One of the giants holding Owen shivered at her words, but he raised his chin in defiance.

“Now, enough talk,” Clementine said. “It’s time for you to get to work.”

“And if I can’t do it?” he asked in a low, angry voice. “Or refuse to?”

She shrugged. “Then I’ll let Dixon and the rest of my men take turns with your pretty little sister out there. She’ll die screaming, along with the rest of your friends. So I’d figure it out if I were you, Mr. Grayson.”

Owen sucked in another angry breath, but he forced himself to let it out and slowly unclench his fists. “Fine,” he muttered. “You win.”

He would do anything to protect Eva, even help the giants break into the vault.

Clementine let out a delighted laugh. “Of course I win. I always win. Now, get started. Time’s a-wasting.”

Once again, Owen didn’t respond.

Clementine went over to one of her men. “I’m going to go check in with the others,” she said. “You three get started. And don’t stop until the door is ready to be moved. You understand me?”

The giant nodded.

Clementine moved to the back of the room, out of sight of the camera, and a few seconds later, I heard a door shut, telling me that she’d left the vault.

One of the giants drew several pairs of safety goggles out of his duffel bag. He handed a pair to Owen, which he reluctantly slipped on, along with some heavy work gloves. He stood by while all three of the giants put on their own goggles. Then one of the men handed Owen a torch and carefully fired it up. Another giant fired up the second torch and turned toward the vault door while the last one reached for his Fire magic, making flames dance across his fingertips once more.

Owen hesitated, staring first at the lit torch in his hand, then at the giants. I knew he was thinking about using the torch to toast the three men. I would have been.

But I wasn’t surprised when he finally faced the vault door, stepped forward, and used the torch to start heating up the silverstone lock. Because I would have done the same thing then too. I would have played along nicely until I was sure the others were safe, then I would have laid into Clementine and her crew for all I was worth, even if I knew that I wouldn’t survive the fight. But the giant had her hand clutched around Eva’s and the others’ throats, and she and Owen both knew it. He had no choice but to go along with her scheme—for now.