Chapter 102

“Where are we going?” Camille asked, watching unfamiliar scenery pass outside the car window. Trees replaced skyscrapers, suburban neighborhoods gave way to scattered houses with actual yards, nothing like the Manhattan world she’d grown accustomed to.

Alexander kept his eyes on the road, his hands steady on the wheel of the vintage Jaguar he’d insisted on driving himself. No drivers today, no security detail, just the two of them, heading somewhere he wouldn’t name.

“You’ll see,” he said, the hint of mystery in his voice matched by the tension in his jaw.

For three days straight, they had worked alongside Hannah and Victoria, checking and rechecking every aspect of the Phoenix Grid for further sabotage. They had found nothing beyond those initial blueprint modifications, but the strain had worn on them all. This morning, Alexander had appeared at Camille’s door, asking her to trust him for a few hours.

The car slowed as they turned onto a narrow road lined w