Page 101 of The Eagle's Vault

“No.” I tried to pull away from him, but he held tighter. “We help Declan, then we all get out.”

Isaac gawked at me, as if seeing his little sister for the first time. But I was no longer just his little sister. I was Leigh Barton. Engineer. Survivor. And I wasn’t about to leave anyone behind.

“I brought you here, Leigh,” Isaac said, a strange calm falling over him. “Because I knew. I knew you’d figure out the vault and find the talon. You have to come with me and see what we’re building.”

His words ricocheted in my head, souring my tongue.

I’d been his tool, his means to an end.

Declan was right about someone at Barton working with Fenix. It wasn’t Ann. It was Isaac.

Rage bubbled inside me, and I hauled my arm away from Isaac. “You were working with them, weren’t you?”

Declan grunted, the sound raw and pained. I glanced back, my resolve hardening. I reached for the broken eagle statuette, its weight comforting in my hand.

But before I could make a move, Isaac seized my arm again, his grip cold and hard, eyes even colder. “Leave them, Leigh.”

Anger and fear waged a battle in my heart. Was he serious? Abandon Declan, the man who’d believed in me, who’d made me believe in myself, while Isaac had done nothing but erode my confidence for years?

“I’m not leaving without him.”

Isaac looked at me, a mix of frustration and incredulity etched on his face. But I stood my ground. I was no longer the scared little sister, but a woman with a will of her own. And I’d be damned if I’d leave Declan behind.

Isaac’s nails dug into my skin. “You’re a bookworm, Leigh. A good girl. Declan’s just a criminal. And you have a good man at home.”

Suddenly, the room rumbled again, a loud groan of stone and earth so deep it jostled inside my chest. The door shifted, seeming to close in on itself, cutting off part of the light. The movement caught Isaac off guard, his grip slackening just enough for me to yank my arm free.

Panic surged through me, icy and swift. I was done with Isaac, done with his condescending tone, his constant attempts to belittle me. He’d never listened to me, always dismissing me. And he was working with these men!

“Isaac, piss off,” I shot back, spinning around to find my opportunity.

Enzo was on top of Declan now, his fists flying. I swallowed hard, dread sitting heavy in my stomach. I was not about to let Isaac, or anyone else, dictate what I should or shouldn’t do. I was going to help Declan, no matter what.

Lifting the statuette high above me, I brought it down on Enzo’s head with all the strength I could muster. He faltered, a curse escaping him, but he remained on top of Declan.

It was just the opening Declan needed. With a surge of energy, he landed a solid punch to Enzo’s jaw and, with a heave, threw him off.

I rushed over, extending a hand to help Declan up.

The room shook once more, and a chunk of rock fell, hitting me squarely on the head. I collapsed onto the dusty ground, brilliant white lights exploding in my vision. More rocks rained down on Enzo, trapping him.

“That’ll keep him occupied,” Declan gasped, pulling my arm over his shoulder and helping me to my feet. “Can you walk?”

I nodded, fighting the wave of dizziness that washed over me.

“I’m fine,” I lied, my vision swimming. My head throbbed with the intensity of a beating drum, but I pushed it aside. The doctors said I was fine. Head injuries and concussions weren’t aneurysms.

Daniel lay a few feet away, blood staining his pants and the collar of his shirt.

“Help Daniel,” I said.

Declan paused as I wavered, but I shooed him toward the injured man.

I scanned the room. Isaac was gone. Without a word, without a glance. He’d vanished, abandoning us as if we meant nothing. The betrayal stung, but I pushed it aside.

We hadn’t gone through all this for nothing. I gathered the folio, the broken eagle statuette, and the battered banner, stumbling out of the vault. Declan and Daniel were close behind me, as another shower of rocks thundered down behind us.

Once outside the vault, Brie’s voice came through the phone again. “—a relay down there, maybe? Jayce, where—”

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