(Liam Romano's POV)
Hailey’s faith cut through me like a blade, sharper than any threat I’d faced. Her words — “Do what you have to do” — still hung in the stale warehouse air, an oath wrapped in permission. That reckless trust was the last dam holding back whatever dark thing stirred inside me.
Neri moved with clinical efficiency, finalizing the transfer. I opened the tablet and set it on the toolbox; its glow drew veins of light over my fingers. The Counter’s Aura Tower rose on the screen, a monument of arrogance too well defended for a head-on strike. I needed an aperture smaller than walls — a seam in the armor.
“The Counter doesn’t move his money himself,” I said, aware of Hailey behind me. My thumb scrolled through the financial ledgers Ethan once handled. “He uses intermediaries.
