I scrambled backward, putting distance between myself and the woman who had somehow slipped past whatever guards Ronan had left behind, my heart hammering as every instinct screamed at me to call for help while simultaneously calculating whether I could reach the chamber's exit before she closed the distance between us.
Mabel's watching the perimeter, I said, forcing steadiness into my voice despite the fear coiling tight through my chest. She'll notice you're here within minutes.
Vesper's expression carried something almost like amusement at that. Mabel is currently occupied, she said. A small distraction, nothing permanent, nothing that will hurt her seriously. I'm not here to cause unnecessary harm, Wren. I'm here because Callahan anticipated exactly this scenario, his capture, his ne
