Mara’s POV
The first leak hits at 6:42 a.m.
It doesn’t come with sirens or threats or blood. It comes with a headline that spreads faster than fear ever could.
PRIVATE SECURITY EMPIRE LINKED TO DISPLACED PACK “PROTECTION” CONTRACTS
I’m already awake when Marcus bursts into the kitchen, eyes bright, hair still damp from a shower he didn’t finish.
“It’s live,” he says. “Three outlets picked it up in the last five minutes. One international.”
Declan scrolls on his tablet, jaw tight but unreadable. “Clean?”
“As bone,” Marcus says. “Documents, timelines, and shell companies traced back six layers. No speculation. No claws.”
I wrap my hands around a mug I haven’t tasted yet. “And Kieran?”
Marcus grins. “He’s silent.”
That’s not comfort.
That’s confirmation.
By noon, the Council issue
