The shot cracked so loud it tore the night in half.
Serena didn't know who screamed—her, Aria, or one of the men—but the sound ripped through her chest like it belonged to her lungs.
The gun clattered across the pier. Aria had slammed the shooter's wrist against the railing, hard enough that bone might've snapped. He howled, clutching his arm, blood dripping through his fingers.
"Move!" Aria barked, shoving Serena behind her.
Two more men rushed. Aria spun low, boot sweeping one off balance. The other slammed into her ribs, driving her into the wood with a grunt. Serena's pulse roared in her ears. She grabbed the first thing she could—a loose chain coiled near the dock post—and swung.
It connected with a crunch. The man staggered, cursing, hands flying to his temple.
Serena froze. She'd actually hit him. He was bleeding.
Aria didn't freeze. She drove her elbow into the second man's gut, ripped his knife from his belt, and jammed the hilt across his jaw. He dropped.
The dock was chaos now—shouts, footsteps pounding, the water slapping hard against the posts. The suit stood calm in the middle of it all, watching like he was bored at a dinner party.
"Impressive," he drawled, stepping closer. "But this ends here."
"Come try me," Aria spat, blade steady, blood slicking her cheek from some cut she hadn't noticed.
"Not necessary." The suit flicked his fingers. More doors slammed open on the sedan. More men. Too many.
Serena's heart plummeted. "Aria—"
"I see it." Aria's grip on the knife tightened. "Fuck."
They were boxed in—the pier behind them, water black and cold; men in front, spreading out slow, enjoying the trap. Serena's hand found Aria's sleeve without thinking. Aria didn't shake her off.
The suit's smile sharpened. "Last chance, Miss Vale. Walk away, and your family will forgive this little lapse. Stay, and…" He looked at Aria like she was already dead.
Serena's stomach turned. "No."
The suit's eyes narrowed. "No?"
"I'm not leaving her."
For the first time all night, the calm cracked. His lip curled. "Then you're dumber than I thought."
He raised his hand.
The men surged forward.
Aria shoved Serena hard enough to knock the air out of her lungs. "Run!"
"Not without you—"
"Serena, go!"
But there was nowhere to run. The pier was closing like jaws. Boots thudded against the wood, shadows lunged—
And then a flare lit the night.
Red fire streaked overhead, screaming sparks, blinding every set of eyes on the dock. Someone shouted from the water. Another boat's engine roared to life, barreling in from the side.
"Down!" Aria grabbed Serena and yanked her flat as bullets cracked the air. Not from the Vales—someone else. Gunfire chewed into the sedan, glass exploding. The men dove for cover, shouting over each other.
The suit's calm shattered. "Get them! Now!"
Aria didn't wait for orders to be carried out. She hauled Serena up and sprinted for the edge of the pier.
Serena's heart stopped. "Aria, no—"
"Trust me!"
The boat below tore closer, spray kicking up white against the dark. Aria didn't slow. She dragged Serena with her, sprinting full tilt. The edge of the pier rushed up—
They jumped.
The water hit like knives. Cold, black, choking. Serena kicked hard, lungs screaming. Something strong gripped her arm, yanking her up, breaking the surface.
Aria.
"Swim!" she shouted, dragging Serena toward the boat.
Hands reached down, rough, urgent, pulling them aboard. Serena collapsed against the deck, coughing water, hair plastered to her face. Aria landed beside her, knife still in hand, chest heaving.
The boat tore away from the pier, engine howling. Shouts echoed behind them, but the flare had left the dock in chaos, smoke curling through the air, men scrambling.
Serena pressed her forehead to the wet wood, trying not to vomit. Her chest burned, her cheek throbbed from where she'd been hit. But she was alive.
Aria crouched beside her, dripping, eyes locked on the receding dock. "They'll come harder next time."
Serena's throat worked. "Who the fuck were those men?"
Aria's jaw tightened. "Vale men. Who else."
Serena froze. "You mean—"
"Your uncle." Aria spat over the side, hair plastered silver-dark to her cheek. "That wasn't just a warning. That was him saying you belong to him. That I don't."
The words sank like lead.
Serena's fists clenched, nails cutting her palms. "He doesn't own me."
Aria's laugh was sharp and humorless. "Yeah? Then why does he send killers to collect what's his?"
Serena looked at her, raw and furious. "Because he's afraid of me finally choosing something for myself."
Aria's eyes flicked to hers, unreadable. For once, she didn't have a smirk ready.
The boat roared deeper into the black water, city lights shrinking behind them. Serena's cheek throbbed. Aria's arm bled. Neither of them said it out loud, but both knew—
They'd just crossed a line they couldn't walk back from.
And the Vales weren't going to stop hunting.