“It was Lila,” I said.

Caleb let out another wet, rattling laugh from the floor.

Marcus kept his hand on Caleb’s shoulder, pressing him down against the cold stone.

“She’s close,” I said, looking at Caleb.

“She is closer than you think, Adrian,” Caleb said.

His teeth were stained with blood from the struggle earlier.

“But you won’t find her in time,” he added.

The red numbers on the wall-mounted timer blinked.

01:48.

The seconds were sliding away.

“Tell me where she is, Caleb,” I said, my voice dropping to a whisper.

I stepped toward him, my boots clicking on the damp concrete.

“Or what?” Caleb sneered. “You’ll have Marcus shoot me?”

“If you die, you lose your leverage,” I said.

“And if I live, I still control the game,” he replied.

Nora stepped between us, her face pale in the dim light of the cellar.

“You never controlled anything, Caleb,” Nora said.

Her voice was steady now, cold and sharp.

“You only used people who were too afraid to fight back,” she said.

Caleb looked up at her, his eyes narrowing.

“Like Elena,” Nora said.