Maxine pressed her back against the damp brick wall, her breath curling in the cold. Beside her, Nile was already pulling out her tactical knife, eyes scanning the dark. Joe and Nicky flanked the far end, a familiar, synchronized rhythm in their stillness. Booker's footsteps scuffed behind her, a nervous tell she'd clocked a century ago.

A woman stepped into the light. Blonde. Lean. A jagged scar kissed her jawline, and her eyes— a pale, furious blue— locked onto Maxine with the heat of a thousand burning ships.