The rain came like vengeance.
Slick streets. Silver sky. And the echo of footsteps that didn’t belong to any god Emilia prayed to.
She stood at the gates of the Rossi compound, soaked to the skin, breath fogging in the cold.
Tonight wasn’t about survival.
It was about atonement.
And blood.
Inside, Rafael was already moving. Dark coat. Glock holstered. Eyes like storms that forgot how to stop.
“They moved the girl,” Luca said, voice sharp. “The one Emilia asked us to protect—she’s gone.”
“Gone?” Rafael’s jaw clenched.
“She was leverage.”
“She was innocent.”
“They don’t care.”
Rafael didn’t hesitate. “Then we end it tonight.”
####
Emilia hadn’t expected forgiveness.
Not after the file. Not after Luca’s blood.
But she had expected… something.
Instead, Rafael walked past her l
