The forest was a skeleton of shadows and smoke, red embers drifting like fireflies among the black pines. Pantheon had gutted the safehouse, leaving nothing but ash and echoes. Woods lay slumped against a fallen tree, sweat and blood mixing on his battered face. His legs were useless—Menendez’s bullets years ago had left them shattered, and now every movement was agony.

Adler crouched beside him, scanning the tree line. His pistol felt heavy, almost like a useless formality. Then, a sound—sharp, deliberate—cut through the chaos. Branches snapping under careful steps.

“Dad.”

Woods blinked. His daughter stepped into view, rifle slung casually over her shoulder, eyes burning with controlled fury. She didn’t hesitate.

Without a word, she sank low, looped her arms under Woods, and hoisted him with a strength that made Adler’s jaw tighten. “Hold on, you old man,” she said, dragging him forward like it was nothing.

Adler fell in beside them, side by side. He couldn’t stop noticing her—the way she moved, confident, unshaken, commanding. Even through the smoke and chaos, her presence lit a fire he hadn’t felt in years.

Woods grunted, pain threading his voice. “Kid… you’re crazy. Totally crazy.”

“Not crazy,” she said, adjusting her grip. “Just not letting you die in the dirt.”

The three of them moved through the forest like ghosts, every step a careful calculation. Pantheon could be anywhere. Distant shouts echoed through the trees, the promise of more trouble pressing on their backs. Woods made no protest, just let himself be dragged, groaning when the roots and rocks tore at him.

Finally, headlights broke through the trees. A rugged truck waited, engine idling, tyres spinning slightly in the mud. She guided Woods to the passenger seat, easing him down with the precision of someone who’d done it before. Adler slid into the driver’s side, keeping one eye on the forest.

“Where to?” he asked, finally breaking the tension.

“Safe,” she said, voice flat, almost amused. “And fast.”

Adler’s gaze flicked to her for a brief moment—her hands still on Woods, calm and controlled despite the chaos around them. He didn’t know what to make of the way she moved, how easily she commanded both men, but he knew he trusted her. For the first time in a long time, he felt a flicker of hope.

“Safe it is,” he said, starting the engine. “Just… tell me where.”

The truck lurched forward, tyres throwing mud and embers behind them, and the forest swallowed their retreat. Woods leaned back, letting his daughter handle the world, while Adler stole glances at her in the rearview mirror, wondering how anyone could be so fearless.