The transport convoy moved without sirens.
Three armored vehicles. No markings. No lights beyond the low amber glow required by law. It was the kind of movement meant to go unnoticed—official, quiet, deadly.
Liara Kane sat inside the middle vehicle.
Hands cuffed again. Ankles chained. Two armed officers facing her, eyes forward, fingers resting too comfortably near their triggers. She could tell immediately—these weren't standard prison guards.
These were Sabina's people.
The city slid past through the narrow reinforced window: rain-slick streets, shuttered shops, neon signs flickering like tired witnesses. Gravehaven pretended nothing was happening. It always did.
Liara closed her eyes and slowed her breathing.
Count exits. Count seconds. Count mistakes.
That's how you survive.
The convoy turned onto Blackwater Bridge—long, narrow, elevated above the river. No pedestrians. No cameras that worked properly. Jurisdiction blurred between districts.
Liara's pulse spiked.
Transfer routes don't choose bridges by accident.
Then—
The world exploded.
A thunderous impact slammed into the rear vehicle. Metal screamed. The convoy lurched violently. The transport carrying Liara jerked sideways, tires shrieking as the driver fought for control.
Gunfire erupted instantly.
Not panicked.
Precise.
Liara's eyes snapped open.
One of the "officers" reached for a rifle.
Too late.
The windshield shattered inward as a vehicle smashed through the roadblock ahead, sliding sideways to cut them off. Headlights flared white-hot through the rain.
Liara recognized the driving pattern even before she saw him.
Controlled. Aggressive. Familiar.
"Ryan…" she whispered.
The side door of the transport was ripped open by an explosive charge. Smoke flooded in. One of the officers went down before he could turn—shot clean through the chest.
The second raised his weapon.
A single gunshot.
He collapsed.
Ryan Cross stood in the doorway, rain pouring down his coat, gun steady, eyes locked on Liara.
For half a second, the chaos disappeared.
"You okay?" he asked.
Liara stared at him. "You absolute idiot."
He smirked faintly. "Missed you too."
More gunfire.
Ryan moved fast, cutting her cuffs with practiced precision. "We've got ninety seconds before this bridge becomes a kill zone."
Liara stood, rolling her shoulders. "You planned this terribly."
"Yeah," he said. "That's the best part."
They jumped.
Out of the transport. Onto the wet asphalt.
The bridge was a warzone.
Sabina's security detail poured out of the remaining vehicles, firing in controlled bursts. Muzzle flashes lit the rain. Bullets sparked against concrete barriers.
Ryan returned fire while moving—never stopping, never hesitating. Liara grabbed a fallen weapon, checked the magazine, and joined him without a word.
They moved like they always had.
Side by side. Cover to cover. Breath to breath.
A masked shooter rushed them from the left.
Liara dropped him with two shots to the torso.
Another came from the right.
Ryan took him down before Liara even turned.
"Marcus?" Liara shouted over the noise.
"Watching," Ryan replied. "Always watching."
An engine roared.
A black SUV burst onto the bridge, plowing through debris, gunfire blazing from its windows.
"Ride!" Ryan yelled.
They sprinted.
Bullets chased them across the open stretch. One clipped Ryan's shoulder—he grunted but didn't slow.
They dove into the SUV just as it slammed through a collapsing barrier.
The driver hit the gas.
The bridge disappeared behind them in chaos—smoke, fire, twisted metal, screaming sirens finally waking up too late.
Inside the car, silence fell heavy and unreal.
Liara turned to Ryan, eyes blazing.
"You broke me out of custody," she said. "Do you understand what you just did?"
Ryan wiped blood from his shoulder, breathing hard. "Yeah."
"You're done," she said. "No badge. No protection. They'll hunt you."
He met her gaze, unwavering. "They already were."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Liara leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his.
Just there.
Not dramatic.
Not rushed.
Real.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
Ryan closed his eyes for half a second. "Don't make me regret it."
She pulled back, a dangerous smile forming. "Too late."
The driver glanced at them through the mirror. "We're clear for now. But every camera in the city will light up soon."
Ryan looked out at the city rushing past.
"Then we disappear," he said. "Marcus took the law. Sabina took the narrative."
Liara checked her weapon, calm and focused. "So what do we take?"
Ryan turned to her.
"Everything."
The city ahead burned with lights and secrets.
They were fugitives now.
Not detectives.
Not prisoners.
Hunters.