Page 71 of Rupture

Ethan moved to join him, scowling. “She’s up to something,” he muttered. “Should’ve locked her down tight.”

Onscreen, Thea’s gloved fingers trailed along the sleek glass and metal of the Io’s hull. She slowed, pulled the tow line toward her, and removed a small box. With deliberate precision, she fixed it to the Io’s hull.

Finn’s gut contorted. “Remy, zoom in. What the hell is she doing?”

“Adjusting image parameters,” Remy answered. The camera zoomed, sharpening on Thea.

“What’s she doing out there?” A small voice asked.

Finn glanced over his shoulder. Rose had swung her legs over the edge of the bed, her hair messy, face pale. She looked so fucking fragile it made his heart clench. He didn’t want to say it. Didn’t want to tell her that her sister was out there, knowing Rose was inside, and yet still?—

“Planting a fucking bomb,” Luca announced.

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“I can walk faster,”Rose fought to keep the edge from her voice. “Despite my damp, sterilized boots.”

Duke’s smile was humorless. “I’m well aware of that. But a head injury, even a minor one, can spiral fast and that’s not happening on my watch. Just humor me.” He raised a challenging eyebrow, daring her to argue.

That shut her up. Rose gritted her teeth and counted each step down the corridor, the pounding at the back of her head in time with her footfalls. Her legs burned with the urge to run, but with Duke setting a maddeningly slow pace, she restrained herself. Barely.

Her throat burned with rising bile.

This had to be a mistake. Thea might have been reckless, even cruel at times, but this? Triggering explosives while innocent people—whileshe—was still inside the habitat? It was unthinkable.

Thea had headed for the surface as soon as the bombs were activated.

What the hell is she doing?

Rose attempted to slow her breathing. If Remy was rightand the countdown for the explosives was already under forty minutes, there wasn’t time to waste.

They needed to get the Wolves into the water—now.

The dive room door opened. The familiar scent of neoprene and filtered air hit her, triggering memories of her lab back in Bristol, saturated with the mineral tang of cave water. Light reflected off the moon pool’s surface, casting shifting patterns across the ceiling and walls.

Water sloshed at the pool’s edge as MARV circled, waiting. She’d recalled the robotic hybrid as soon as they’d finalized plans.

Ethan, Finn, and Liev were already suiting up. Their wetsuits clung to their muscular legs, black neoprene shining under the fluorescents as they completed their pre-dive safety checks.

No banter. No jokes. Just focused silence.

They worked methodically over their equipment, checking regulators, testing air supplies, verifying comm units. Now, more than ever, there was no room for mistakes. Not with lives on the line.

Ethan glanced up and met her gaze, his eyes holding the weight of what was coming. “Almost ready.”

“Confirm mission plan.” Finn pulled his wetsuit over his carved abs.

“Remy has identified six explosives attached to the hull.” Ethan shrugged on his air tanks. “Detonation in thirty-seven minutes.”

Liev checked his watch, his voice sharp. “Two explosives to deactivate each.”

“Copy that.” Finn synchronized his watch at the same time as Ethan.

Rose did the same. Her watch flashed blue numerals.Thirty-six minutes. “Is that enough time to deactivate six explosives on a habitat this size?”

“We’ve been in tighter corners,” Liev’s serious eyes were dark. “Have faith.”

Rose dropped to her knees at the edge of the moon pool, the ache in her head pulsing. Duke handed her a familiar laptop with a snake sticker on the lid. Gina’s joke from what felt like a lifetime ago. “Thanks.”

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