"Get Mateo out of here!" Viktor's voice thundered over the chaos. It was laced with urgency this time, and no one wanted to argue.
"Not without disarming this!" I shouted back, trying to keep my hands from shaking over the wires strapped onto Mateo's vest. My son's tear-streaked eyes locked with mine, his tiny fingers holding onto the dead man's switch like his life depended on it-because it did.
"Mama," Mateo whimpered, his voice fragile and trembling. "I'm scared."
"I know, sweetheart," I whispered, my throat tight with emotion. "But you're so brave. Just keep holding on, okay? We're going to fix this."
"Luciana, focus!" Madison barked, crouched beside me with sweat beading her brow. She had managed to find a set of tools from the Broker's guards, but they were rudimentary at best.
