PART 2: The Rooms That Kept a Secret .

I didn't think. I acted.

I hurled the metal tracking coin straight into the face of the guard holding the glass vials.

It struck him squarely in the eye. He gasped, stumbling backward, dropping the silver briefcase toward the concrete floor.

"NO!" Isabella screamed.

Vincent lunged forward like a striking predator, tackling the two armed guards nearest to Isabella before they could raise their weapons. The heavy briefcase slammed onto the concrete, but instead of shattering, the thick metal frame absorbed the impact—closing shut with a heavy slam.

"Lucas! Leo! RUN TO CLAIRE!" Vincent roared, wrestling one of the guards for his rifle.

"Come on!" I screamed, sprinting through the rain toward the boys.

The guard holding Leo panicked, releasing his grip to draw his sidearm. Leo ducked beneath the man's arm, grabbing his brother's hand, and they sprinted toward me as fast as their small legs could carry them.

I scooped both boys into my arms, throwing my body over them as a gunshot shattered the air.

BANG.

The bullet whipped past my ear, striking the rusted crane behind us with a shower of sparks.

"Get them into the van!" I yelled, shoving Lucas and Leo into the back of our armored SUV parked nearby. I slammed the heavy reinforced door shut, locking it from the outside.

Behind me, Isabella had pulled a small pearl-handled revolver from her coat. Her face was twisted into a mask of pure demonic rage, all her elegance completely stripped away.

"You ruined everything!" she shrieked at me, aiming the gun straight at my chest. "They were MY children! MY company!"

Before she could pull the trigger, Vincent threw his full weight into her, knocking the revolver from her hand into the churning ocean waters below the pier.

They scrambled on the slick, wet wood. Isabella clawed at his face with manic strength, but Vincent managed to pin her wrists to the deck, breathing heavily, soaked in blood and rain.

"It's over, Isabella," Vincent growled through his teeth, his chest heaving. "It's finally over."

Suddenly, a blinding white spotlight illuminated the entire dry dock yard from above.

A fleet of federal marshal helicopters hovered over the bay, their giant rotors whipping the rain into a fury. Dozens of heavily armed tactical officers poured out from dark sedans surrounding the perimeter, their laser sights painting Isabella's remaining guards in bright red dots.

"FEDERAL AGENTS! DROP YOUR WEAPONS! DOWN ON THE GROUND NOW!" blared a megaphone from the lead helicopter.

Isabella's remaining mercenaries instantly threw their rifles onto the concrete, raising their hands in surrender.

Isabella lay on the wet wood, looking up at the swarming federal officers, her golden hair plastered to her face, her silver rose brooch lying broken in the mud beside her.

Vincent stood up slowly, stepping away from her as federal agents rushed in to place heavy steel handcuffs around her wrists.

He didn't say another word to her. He turned his back on his past, turning toward the armored SUV where our future was waiting.