The safehouse had shed its silence and found a new purpose in the grim fury of its occupants. The tension was still a living thing in the air, but it had shifted from internal distrust to a collective, outward-facing resolve. Mara’s death had done what Pat’s sacrifice could not fully achieve on its own: it had unified them. Lorik's act was no longer a matter of personal vengeance; it was a war on the very ground they walked.
Capol stood before the city map, his hand resting on the spot where Silas Thorne had been executed. His mind, however, was on Detective Mara. Her blood was a stain he couldn't wash away, a debt he owed the city. His code was no longer just about protecting his own; it was about protecting the fragile peace that people like her had tried to build. He felt the cold trut
