“They will recognize your men instantly,” I replied. “They won’t recognize me. Or, if they do, they will think I am running away.”

I leaned closer to him, looking straight into his grey eyes.

“Let me act as the bait,” I whispered.

He stared at me, his breathing shallow.

The rain began to beat harder against the windowpanes, a steady, drumming rhythm.

Downstairs, a faint buzzer sounded, echoing through the quiet halls.

Mara gasped, stepping toward the window.

“Is someone at the gate?” she asked.

I stood up, leaving Roman’s side, and walked to the desk to grab my coat.

I slipped the brass key into my inner pocket.

My heart hammered in my chest, but my hands were steady.

“Elias will drive me,” I said.

“No,” Roman said, his hand reaching out into the empty air. “Lena, stop.”

I turned back to look at him, memorizing the sharp lines of his face.

“I am doing this for both of us,” I said.

I walked to the door and unlocked it.

The hallway outside was dark, the shadows long and deep.