Chapter 68: A Dangerous Game
The night before the mission felt like the calm before a cataclysm.
Cambria stood alone on the rooftop of the Brooklyn warehouse, the cold wind whipping her hair around her face. She gazed out across the jagged skyline, where the city throbbed with life and restless energy. Below, the streets glowed with amber lights, cars traced endless ribbons, and somewhere distant, sirens howled. But inside her, there was a stillness, a silence that was anything but peaceful, a storm held back by sheer will.
She wrapped her arms around herself, the weight of what lay ahead pressing down on her chest. Tonight would change everything. If they failed, there would be no second chances. If they succeeded, the cost would be enormous.
Behind her, footsteps approached softly. Maddox stepped onto the rooftop carrying two steaming mugs of coffee. He extended one to her, the warmth in the cup an attempt to reach the cold fortress she’d become.
"You should rest," he said quietly.
Cambria didn’t take the cup. Her eyes never left the horizon, where the first hint of dawn blurred the stars.
"There’s no sleep left in me, Maddox. Not until we burn it all down."
He studied her carefully, searching for the fierce resolve etched in her features.
"What if there’s nothing left when it’s over?"
She turned to him, eyes blazing with defiance.
"Then we rebuild. But we end this first."