Sienna’s voice lingered in the air like a match just struck:
“Then tell me how.”
Luciano didn’t look away.
Neither did Ari.
The weight of her words settled over them all—no longer a question, but a declaration.
A shift.
A turning point.
Luciano moved first.
He exited the digital file, slid the flash drive from the port, and crushed it in his fist.
Metal cracked like brittle bone.
Whatever truths were on it—they now lived only with them.
“No more backups,” he said. “If they get their hands on that again, it’s over.”
Sienna didn’t flinch.
Ari crossed the room, tossing a black duffel bag onto the table.
Inside were gloves, maps, old coins etched with serpentine insignias, and a single, ancient blade in a worn sheath.
“Then it’s time you learned the truth they fear most,”
