Vivian to the floor and securing her wrists with zip-ties. I didn’t spare her another glance. I ran to Celeste, dropping to my knees and pulling her frail body into my arms.
She felt as light as a bird, but her grip on my coat was astonishingly strong. She buried her face in my shoulder, and for the first time since this nightmare began, I let out a jagged sob.
“I’ve got you,” I whispered into her hair, rocking her back and forth. “I’ve got you, Celeste. You’re going home.”
Celeste pulled back slightly, looking into my eyes. She reached a trembling hand up to touch my cheek. “The babies…?”
“They’re safe,” I promised her. “They are perfectly safe.”
Celeste looked past me, toward the massive steel door of the vault. The blinking red light of the biometric scanner pulsed in the gloom.
“Leave it locked,” Celeste whispered. “Let his
