AUTHOR POV
"Your job is to feed her what we ask you, watch, listen, and report back everything. Nothing more. If you start asking too many questions or getting ideas above your station, you might find yourself becoming one of the boss's new instruments instead of his messenger."
The threat made Mara freeze, then she nodded once, her face blank, hiding the disgust and fear building inside her.
"I understand," she said.
Tara stepped back, pulling her own hood lower over her face until only her mouth was visible.
"Good. Now go back before anyone notices you're gone. And remember, every single word you say to Crystal matters. Make her trust you. Make her need you. The closer she gets to breaking completely, the closer we get to winning this game."
With that, Tara turned on
