Shadows We Keep

Chapter 13 : Echoes of the Past

Morning light filtered through cracked blinds, painting stripes on the kitchen table where Leila cradled a chipped mug of black coffee. Mia sat opposite, hair still damp from a hurried shower, eyes scanning the city’s smog‑filled horizon through the window.

“You never told me what Mom whispered before she…,” Mia started, voice trembling.

Leila’s hand tightened around the mug. “She said ‘keep the ledger safe.’ I thought it was a metaphor. Turns out it’s real.”

A knock rattled the door. Rae entered, his shoulder still bandaged, followed by a gaunt man in a weathered leather coat — Marco, an old Santos enforcer presumed dead. His scar ran from his left eyebrow to his jaw.

“Leila, Rae,” Marco rasped, “Victor Jr. is alive. He’s hunting the ledger. It’s hidden in St. Lazarus Church, slums. You have 48 hours before the militia moves.”

Kira slipped in, badge flashing under the dim light. “I pulled the files. The ledger is a digital key. Without it, the network that funded the Lucci’s falls. But it’s guarded by a faction called the Ember Guard. They’ll kill anyone who steps inside.”

Leila stared at her sketchbook, a page half‑filled with a broken chain turning into smoke. She flipped it shut.

“We go tonight,” she said. “Mia, you stay here. Rae, Marco—you protect us.”

Rae nodded, a flicker of resolve crossing his scarred face. Marco handed over a rusted key. “It’s the only way in. Don’t trust anyone.”