Bishop tapped the edge of the table. “I’ll handle physical security. I’ve got chain for the hatch, two new padlocks, and wedges for the lower corridor doors. Once we’re in, I lock the route behind us. Doors, gates, anything that needs to stay closed, stays closed. Anything that needs to open, only opens for us.”
Nox traced a route with his finger. “I’ll take point from the hatch down. If something has changed, I’ll be the first to see it.”
Elias glanced at me. “Griff and I will provide cover. I’ll make sure our weapons are clean, oiled, and loaded before we go.”
I nodded once and met his and Bishop’s gaze. “Good.”
“We should talk about Ashcroft,” Griff said quietly. “He’s been visiting around ten most nights.”
“Yes,” I said. “He likes to see things himself after hours. Less staff. Fewer witnesses.” I drew a slow breath. “If he’s there, the rest of us will deal with him accordingly.”
“And if he tries to run?” Nox asked.
Bishop answered. “I’ll make sure that he won’t get far.”
The room went quiet again.
I nodded. “We leave as soon as it’s done. Whatever happens down there stays down there.”
Elias came to stand behind me, resting his hand briefly on my shoulder. “You’re making the right call.”
I didn’t lean into it. I just nodded.
“Tonight,” I said.
“Tonight,” he echoed.
CHAPTER 25
Nox
We set off later that night.
We slipped out of the safehouse in work coats and gloves that smelled like grease and metal filings. We had tool bags slung over our shoulders, our caps pulled low, and our faces smudged just enough to blend in with the other workers heading into their night shifts.
No one spoke until we reached the service lane behind the pressure hall.
Even then, it wasn’t fear that kept us quiet. It was discipline.
I took point. I’d followed Ashcroft’s escort down here four times now from a safe distance, watching what doors opened for him, what men stepped aside, what locks were treated like formalities rather than barriers for a man like him.
Tonight, the corridor felt different.
Condensation beaded on the pipes overhead. Every few seconds, a pressure valve exhaled steam with a soft hiss, and the sound echoed down the tunnels in a way that could hide footsteps or give them away depending on timing.
I kept my pace unremarkable.
That was the trick. People who hurry look guilty. People who creep along look dangerous. You walk like you’re heading to work, mildly annoyed and have a job to finish before someone yells at you that you’re late.
Griff walked behind me. Elias kept close to Tamsin, and she stayed in the center of the group, not because she needed protection but because she wanted to keep eyes on everything while Bishop and Eamon kept up the rear.
We reached the maintenance hatch by the pressure hall in no time. It was just an iron plate set into the wall with a latch worn smooth by countless hands. I crouched, slid my fingers into the seam, and lifted. The hatch gave with a low groan.
Warm air rushed out.
“We go in single file,” I murmured.
We slipped through and pulled the hatch down behind us as silently as possible.
