Time seemed to stop.
Through the sniper scope, Adrian Volkov watched Emily's every movement. His finger tightened on the trigger.
A single shot echoed across the island.
Emily turned at the last possible second.
The bullet tore through her shoulder instead of striking her heart.
She cried out and collapsed behind the concrete barrier.
"Emily!"
Victoria's scream echoed across the shoreline.
Without thinking, she left cover and sprinted through the gunfire.
Walker shouted after her.
"Victoria, get back!"
She ignored him.
Another bullet struck the ground only inches away, sending pieces of concrete into the air.
Victoria dropped to her knees beside Emily.
Blood spread across Emily's jacket.
"Stay with me."
Emily forced a weak smile.
"I've... had worse."
Victoria shook her head, tears filling her eyes.
"Don't joke."
"Not now."
Gabriel saw everything.
Something inside him snapped.
He turned toward the rooftop where Volkov stood.
"You shot her!"
Volkov calmly lowered the rifle.
"I removed the weakness."
Gabriel's eyes filled with anger.
"No."
"You created it."
He fired.
The bullet shattered the railing beside Volkov.
Volkov disappeared behind the rooftop before Gabriel could fire again.
Walker and Luca fought their way toward Victoria.
Walker quickly examined Emily's wound.
"The bullet went through."
Emily winced but remained conscious.
"She's lucky."
Victoria held Emily's hand tightly.
"You're not leaving me."
Emily looked into her eyes.
"I wasn't planning to."
Their hands remained locked together.
Neither noticed Walker watching them.
He finally understood.
This wasn't just trust anymore.
It had become something much deeper.
Minutes later, the sound of helicopters filled the sky.
FBI reinforcements arrived, forcing the remaining Black Vipers to retreat into the forest.
The battle was over.
Volkov had escaped.
Again.
Emily was placed on a stretcher near the shoreline.
A paramedic cut away part of her jacket and bandaged the wound.
Victoria refused to leave her side.
The medic smiled gently.
"She's going to be okay."
Relief flooded Victoria's face.
She hadn't realized how terrified she had been until that moment.
Emily reached for her hand.
"You look like you haven't breathed in five minutes."
Victoria laughed through her tears.
"I don't think I have."
Emily gently squeezed her fingers.
"I'm still here."
A few meters away, Gabriel stood alone, staring out at the ocean.
Victoria slowly walked over.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Gabriel broke the silence.
"I almost believed she was going to die."
Victoria nodded.
"So did I."
He looked at his sister.
"She means a lot to you."
Victoria didn't answer immediately.
Then, for the first time, she admitted it aloud.
"Yes."
"She does."
Gabriel smiled faintly.
"I can see it."
As the sun began to set, the island grew quiet.
The surviving Black Vipers were gone.
The wounded had been evacuated.
Walker approached Victoria.
"We searched the station."
"And?"
Walker handed her a weathered leather notebook.
"We found this in Volkov's office."
Victoria opened it.
The first page contained only one sentence.
The traitor inside the FBI is closer than you think.
Emily looked up from the stretcher.
Walker exchanged a worried glance with her.
"If Volkov wrote that..."
Emily finished the thought.
"...then someone we trust is feeding him information."
Walker slowly closed the notebook.
"And until we know who..."
"...none of us are safe."
High above the island, hidden among the cliffs, Adrian Volkov watched the helicopters disappear into the horizon.
He touched the scar on his left hand and smiled.
"Today wasn't a defeat."
"It was a test."
"And now..."
"I know exactly how to break them."
Far away, thunder rolled across the darkening sky.
The war was entering a new phase.
One where bullets were no longer the greatest danger.
Trust was.