Page 109 of The Gentleman

Kat moved to the door, gun steady. The corridor was miraculously clear. “Talk to us, Fox. How long do we have?”

“Everythingcomes down in seven minutes.”

Seven.

Her insides dropped like they’d been cut free.

She flung a look at Leo, cold sweat across her nape. “It took us ten minutes to get here.” They’d been going slow, but still…

His nod was razor-sharp. “Confirm timeline, Fox.”

“Failsafe triggered when we breached the mainframe. You’ve got seven minutes before this place becomes a crater. Don’t waste them.”

Leo checked his watch. “All teams sync on my mark—seven minutes, starting—now.”

Kat glanced at her wrist. “Synced.”

“Copy,” Abe’s voice was crisp. “Exfil via west stairwell. Extract all civilians. Rendezvous at main entrance.”

“No sightseeing tours,” Fox added. “Move.”

“Kat. We need to go.” Leo scooped his discarded weapons from the floor. His knuckles skimmed her upper arm.I’m right here.A flash of warmth through the cold fear.

“Wait.” She pivoted back to the bank of servers. “We’re about to blow the only thing that clears me. Their research proves I’m not the traitor. If it goes, so does my name.”

His eyes were dark flints. “If we stay, I lose you, and that’s not happening.”

She palmed his hand. “That’s not happening. Trust me.”

A flicker crossed his face—fear and something fiercer. He nodded once. His hold softened. “Hurry.”

With a nod, she holstered her gun and circled the drives, running her fingers over the smooth rear interface to locate an access panel. Metal bit her skin and a sharp screw carved flesh from her finger.

“Shit.” She brought the bleeding finger to her lips, tasting salt and blood.

Sweat stung her eyes as she tried again.This is a mistake.“I don’t have the tools for this.”Shitshitshit?—

“Kat.” Leo crouched over Korolov’s unconscious body, rifling through his pockets with speed. “Hey.” He flashed a compact tablet at her, then tucked it inside his tactical vest for safekeeping. “We’re golden.”

“You don’t understand what you’re taking!” Eldridge lunged at him from the floor.

Leo swung to face her. “It stops here, Eldridge.” He pivoted and grabbed Kat’s elbow. “We’re leaving.Now.”

Eldridge slumped against the wall beside her overturned wheelchair. Crimson strobes washed over her like blood. “I gave them everything.” Her voice was a chalk-dry whisper. “My mind. My whole damn life.”

Kat stepped closer, careful. Up close, Eldridge’s eyes were glassy. “You don’t have to die here. Come with us. We can still?—”

“Still what?” Eldridge snapped, eyes flaring as she cut Kat a glance sharp enough to wound. “Clear your name? Walk out a hero while I rot under the rubble?”

Kat flinched. “That’s not?—”

“Don’t look at me like that,” Eldridge snarled. “I knew what this was from the start. I just thought if I bled enough for them, maybe I’d matter.”

“Kat,” Leo warned. “We’ve got six and change.”

Kat crouched beside Eldridge, her veins burning with urgency. “We don’t have time for this. You can still choose something else.”

Eldridge laughed—a low, guttural sound devoid of joy. “There is nothing else. The world out there doesn’t want me. Never did. At least this way, I don’t have to watch it spit me out again.” Her hands fisted in her lap, knuckles bone-white. “Get out while you can, Kat. Some of us don’t get clean exits.”

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