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“I didn’t say Ihada plan.” He smirks, like the smug bastard he is, and I have to resist the urge to lunge at him. “But my man is inside. He’ll create a diversion to get you in. But you’ll have to be quick. In and out in less than fifteen minutes.”

“And then what? It’s a private island. We’re still surrounded by water.”

“We’ll use the same supply routes we use to get in. It’s tight, but it’s doable.Ifyou don’t fuck it up, which means you need to keep your head. You’ll be a soldier for once.”

I grit my teeth. My hands are itching to tear something apart. Everything must be executed perfectly. And time is of the essence.

If Kane has touched her, I’ll burn that island to ash. I’ll kill every last man on Gabriel’s compound, slowly if I can.

And if she’s?—

No. I can’t even go there.

If the worst happens, I’ll put the barrel to my temple and pull the trigger without a second’s hesitation.

45

Ava

Gabriel’s blood spreads across the wood floor like spilled paint. I can’t look away. My ears still ring from the gunshot, the sound echoing through my skull.

He was alive. Talking. Shouting. Just a moment ago.

Now, he’s dead.

How could something so final feel like nothing at all? Just a sound. Then stillness.

“Gabriel Wolfe is dead.” The Sacred Light’s voice booms through the room. When I turn to him, he’s looking at the guard, who’s staring wide-eyed at Gabriel’s body, his gun still pointed shakily at the Sacred Light’s head.

A second shot cracks through the air. I jump as the guard crumples to the floor, his gun clattering across the hardwood.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kane’s extended arm. A sleek black gun is gripped in his steady hand.

“I was about to let him go in peace,” the Sacred Light says, his mechanical voice betraying no emotion.

Kane shrugs and tucks the gun into his waistband. “It wasn’t worth the risk.”

The Sacred Light nods once, the golden mask catching the firelight.

The door bursts open, and Coraline rushes in, her eyes wide. “I heard two gunshots—” She halts. Her gaze darts from Gabriel’s body to the fallen guard, and she exhales slowly. “Oh.”

“You both did well,” the Sacred Light says. “Your loyalty will be rewarded.”

Coraline smiles thinly, and Kane dips his chin.

My head spins as the drug’s fog begins to lift. This was planned. All of it.

The Sacred Light approaches me, his robes dragging across the floor.

“What is happening?” My voice sounds foreign to my own ears. “You were working with them?”

“No. They were working for me.”

I shake my head, wincing at the sharp pain behind my eyes. “But Gabriel… He was going to have Kane…”

“Gabriel believed he was in control.” The Sacred Light tilts his head. “He never was.”

“But…” I glance at Kane, who watches me with that same unnerving stillness. “The kidnapping and the beating you got… It was all planned?”