"Then come to my private residence at midnight," the Mayor invited with a dark, subtle chuckle. "Let us see if you can survive the final hand."
The private red telephone in Rafael's top-floor office emitted a sharp click as the secure line disconnected on the other end.
Rafael lowered the heavy brass receiver back onto its cradle with slow, deliberate precision, his silver eyes reflecting the glowing monitor screens.
"The Mayor wants a personal audience," Lyra noted softly, stepping out from the shadows near the floor-to-ceiling glass window.
"He believes an invitation to his estate is a trap," Rafael replied, his baritone voice calm and completely unbothered. "He does not realize that every trap he sets is merely another door for Vesper to unlock."
Jax tapped furiously on his tw
