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"It's me, Kyra’s daughter, Jasmine," Kyra responded. "Open the door, Parisa."

The door opened just enough for Kyra to slipinside, then was quickly closed and locked behind her. Parisa stood with her back against the door. "What's happening?" she asked. "I thought we would get picked up from Soraya's home later tonight."

"Change of plans," Kyra said, holding her weapon by her thigh to appear less threatening. "The people hunting our family are moving faster than we anticipated. They've already replaced the guards at Rana's home, and our team over there is extracting her as we speak."

Parisa's breath caught. "My sons?—"

"We will pick them up as soon as we leave here," Kyra assured her.

"I've packed the essentials." Parisa gestured to a small duffel bag sitting by the couch. "Documents, photographs, medications. I wasn't sure what else to bring. The boys have their essentials with them in their backpacks."

"That's perfect," Kyra said.

Her pendant suddenly flared warm against her skin, and Kyra's hand instinctively went to her weapon. "We've got company," she murmured at the same instant that Jade's voice crackled in her ear with the exact same message. Kyra moved to the window that overlooked the building entrance.

Below, two men in civilian clothing were speaking to the guard who had returned to his post. Even from this distance, she could tell that they weren't human. It was the sinuous fluidity of immortalsthat only select humans possessed, like classically trained dancers or gymnasts.

"They're earlier than expected," Kyra said grimly to both Parisa and Jade, who was still on the open channel. "We need a different exit strategy."

"There's a service corridor that connects to the building next door." Parisa offered. "This used to be a much fancier building back in the day. It was designed so service crews didn't need to disturb the residents when repairs were needed."

Nadim hadn't gotten ahold of this building's schematics, so Kyra hadn't known that. She'd only scoped out what was visible from the outside. "Show me where it is."

She took Parisa's duffel bag and then followed her sister through the apartment to a utility closet at the back.

Kyra made sure that Jade heard the last exchange. "We're using an alternate exit. Service corridor connecting to the adjacent building, and given what's happening, you need to head to the school now, while we still might have the advantage."

"Copy that," Jade replied. "I'll reposition the van at the secondary extraction point and steal a car to get the boys. Are you sure that you can get away unseen? Otherwise, there's no way I am leaving you here to deal with two Doomers on your own."

"I can handle this," Kyra replied. "The boys are a priority. Go."

Inside the utility closet, Parisa pushed aside astack of storage bins to reveal a narrow door. "This was designed as a fire escape connection," she explained. "Not many residents know about it." A fleeting smile touched Parisa's lips. "My late husband was very security conscious. He bought this apartment because of this alternative escape route."

The door opened to a narrow maintenance corridor lit by a single fluorescent bulb. Pipes and electrical conduits ran along the ceiling, and the air was heavy with the smell of dust and mold.

"This way," Parisa said, moving with surprising confidence through the dimly lit space.

23

MAX

As bullets rang past Max, he pressed himself against the wall of Rana's living room. The extraction that should have been relatively straightforward had devolved into a firefight within seconds of their entry. Rather than the two Doomers they'd observed entering earlier, they'd encountered four—with two more arriving as backup moments after Max and Anton breached the house.

It seemed the Brotherhood had been expecting them.

"Status on Rana?" Max called to Anton, who had positioned himself at the rear of the house, covering the kitchen and back door.

"Still in the bathroom," Anton said.

At least that was something. Max had immediately moved Rana to the home's single bathroom the moment the shooting started. It was the mostdefensible position with only one door and no windows. Now, they were pinned down, with Doomers at both the front and back of the place.

"Yamanu, we need backup," Max said into his comm unit. "Six hostiles, possibly more incoming. We're contained but unable to extract."

Static crackled through his earpiece before Yamanu's voice came through, broken and distorted. "—heavy resistance here too—Soraya secured but—reinforcements?—"

"Your transmission's breaking up," Max replied. "Do you copy? We need immediate support."

More static, then Dima's voice cut through, clearer than Yamanu's. "We copy. Holding position with Soraya. Yamanu says they're jamming communications across the sector. Appears to be a coordinated Brotherhood response."