MONSTERS WIT

r the distant cry of a tugboat and

alculated, invisible to the guards w

med. He didn

the t

d shipping containers,

a Va

ght. He was overseeing a transfer-no paperwork, no uniforms, just crat

here. Ri

rom the shadows

men tw

a di

g off his gloves. "And here I thought the

ed yo

t from him. No smile. N

Maren two night

ad. "You came here

e for

ster's new muscle. Thoug

jaw cl

g for her. I'm

Varga said.

step closer. Ma

d questions that weren't hers to ask. Ab

s sti

ing her i

meetings. Private numbers. She thought sh

eane

t the g

ing," Marc

her into meeting a contact that didn't exist. We all thoug

not po

docks personally these days? She's not j

ed because she wa

ause she trusted t

s fists

en them. The silence fe

away slowly. "I've got Mia's original

ou giving

ng. And I know the family always eats

os sat in silence with the bu

assc

e video

ch, hair pulled into a mes

ot of the dark. Of w

ll her I didn't stop. Not because I was brave. But because I was

ice cr

did

een wen

ed at the corkboard she'd

ings. Scrib

, taped next to a grainy p

id anything t

stinct, or maybe grief's sharpened edge

w. Bianca

ad just watched the same conf

o trust was suddenly standing in the middl

text lit up Va

orrow. In person. Safe place

tared

us

ty

ssa: