Page 84 of Veil of Secrets

“Always.” I grab the keys from my pocket, blood still smeared on my fingers.

He doesn’t comment. Just slides into the passenger seat as I take the wheel.

Luca’s in the back, already checking his phone. “Got word. They’re at the south pier. Meeting’s still going.”

“How many?” I ask, starting the engine.

“Ten, maybe twelve.”

I glance at Nico. “We can handle that.”

He nods. “We will.”

The car pulls out, tires hissing on wet pavement. Rain’s coming down harder now, streaking the windshield.

The docks loom ahead, shadows cutting through the gray light.

I check the knife at my hip. Still there. Still ready.

“They’re not ready for us,” I say, low.

Nico’s voice is calm. “They never were.”

I glance at him. His hand’s on his blade, eyes sharp, like he’s already seeing the fight.

“Together?” I ask.

“Together.”

The word’s a promise, heavier than the blood we left behind.

Luca shifts in the back. “You two are crazy.”

I smirk. “Crazy’s what wins.”

The car speeds up. The boardwalk fades behind us.

They think they’re hunting us.

They’re wrong.

We’re the ones with blades drawn.

We’re the ones who don’t break.

I’m not the girl they thought they could bury.

Not anymore.

The alley’s blood is proof.

And the docks will be next.

Chapter 14 – Nico

Rain taps softly on the concrete above, distant and muted like the city is whispering secrets we already know.

In front of me, Vince is slumped in a steel chair bolted to the floor. Chains wind around his wrists and ankles, rusty metal digging into his skin. Blood trails thin from his temple, where Luca made sure he stayed quiet on the way here.

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