Nash photographs the lock. East checks the hinges. "Removable pins," East says. "We can pop this in under a minute if we need an alternate exit."
Arden from behind us says, "Mark it."
Ruby taps her tablet. "Marked."
The main floor. Dark and empty, it looks smaller. The stage is a raised platform of dark wood, scuffed at the edges where heels caught. Chairs are stacked against the walls. The air smells of carpet cleaner and cold stone.
Anna steps beside me. "It's strange, seeing it this way."
I nod. "Empty."
"Quiet," she says. "It was never quiet when I was here."
We walk the perimeter together, the full group spreading out. I point out paths, blind spots, the places where security stands during events, where attention drifts when the bidding starts. Anna listens, marking each one with a nod. Knox watches everything else. Nash and East move in tandem, testing doors, checking sightlines, measuring distances with their eyes. Ruby keeps her tablet running, logging every detail. Frankie stands at the center of the room, eyes closed for three seconds, open. Whatever she felt, she keeps it.
Amelia walks the back wall with Felix, studying the secondary exits. McKenzie tracks the main entrance from the stage, counting steps to every door.
Anna stops at the edge of the stage. Looks at it. Steps up onto it. She stands there, center stage, in the empty room. Arms at her sides. Chin level. Breathing.
The room goes still. Everyone stops. Everyone watches. Tobias stands nearest the stage, fists at his sides, jaw locked. He lets her stand there.
Ruby's tablet lowers to her hip. Nash's hand finds her lower back. She leans into it without looking.
Candace watches Anna with her chin lifted, eyes bright and fierce.
After a long moment, Anna steps down. She turns to me. "You know you don't have to hold it together the whole time."
"I know." I swallow hard. "But I'm choosing to stay in it."
She accepts that without pushing.
Knox steps around to face me. Hands at my waist. He waits until I meet his eyes. "You didn't check the exits once," he says.
I blink. He's right. I walked this entire building and my body didn't inventory a single escape route. "I have you," I say.
His mouth curves. Barely. "You always will."
Anna clears her throat. "I'm going to step outside."
Tobias moves with her. McKenzie follows.
The room thins. Malachi, Candace, and Phoenix drift toward the back, voices low, running logistics. East and Nash circle the perimeter one final time. Ruby finishes her photos at the main entrance and follows them out. Frankie passes me on her way to the door, pauses, and puts her hand on my arm. One squeeze. "You did good." She's gone, Arden a shadow behind her.
When the room empties to just us, the silence settles. Lighter now. Knox draws me close, my back to his chest, arms around my middle. Chin on my shoulder.
"You okay?" he murmurs.
"Yes." I pause. "No. But I'm here anyway."
He exhales. "That's my girl."
I turn, forehead to his. "This ends."
"It does."
"And we don't pretend it didn't cost us."
His palms spread over my shoulder blades. Firm. Warm. The same touch he gives me in our kitchen, on the bike, at the clubhouse bar. Steady and sure. The room holds around us.
