The water at Pier 14 lapped softly against the dock, a rhythm that mocked the silence left in Marcus’s wake. For a moment none of us spoke, our eyes fixed on the dark waves as though his body might rise again, grinning, mocking us even in death. But he didn’t. He was gone, swallowed by the black water, leaving only the echo of his words.
We’re already inside.
Adrian’s jaw worked, his eyes sharp and unreadable. “We move,” he said, his voice carrying the edge of command that allowed no argument. But the silence that followed wasn’t obedience. It was doubt.
Kael shifted, his hand pressed against his bloodied shoulder. “He was bluffing. Trying to rattle us.”
Nora’s gaze cut to him—sharp, unflinching. “No. He wasn’t.”
I felt it too. Marcus hadn’t spoken like a man stalling for time or hopi
