Page 83 of Veil of Secrets

“We make this the last ambush.”

“How?”

“We take it to them.”

The alley still smells like blood and bad choices. But it doesn’t feel like fear anymore.

It feels like control.

I glance at the rooftop line above. If someone’s watching, they’ve seen what they needed to.

We don’t run.

We don’t beg.

We don’t break.

Nico steps beside me again.

I catch the look he gives me.

Measured. Focused.

And different.

Like I’ve stopped being the girl they underestimated.

Like now I’m a variable no one accounted for.

We walk out of the alley.

Together.

Boots tracking blood through the early gray light.

The boardwalk’s still quiet, but it’s heavier now, like the air knows what we just did.

I glance at Nico. “They’ll send more.”

He nods. “Let them try.”

My lips twitch. “You’re not worried?”

“About you? No.” His voice is steady, eyes on the street ahead.

I feel that in my chest. Not soft. Just real.

“Docks are close,” I say. “Vince and Marco won’t wait forever.”

“Then we don’t give them time to plan.” He checks the alley’s mouth again. “We hit hard. Now.”

I nod. “No hesitation.”

“None.”

We turn onto Argento Street. The car’s parked where Luca left it, under a flickering streetlight.

“You driving again?” Nico asks, voice dry.

---