I needed to close the gap, but I couldn’t risk a shot with Lily in the line of fire.

Vanessa was using Lily’s small frame perfectly, keeping her head tucked behind the child’s shoulder.

I saw Lily’s eyes blink rapidly.

She was trying to tell me something.

Our old code.

Two blinks, then three.

*Drop.*

I had taught her that emergency signal years ago, before she lost her voice.

I braced my feet against the concrete.

I needed Vanessa to take one more step forward, away from the metal staircase.

“If you shoot me, you’ll never get the encryption keys,” Grant yelled, trying to regain control.

“The accounts will lock permanently in ninety seconds.”

“Let him go, Evelyn,” Vanessa said, taking another step.

The jet engine outside roared louder, the pitch rising as if preparing for taxi.

The hangar doors began to creak, opening wider to the freezing elements.

A blast of snow swirled into the space, obscuring our vision for a split second.

The cold wind whipped through the open hangar doors, biting at my face.

The snow swirled between us like a white curtain.