The service dock was a slick, shadowed maze of crates and rusted machinery, the air thick with salt and the faint hum of the city beyond. Lena Hart led her diminished crew—Sasha Voss, Riley Kane, and Daniel Carter—through the narrow paths, their clothes still dripping from the plunge into the bay. Max's betrayal burned in Lena's chest, a raw wound that fueled her steps. The key to locker 47, tucked in her jacket with the map from the safe house, was her father's legacy, a path to the vault that could unravel Vivian Whitmore's empire. But Claire's parting words—Vivian wants her alive—for now—hung over her like a guillotine. The pier was too hot, and Kessler, her father's old security chief, was their only lead.
“We need to find Kessler," Lena said, her voice low as they crouched behind a s
