Page 76 of Veil of Secrets

“We move fast,” I say. “No stops.”

Elara nods. “No mistakes.”

Luca shifts, uneasy. “You’re walking into a trap.”

“Then we spring it,” I say.

Elara’s eyes meet mine. There’s no doubt there. No hesitation. Just fire.

“I’m driving,” she says.

I raise an eyebrow. “You sure?”

“You’ll see.” She turns, heads for the door. The knife’s still in her hand, like an extension of her.

Luca mutters something under his breath, but he follows.

I grab my jacket from the chair. The weight of it feels right. Like armor.

“Vince doesn’t walk away from this,” I say, more to myself than them.

“He won’t,” Elara calls back, already at the door.

I believe her.

The hallway’s dark, but her silhouette cuts through it. Barefoot, blood-stained, unbroken.

She’s not just with me.

She’s leading.

And I’m not stepping back.

“Car is waiting outside. Clean plates,” Luca says.

“Good,” I reply.

Elara glances back. “You trust me with this?”

I meet her eyes. “I trust you with everything.”

Her mouth shifts, just enough. Not a smile. A promise.

Then the back door crashes open.

Loud.

Hard enough to shake the frame.

I pivot instantly.

Boots hit the wood. A man barrels in—broad chest, shaved head, gun already halfway up. He’s yelling before his body finishes the entrance.

“Traitor!”

That word again.

That fucking word.

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