Evelynn POV
That answer could have been a threat. It could have been a sermon. Instead it landed like a fact, hard and unarguable.
“So you’re criminals,” I said. My throat tightened on the last word. I hated how small it made me feel - like I’d slept wrapped in wolves and woke up in their teeth.
“Outlaws,” Calder corrected, voice as dry as rusted metal. “Not aimless criminals. We live outside their rules because their rules don’t keep our people safe. We move goods. We move information. We take contracts - legal and illegal - that give us leverage. That keeps our people fed and our enemies honest.”
Maddox shrugged, still trying to hide the tension with noise. “We’re also the sort who breaks necks when someone tries to take what’s ours.”
I let that sink in. The pieces fit together in a
