[Jake's POV]
The upper levels of Isabella Vane's mountain fortress were a war zone.
When Darius and I kicked open the heavy steel door leading out of the elevator shaft, the pristine, sterile white corridors we had seen in the sub-levels were gone. The air was thick with gray smoke, the smell of pulverized concrete, and the deafening, rhythmic thud-thud-thud of heavy artillery impacting the exterior walls.
Katarina Volkov wasn't just creating a distraction. She was trying to level the mountain.
"Status!" I barked into my earpiece, praying the lead lining in the lower walls hadn't permanently fried the comms.
Static hissed for a terrifying second before Claire's voice broke through, tight and frantic.
"Jake! Thank God. We lost your signal when the vault went into lockdown. Are you clear?"
