For the first time, something like genuine emotion crossed Jaeger’s weathered face—a glimmer of his own fear for Shadera’s safety that vanished almost immediately behind his customary mask of control. He set the coin down on the table softly.
“I have people working on it,” he said. “My best. I understand where you’re coming from, but like I’ve told you again and again, we need proper intelligence, a solid plan. We don’t even know for certain where in the Heart she is. I won’t sacrifice more of my people on a suicide mission because you cannot be patient.”
Jameson straightened, determination settling cold and heavy in his chest. “Then I’ll go alone.”
The words hung in the air, absurd in their audacity. Several assassins laughed outright, the sound sharp and dismissive.
“You?” Reeve sneered. “Against the entire Veyra guard? Against Haven Tower’s security systems? You wouldn’t make it past the first checkpoint.”
“I’ve been smuggling people and contraband between the rings for fifteen years,” Jameson replied without looking at him. “I know ways into the Heart that even your scouts haven’t mapped. Routes that bypass the checkpoints entirely.”
Jameson leaned in closer to Jaeger, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “You and your Daggermouths need to get her out,” he said, a threat layered into the words. “If you won’t do it, I’ll go into the Heart and do it myself.”
Jaeger scoffed. “You’d die trying.”
“Maybe,” Jameson acknowledged. “But I’d die knowing I didn’t abandon her like you.”
The conviction in his voice silenced the room. The assembled crowd exchanged glances, reassessing the man they’d dismissed as just another of Shade’s temporary distractions.
Jaeger leaned back in his chair, eyes never leaving Jameson’s face. “You really would, wouldn’t you? Walk straight into the Heart on some half-baked rescue mission. Die trying to save her.”
Jameson’s answer was immediate. “Without hesitation.”
“Even knowing she might already be broken? That the woman you find might not be the woman you lost?”
Jameson’s jaw tightened. “She’s stronger than that.”
“Everyone breaks eventually,” Jaeger said softly, the knowledge of personal experience edging his words. “The Heart has methods that can crack even the strongest minds. If they want information from her badly enough, they’ll get it. And what’s left afterward won’t be Kael anymore.”
“Then I’ll find whatever’s left of her and bring her home,” Jameson replied without having to think. “And love whoever she’s become.”
There had never been an easier answer. Jameson meant those words. He would never leave her to die. He would never abandon her. He would give everything, if it meant she had a chance at survival.
A heavy quiet fell over the bar. Even the most hardened assassins seemed affected by the raw conviction in his voice. Jaeger drummed his fingers against the table once, twice, three times. Then he reached for the bottle, pouring another shot.
“Three days,” Jaeger finally said. “Give me three days to gather better intelligence, to put a proper plan together. My contacts in the Heart are working on locating her exact position in the tower, the security protocols, the guard rotations. If we’re going to do this, we do it right.”
Jameson hesitated, weighing the offer against his desperate need to act immediately. “Three days,” he agreed after a long pause. “Not one hour more.”
Jaeger nodded once, then raised his glass. “To Kael. May she still be Shade when we find her.”
Jameson squared his shoulders. “She will be.”
He turned to leave, feeling the weight of Jaeger’s gaze on his back. This time, no one mocked him, only stepped aside so he could pass.
At the door, Jaeger’s voice called after him. “Vine.”
Jameson paused, looking back over his shoulder.
“If you try to go in alone before our three days are up,” Jaeger said, his voice carrying easily through the silent bar, “I’ll have you killed before you reach the Cardinal checkpoint. For her sake, not mine. A failed rescue attempt will only ensure her execution.”
Their eyes locked across the room, predator recognizing predator.
“Three days,” Jameson repeated. “After that, I’m going in—with or without your Daggermouths.”
He pushed through the door without waiting for a response, stepping back into the cold Boundary night. He let a deep, shuttered breath pass over his lips, finally allowing himself to truly feel the fear of what would come next.
Jameson looked up at the Heart, its spires gleaming against the stormy sky like daggers poised over the city as he melted into the shadows, already plotting his next move.
