Victor Blackthorne's grip was ice against Zara's hoodie, his voice as polished as ever.
"I must admit, I expected you to be reckless," he said, steering her forward. "But brave? That was a surprise."
Zara glared at him as she was pushed into the center of the warehouse, the shadows swallowing them whole.
"You're really fond of dramatics," she spat. "Ever consider therapy?"
Victor chuckled, cold and humorless. "Oh, Zara. You inherited Isla's wit. Pity you didn't inherit her silence."
He motioned to a guard. The man stepped forward and struck Jaxon across the face.
Zara flinched. "Leave him alone!"
Victor stepped between them, folding his hands behind his back. "You want him? Then give me what I need."
Zara's heart thundered. "You already have it. The vault. The data. Everything Theo uncovered."
Victor smiled. "We didn't just want to bury secrets. We wanted the last piece."
He nodded toward one of his agents, who pulled out a case metal, sleek, and unmistakably familiar.
Theo's drive.
Zara's breath caught.
"I know your brother programmed it with a final key," Victor said smoothly. "A key he never wrote down. A key tied to his family."
Zara blinked. "What do you mean?"
Victor leaned in close, voice low and threatening.
"It's your fingerprint, Zara."
The room tilted.
Theo had locked the final layer of the Foundry files with her biometric ID.
She was the last line of defense.
Victor smiled as realization dawned on her face. "So here we are. The girl with the password. The boy with the leverage. And me with time running out."
Zara's mind raced.
She could hand it over. Save Jaxon.
Or she could stall. Think. Survive.
She lifted her chin.
"Okay," she said. "You want my fingerprint?"
Victor arched an eyebrow. "Don't play games, girl."
She stepped forward. "Then let him go first."
Victor looked at her, amused.
"I'm not negotiating."
"You are now," she shot back. "Because if I die, you never get what's on that drive."
He paused.
That was her opening.
"I touch that scanner," she said, "and I want him walking out that door. Alive. Free. Or this drive stays locked forever."
Victor studied her.
Then… smiled.
"Fine," he said. "Let's play your game."