***
Rain slapped the SUV windshield like warning shots from the sky. The road to Hollow Pines twisted through miles of shadow, each turn coiled with tension. Theo drove like the vehicle was an extension of his pulse—sharp, relentless, never slowing down.
"ETA, ten minutes," he said over the engine hum.
Jace sat beside me, his jaw clenched, eyes trained forward. But I could feel the heat radiating off him. Not just adrenaline.
Fury. Protection. Hunger for closure.
I checked the handgun strapped beneath my jacket. Fully loaded. Safety off. Beside me, a blade glinted in the leather sheath I'd strapped to my thigh.
"Remember," Jace said, voice low. "We're not here to negotiate. We end this. Savannah doesn't walk away this time."
I nodded, my voice steady. "She dies tonight."
***
Flashback — Hollow Pines Estate, Two Days Earlier
Surveillance footage showed a mansion cloaked in overgrowth and secrets. Savannah had resurrected it from Roman's blueprints. The architecture was the same—chokeholds of tight halls, surveillance nooks, high towers for isolation.
But there were differences.
No more collars. No more invisible chains.
Savannah's version of the Crows was bolder.
They chose to follow her.
And that made them even more dangerous.
***
11:13 P.M. — Estate Perimeter
Theo set up base just outside the southern fencing. His fingers flew over his tablet, scrambling exterior security.
"Cameras disabled. You've got twelve minutes before backup power kicks in. Once you're in, you're ghosts."
I touched his arm. "If we don't make it out—"
"You will," he said. "But if not… I have a file ready to upload. Everything. Your dad's backups. The last vault. The world will know."
I nodded, heart thudding. "Thank you, Theo."
Jace moved behind me, lips brushing my ear. "Stay close. No hero moves. We do this together."
I turned to face him, my voice a whisper against the thunder. "Always."
Then we slipped through the fencing.
***
Silence pulsed like a heartbeat.
The hallways were too quiet. No guards. No footsteps. Just a soft echo of dripping water and something else—
Laughter.
Feminine. Familiar.
We followed the sound to a wide stone corridor, lit by a dozen flickering lanterns. At the far end, a massive oak door stood half-open.
Inside…
A ballroom turned war room.
Savannah.
Dani Vale.
And at least fifteen others—all geared in black, some armed, some wide-eyed with indoctrination.
"Welcome," Savannah cooed from the far side. She wore black leather like it was skin, her red lips curled in amusement. "I was wondering when the royal couple would arrive."
My grip tightened on the blade.
She tilted her head. "You know, Leah, I always knew you were dangerous. But never why. Now I do. You were built for this, weren't you?"
Dani stepped forward. She couldn't be more than nineteen, but her eyes were cold. Calculating.
Jace stepped beside me, gun raised. "It's over. You don't have Roman's money. His reach. You're trying to resurrect a corpse."
Savannah smiled wider. "Wrong. I'm building a revolution."
She clapped her hands.
Two guards dragged someone into the room.
Ivy.
Her eyes fluttered, drugged but conscious. Bruised.
I lunged forward—Jace caught me.
"No," he growled. "Not like this."
Savannah laughed. "Careful, baby sister. I might think you still have a weakness."
I pointed my gun. "Let her go, or I put a bullet in Dani's skull."
Dani didn't flinch. She stepped toward the barrel, eyes shining. "Do it."
Savannah licked her lips. "She wants to die. Roman built her that way."
"I'm not Roman," I said, pulling the trigger—
Click.
Empty.
No bullet. A blank.
I'd been disarmed.
Before panic could set in, Jace fired. A real bullet. It hit the lantern above Savannah's head, sending flame crashing across the table.
Chaos erupted.
Screams. Smoke. Shadows moving like phantoms.
I ducked, rolled across the floor, grabbed Ivy and pulled her behind a toppled bookshelf. Jace fired again. Then again.
Theo's voice buzzed in my ear. "Ten seconds to backup—then I'm triggering the failsafe."
"Do it," I panted. "Now."
A blast shook the walls.
Power died.
In the dark, only instinct remained.
***
Savannah found me in the hallway.
Blood dripping down her temple. Still beautiful. Still cruel.
"You think you win because Roman's dead?" she snarled. "You think this ends with me?"
"No," I whispered, raising my blade. "It ends with me."
She lunged.
We collided.
Flesh and fury. Screams. Steel clashing.
She cut my shoulder.
I drove the blade into her thigh.
She kneed me in the ribs—I crashed into the wall.
She ran.
Jace intercepted her at the exit. One blow to her stomach. One twist. She dropped.
Unconscious.
Breathing.
Still alive.
***
Ivy was safe. Dani fled into the woods. We didn't chase her.
Some demons survive for sequels.
Back at the safehouse, I collapsed in Jace's arms.
"It's really over," I whispered.
He kissed my forehead. "No. But the worst part is."
I kissed him, hungry and whole.
And in that moment, nothing else mattered.
***
One Week Later, I stood before the camera. My name. My face. My story.
"My name is Leah Grayson. I was born into the bloodline of corruption. But I am not my father. I am not the Crows. I am not their weapon."
Pause.
"I am their reckoning."
The video went live.
And the world finally listened.
***
Somewhere in a dark room…
Dani Vale opened her eyes.
And smiled