“I followed your trail, boss,” Daniel whispered back.

“The perimeter is crawling with Caleb’s men.”

“I couldn’t leave you to face them alone.”

I turned my head slightly, my cheek pressing against the rough concrete wall of the utility shaft.

The guards near the vault were still shouting coordinates to one another.

Their heavy boots scraped against the dusty floor just ten feet away.

“We don’t have time for this,” I whispered.

“Nora and Lila are still in the panic room.”

“They need someone at that door.”

Daniel’s eyes gleamed in the dim light of the corridor.

He looked tired, but his hand was steady on his sidearm.

“Marcus is in the boiler room,” Daniel said.

“They have him tied up.”

“They’re trying to force the vault codes out of him.”

My chest tightened.

Marcus had been with me since the beginning, a loyal shield through every turf war.

“Go back to the panic room, Daniel,” I ordered.

“That is not a request.”

“If Caleb’s men get past you, my daughter dies.”

Daniel stared at me for a long, silent second.