
"Both." I wiped her tears away. "I'm the monster under your bed, Vesper. The nightmare in the dark. But I'm your monster. And I will burn this entire city down before I let anyone take you from me."
"Even your own brother?"
"Especially my brother."
She searched my face. Looking for something. Truth, maybe. Or lies. "What happens now?"
"Now we—"
My phone rang. Seraphine.
I answered. "What?"
"We have a massive problem. Kieran just uploaded a video to every news station in the city. He's exposing you. Showing your face. Naming you as The Architect. The police are surrounding your building. FBI is getting involved. Your identity is completely blown."
Damn it.
"How long do we have?"
"Minutes. Maybe less. Every law enforcement agency in the country is coming for you."
I looked at Vesper. At her terrified face. At the trust I'd shattered and the truth I'd revealed.
"Then we run," I said.
"Run where? You own this city. Where can you possibly—"
The phone died. Cut off mid-sentence.
A spotlight hit us. Blinding. Bright.
Helicopters overhead. Police cars blocking both ends of the alley.
A voice boomed through a megaphone: "Callahan Devereux, you're under arrest for multiple homicides. Put your hands up. Step away from the woman."
Vesper grabbed my arm. "Callahan—"
"Trust me," I whispered.
"Trust you? You've lied about everything—"
"I've never lied about protecting you. Never." I pulled her close. "Do you trust me?"
She looked at the police. At the helicopters. At me.
"I don't know," she whispered.
"Good enough." I grabbed her hand. "Run."
We ran deeper into the alley as gunfire erupted behind us. Bullets sparked off brick. I shielded Vesper with my body, taking a round to the shoulder.
Pain exploded. I ignored it.
We reached the end of the alley. Dead end. Brick wall twelve feet high.
Police closing in behind us.
"Callahan—" Vesper's voice broke. "We're trapped."
I turned to face the officers. Twenty guns pointed at us.
The lead officer stepped forward. "It's over, Devereux. Let the girl go. Hands up."
I looked at Vesper. At her violet eyes wide with fear. At the woman I'd manipulated and protected and obsessed over for five years.
"I'm sorry," I told her. "For all of it. For the lies. For controlling your life. For being the monster you never asked for."
"Callahan, what are you—"
I kissed her. Hard. Desperate. Five years of wanting her. Of watching her. Of loving her from the shadows.
When I pulled back, she was crying.
"Last chance, Devereux!" the officer shouted.
I raised my hands. Stepped in front of Vesper. "Don't shoot. I'm surrendering. Just don't hurt her."
"Callahan, no—" Vesper tried to grab me.
I pushed her back gently. "You're free now. The contract is void. Take the money. Live your life. Forget me."
"I don't want—"
"FREEZE!"
The officers rushed forward.
I dropped to my knees. Let them tackle me. Let them cuff my hands behind my back.
Vesper screamed my name.
As they dragged me away, I looked back at her one last time.
And saw Kieran step out of the shadows behind her.
"VESPER! BEHIND YOU!"
Too late.
Kieran grabbed her. Pressed a cloth over her mouth. She struggled for three seconds. Then went limp.
"Thanks for the assist, officers," Kieran called out cheerfully. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking my sister-in-law. Brother—enjoy prison. I'll take good care of your wife."
He disappeared into the darkness, carrying Vesper's unconscious body.
And I couldn't do anything.
Couldn't move. Couldn't fight. Couldn't save her.
The police threw me into a van. Doors slammed shut.
Through the small window, I watched Kieran's car speed away.
Taking Vesper.
Taking everything.
The officer beside me smiled. "The Architect. Finally caught. You're going to prison for the rest of your life."
I smiled back. "No. I'm not."
Then I broke the cuffs.