Page 55 of The Devil's Thorn

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“It’s not just that.” I shake my head. “Rafael didn’t react like it surprised him. He’s already planning for it. He knows more than we thought.”

Ash glances down the hallway, scanning.

“Then it’s time to move. We need to let Kellan know and cross-check who those men are?—”

A sound behind me makes me freeze. Footsteps.

I turn slightly, enough to glance over my shoulder.

A young man in a waiter’s uniform stands at the end of the hallway, holding a tray of used glasses. He wasn’t supposed to be here. No one is, not on this level. His mouth parts slightly as his eyes flick between me and Ash.

The worst kind of recognition flashes across his face. Not of who we are—but of what thislooks like.

Too long.

Too quiet.

Too wrong.

I don’t breathe. My hand twitches slightly at my side.

The moment stretches.

Then I lean closer to Ash and mutter fast, voice low.

“Don’t move. Don’t chase him. Let him go. I’ll handle it.”

He doesn’t answer, but I feel his muscles coil.

I turn fast, pace sharp, face smooth. Back straight, mask on. And I walk away.

The moment I re-enter the casino, the noise wraps around me like a curtain. Laughter. Music. Clinks of glasses. The shuffle of cards.

The world hasn’t moved.

But I have.

I walk steady toward Rafael’s table, pulse high in my ears, throat tight as I spot the same men still sitting, drinks half-drunk, expressions calm.

Rafael doesn’t look up. He’s leaning back now, fingers toying with a single poker chip between his knuckles.

I step into place behind him without a word.

He doesn’t turn. Doesn’t glance at me.

And somehow… that’s worse.

Because if hedidknow—if hehadseen—he wouldn’t be this calm. He would’ve already made the move.

I exhale through my nose. A quiet breath. Controlled.

He doesn’t know. Not yet.

But someone does.

And that means I have seconds, not hours, before this all starts to fall apart.

I rest my hands loosely behind my back, my eyes fixed ahead as I watch the men laugh around the table and Rafael slowly turn the chip over his fingers, like nothing ever changed.

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