~ Lucas ~
---
The underground vault felt a bit chillier than usual tonight.
Not that it bothered me.
When the air is this still, silence seems to amplify.
I poured myself a drink from the steel flask tucked away in the back cabinet, leaned against the rusted railing, and watched the monitors flicker to life.
Four feeds. Blackwood International’s security grid—looped through a channel that only Nathalie and I could access.
Damon thought he was invincible.
He was mistaken.
---
The door creaked open behind me.
Softly.
Deliberately.
Only one person moved like that.
Nathalie stepped into the warm glow of the overhead bulb, shrugging off her coat. Her expression was as unreadable as ever. Her boots made a soft click against the concrete floor.
“Did you get it?” I asked.
She held
