Jamie was giving it everything he had, but she could see he was starting to lose consciousness. Cadence caught Eliza’s eyes. She looked as petrified as Cadence felt, but she kept her grip on Jamie, giving him the strength to carry on.

“What happens if Jamie passes out?” Cadence whispered to Eliza.

“He’ll be done,” she said solemnly.

That couldn’t happen. Not yet anyway.

There was a sound at the door behind her, and using Eliza’s vantage point through the IAC, Cadence saw Elliott enter the room. His expression showed he hadn’t been watching what was happening because he had a smile on his face for a moment. She vaguely...