And he hoped to God his family had left it guarded.
“How do you know that?” Noah asked.
“Because I know Praetorian’s playbook,” Elliot replied, already moving toward the door. He paused at the threshold, looking back at the three women huddled protectively around Tyler.
The young scientist’s breathing had gone shallow, his skin ashen beneath the black veins. There was a good chance the kid wouldn’t make it, but they had to try.
“Stay alive,” he told them as he locked them in. “We’ll be back with help.”
Then he was running, Rue at his side with Jess’s weapon in hand. Noah and Koos were close behind. The corridor was chaos—emergency lights flashing, alarms blaring, the distant pop of gunfire echoing through the metal hallways. The floor vibrated beneath his feet with each explosion, and the acrid smell of smoke and cordite filled his lungs.
His mind raced ahead, mapping the route to the east garage. They needed to move fast—Keene had a head start, and if he got away with those samples...
The thought of what Praetorian could do with the pathogen made his blood run cold. This wasn’t just about saving their own lives anymore. This was about preventing a global catastrophe.
They rounded the corner and nearly collided with two Praetorian operatives in tactical gear. Elliot didn’t hesitate. He drove his shoulder into the first man’s sternum, using the momentum to slam him against the wall. The impact sent a jolt of pain through his injured shoulder, but adrenaline dulled it to a distant throb.
Rue darted past him, dropping low to sweep the legs out from under the second operative. The man went down hard, his rifleclattering across the floor. Rue scooped it up, reversed her grip, and brought the butt down on the man’s temple with a sickening crack.
“Nice,” Elliot said, breathing hard as he relieved the soldiers of their weapons. He kept a rifle for himself, gave one to Noah, and handed one of the sidearms to Koos before tucking the other into his waistband.
“Rock climbing builds upper body strength,” she replied with a grim smile.
They pressed on, moving in a tight formation down the corridor. Elliot took point, the borrowed rifle a reassuring weight against his shoulder. Each intersection, each doorway was a potential ambush, and he cleared them methodically, muscle memory from years of training taking over.
Lab A’s door came into view, its glass shattered. He ducked through the door and did a quick sweep as the others waited in the hall. Equipment lay overturned, papers scattered across the floor like confetti.
He re-emerged and shook his head at their questioning looks.
No Keene.
They continued down the hall and heard a commotion ahead—shouted commands, the shuffle of boots on concrete, and the unmistakable sound of a standoff. Elliot held up his fist, signaling the others to halt. Pressing his back against the wall, he inched forward until he could peer around the corner.
His heart leapt. There, in the wide loading bay that led to the east garage, stood Dom, Griffin, Sabin, and at least six other WSW operatives in full tactical gear, weapons trained on a cluster of Praetorian guards. The guards had formed a protective circle around someone—Keene, no doubt—backing slowly toward the garage doors.
And standing at the front of the Praetorian formation, barking orders in that familiar commanding tone, was a figure Elliot would recognize anywhere.
Cade.
His cousin’s face was covered, his navy blue eyes cold as he faced down Dom and the WSW team. The tactical vest he wore bore Praetorian’s insignia instead of Wilde Security’s, and the sight of it hit Elliot like a gut punch.
“Last chance,” Dom called out, his rifle trained steadily on Cade’s chest. “Stand down or we start putting holes in people.”
“You’re outgunned!” Keene shouted from the middle of his protective circle. “Let us pass, and no one else has to die today.”
Elliot’s mind raced. Dom didn’t know—couldn’t know—that the man he was about to shoot was their cousin. The mask, tactical helmet, and dim emergency lighting obscured Cade’s features enough that Dom wouldn’t recognize him at this distance.
“Dom, no!” Elliot shouted as he saw his younger brother’s finger tighten on the trigger. He lunged forward, throwing himself between the two groups. “It’s Cade!”
Dom’s eyes widened in shock, his aim wavering. “What the fuck?”
“Don’t shoot!” Elliot kept his hands raised, heart hammering against his ribs. “That’s Cade.”
The moment stretched, taut as a wire. Dom’s face contorted with disbelief, then rage, then confusion as he processed what Elliot had said. Behind him, Griffin and Sabin exchanged shocked glances but kept their weapons trained on the Praetorian guards.
“Fuck,” Sabin muttered. “Leave it to y’all Wildes to turn family reunion into a firefight.”
“Elliot,” Cade said, his voice oddly calm. “You should have stayed in the lab. You would’ve been safe. I made sure of it.”
