The building is gone.
Tex is dead.
And for reasons I will laugh about for the rest of my life?—
he’s also covered in camel shit.
I close my eyes and laugh.
Just a little.
But the itch between my shoulders doesn’t fade.
Because this isn’t over. Not yet.
I force myself upright, every muscle protesting, and stagger to my feet. My side burns. Blood drips down my hip and soaks my pants.
I don’t care.
There’s still someone that set this in motion who didn’t climb that tower. Didn’t bleed for it. Didn’t fall screaming through the night.
They’re still out there.
And I know they’re waiting.
I roll my shoulder, wince, and start moving before anyone can decide I’m a problem they want to contain.
Because I didn’t come all this way just to survive.
I came to finishthis.
My back pocket buzzes.
I freeze for half a second, then pull out the stolen phone and stare at it like it just grew teeth.
“I’ll be damned.”
I swipe it open.
Grim’s voice hits my ear immediately. “I’m calling about your car’s extended warranty.”
A laugh punches out of me, short and surprised. “You’re an asshole.”
“Alive asshole,” he says. “Which I’ll take as a win.”
I flip to the home screen and open the Guild app.
Tex’s face is… a mess.
I crouch, grab a fistful of his hair, and wrench his head out of the camel shit. One eye is swollen nearly shut. The other I pry open just enough and hold the phone close.
The app chimes.
Unlocked.
“Grim,” I say quietly. “Get in. Take everything. Files. Rosters. Dead drops. Contracts. Payment trails. I want every secret they ever buried.”
“Oh hell yes,” he says, practically vibrating. “That’s right, fools. The Guild is ours now. Well—yours. I can’t legally own anything until I’m eighteen.”
