Rowan did not move.

He stood perfectly still, his eyes fixed on Tessa.

I looked at his left wrist.

The face of his watch was dark, but as he tilted his arm, the digital display glowed faint blue.

The numbers read 11:59:45.

I remembered the cold rain outside the safehouse.

I remembered Marcus sitting at the wooden table, his fingers tracing a map of the estate.

*At midnight,* Marcus had said. *I will pull the plug on the whole place. You will have exactly ten seconds of total darkness before the mechanical locks freeze.*

My breath caught in my throat.

11:59:50.

“Rowan,” I whispered.

He did not look back at me, but I saw the muscles in his jaw tighten.

He knew.

“Step away from the glass,” the lead guard commanded, raising his weapon toward Rowan’s chest.

Rowan took a slow step backward, his back pressing against the glass of the nursery window.

His hand reached behind him, finding mine.

His fingers were ice cold, but his grip was steady.

11:59:55.

Tessa watched us, a faint, mocking smile on her lips.

“It’s over, Maren,” she said.