'S

it's tied to family. Not when the sten

emor in her fingers as she held onto the edge of my coat. The bruises on her face we

. Not because she remembered. But because she unders

... it was its own

By my enemies. Under my roof, through my brothe

had been given her own space, far from the world she came from but even f

n was leaning against the steel map wall, toothpick in his mouth, read

" Thorn said, without looki

ey did." I fo

d, voice like gravel. "They knew where he was. Kn

ivered it in

ed at me. "You gon

swer. He al

the city showed a group of armed men. Their tattoos confirmed it: the Rottweilers. A

irst," I said.

er. Inside were files. Photos

About

w cle

this?"

Ivan-he's got a grandson. The boy was seen in the club

Don't touch him. Just make sure

w. "You sure you w

come to him.

thing. Even Thorn would

ena was pacing the garden. She

u'd protect

a

Then tell me the truth.

aus

rt me. Using you w

t a cleaner. Just..." She swallo

r. "You were ne

ightening. "Then why d

my hands and you had

k I'd see you

l. "What exactly

,bI'm here

olive trees. Somewhere in the distance, I h

ild. Never planned for softness

has a way of

, I would

-

rld, names

with the wrong name is a target. But a ma

ame I carved

a

meant you could run, but you'd never outrun the reckonin

lize the war th

rning in the war room. He stood beside a digital board w

e it into their b

about memory. Making sure that no one

was one co

name

ged the way my name echoed through the underworld. They didn't

line of work

title they feared

I told Thorn. "Tomorrow

ed. "You

er my name. That anyone who touche

hey won't dare breathe

s the

y the window, watching the rain carve silver river

you something,"

. "If it's about marriage

t of the chair. "It's not for me,

ned. "You don't ev

ed up

li

eath h

aid. "I just didn't know

bed. "It was a one night stand, but I didn't regret it, afte

, I've never regret

I didn't interrupt.

each other. But because the world we're in now demands names. And i

Then she whispered, "You think putting a ri

l make them a

time, I saw something flicker in he

we

otect Eli?

y last

ce. "Then giv

s. No guests. Just steel, shadows, and

. K

e for