The night at the docks still clung to Damien like smoke that refused to leave his lungs. The gunfire, the chase, Valcov slipping out of their hands it all simmered like embers inside his chest. He drove back in silence, his jaw tight, hands steady on the wheel though his body begged for rest. Beside him, two of his cousins sat, equally quiet, eyes scanning the road through the darkness. None of them spoke until the estate loomed in view.
Inside, the halls of the mansion were dimly lit, servants hushed as though the walls themselves could sense the tension pressing in. Damien ignored the fatigue weighing down his bones. His men needed him sharp. Tonight wasn’t the time to collapse. Tonight was the time to connect the threads, to see the pattern behind Valcov, Odessa, and every other name t
