Page 108 of Veil of Smoke

He doesn’t see it coming.

My right fist slams into his throat before the last syllable finishes leaving his mouth.

The sound he makes is wet, strangled—but he doesn’t fall. He comes back swinging.

Elbow to my ribs. I grunt. Step sideways. His knee slams into my thigh. Another punch, this time to my temple. The world tilts—but I drag it back.

This isn’t a clean fight. It’s not technical or beautiful. It’s rage and muscle and years of betrayal boiled down into two men too stubborn to drop.

Enrico grabs the back of my neck, drives it toward the tech crate edge. I twist, crash against it with my shoulder instead. Sparks spray from the dislodged hardware. A screen explodes in a burst of static.

We separate, breathing hard.

Blood runs from my nose now. I taste copper. Feel bone grind somewhere in my hand.

“You’re bleeding like a man who forgot how to win,” he sneers.

I step forward. “I didn’t forget. I just stopped doing it for the wrong side.”

He charges. I duck.

My fist drives up into his gut, then again into his ribs. There’s a crack. Maybe two. He howls—but the sound turns into a laugh.

“You think this matters?” he pants, spitting red. “You think you can erase what we are?”

I don’t answer.

I just grab the back of his head and slam it into the conductor’s stand.

Once. Twice. Three times.

He slumps.

I let him fall.

A shot cracks behind me.

I spin.

Viviana’s down on one knee. Blood blooms across the side of her coat. A smear of red against the concrete. Her hand grips her side—tight—but she’s still upright. Still breathing.

My body moves before my mind catches up.

But she’s faster.

She lifts her gun with her left hand and fires. One clean shot. The last gunman drops behind the overturned table—never gets a second chance.

I rush to her, boots slick against the stage. She holds up a hand before I reach her.

“Graze,” she says through her teeth. “Hurts like hell.”

I crouch beside her. My hand hovers near her wound but doesn’t touch yet. I look into her face. Her eyes are steady. Clear.

“You with me?” she asks.

“Always.”

We rise together.

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