Remi stared at the opening.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
“Not kidding,” Erick said calmly.
He extended his hand.
“Come on.
They won’t track us down here.”
She hesitated only a second before taking it.
Her fingers were icy, but her grip was firm.
Together, they descended as the hatch sealed above them with a heavy thud, cutting off the storm.
The air grew warmer with each step.
At the bottom, a short corridor led to a reinforced door.
Erick pressed his palm to the biometric scanner.
A soft chime sounded, and the door slid open.
They stepped into the Aegis bunker.
It was smaller than Remi expected—compact, functional, built for survival rather than luxury.
Banks of monitors lined one wall, most dark except for a central holographic display projecting a slowly rotating 3D map of Manhattan.
Servers hummed quietly.
A medical station, weapons locker, and basic living quarters filled the far side.
Erick moved to the main console.
“Helix, status.”
A smooth, slightly amused female voice answered from hidden speakers.
“Chairman Quade.
Good to have you back offline.
The surface pursuit team neutralized three minutes ago.
Ivan is en route—ETA twelve minutes via underground route.”
Remi turned in a slow circle, water dripping from her ruined gown.
“Helix?
As in the Helix AI?”
Erick nodded, peeling off his soaked jacket.
“Basic capabilities only down here.
The full interface is restricted to primary nodes.
But she can handle extraction and countermeasures.”
Remi approached the holographic map.
Red markers pulsed near Blackwater Road.
“My family has no idea this kind of thing exists under their city.”
“Your family,” Erick said quietly, “doesn’t know a lot of things.”
He activated the drying system.
Warm air vents kicked on.
Remi shivered as heat washed over her skin.
Erick tossed her a dark tactical blanket.
She wrapped it around her shoulders.
“Now,” she said, voice sharpening, “full answers, Erick.
No more deflections.
They just tried to kill us.
I deserve the truth.”
Erick leaned against the console, arms crossed.
“Not everything.
Not yet.
Some truths are weapons.
I won’t hand them over until I know you won’t turn them against yourself.”
Remi’s eyes flashed.
“After I jumped into a freezing river with you while bullets flew overhead?”
“Exactly because of that.”
Silence stretched between them, broken only by the hum of servers.
Erick exhaled.
“My father was Lawrence Gerard.
He built the foundation of what became GD Tech.
Five years ago, he died in what everyone called an accident.
I knew better.”
Remi’s breath caught.
“Leroy?”
“Connected,” Erick said carefully.
“Not alone.
Clarke’s people and certain board members saw an opportunity when my father refused to sell control.
They carved up the company while I was supposed to be dead, too.”
He paused, jaw tight.
“I went underground.
Became Quade.
Rebuilt everything stronger and hidden.
Then I married Dominique.”
Remi’s expression tightened.
“To get close to my father.”
“Yes.” His voice was flat.
“To gather evidence from inside.
But…”
He stopped.
“But not all of them,” Remi finished softly.
“Not me.”
Erick looked at her—really looked.
The blanket had slipped off one shoulder.
Rain had washed away her makeup, leaving her raw and fiercely alive.
“Not you,” he confirmed.
“And not entirely Dominique, at first.
I thought the marriage would stay transactional.
It… complicated things.”
Remi stepped closer.
“You fell for her.”
“I let myself believe there was something worth saving,” he said.
“Until she made her choices.
Until tonight.”
The air between them crackled. New chapters come out on g.com first.
Remi reached up, brushing a wet strand of hair from his forehead.
Her touch lingered.
“You could have destroyed us years ago,” she whispered.
“Why wait?”
“Because destroying everything isn’t justice,” Erick replied.
“And I needed to be sure who deserved it.
Not all Laurents are monsters, Remi.
Some are just trapped in the machine your father built.”
Her hand dropped to his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat.
“And now?”
“Now we tear the machine down together.
You help me expose them.
I help you build something real.”
The bunker door alert chimed.
“Ivan Petrov is arriving.
Security protocols green.”
The door opened.
Ivan stepped in—tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in dark tactical gear.
His sharp eyes noted their closeness, but he said nothing.
“Boss,” he greeted with a nod.
“Rough night?”
“Standard,” Erick replied dryly.
“Dry clothes, transport to the secure penthouse, and a full tracker sweep.
Remi is with us now.”
Ivan’s eyebrow rose slightly.
“Understood.” He moved to the supply lockers.
Remi turned back to Erick.
“This alliance… it’s not just business for you anymore, is it?”
Erick’s gaze held hers, intense and unguarded.
“No.
It stopped being just business the moment you pulled me into that car.”
A faint smile touched her lips.
“Good.
Because I don’t do half measures either… Quade.”
He almost smiled.
“Please, don’t call me that.”
Remi looked away as movement on one of the monitors caught her eye.
A previously dark screen had activated, showing live security footage.
“What’s that?” she asked.
Erick frowned.
“Helix?”
“Apologies for interrupting,” the AI replied.
“Social media monitors flagged an emergency broadcast.
Dominique Laurent just went live on every major platform.