A horn blasts. Deep. Resonant.HOOOOOOOOONK.
"They saw us!" Charon yells.
The ship begins to slow. It’s a massive container vessel. The name on the hull is illuminated:THE ATLAS.
"Atlas," Alaric murmurs, pulling me to my feet. "Appropriate. He carries the weight of the world."
[ONE HOUR LATER]
We are on the deck ofThe Atlas. The crew—Filipino sailors who look at us with a mixture of pity and suspicion—have given us blankets and hot tea. We are sitting in the crew mess hall. The Captain enters. He is a large man with a grey beard. "You are lucky," he says in broken English. "The water is freezing."
"Our engine exploded," Alaric lies smoothly. "We were out for a night cruise."
The Captain looks at our clothes. The torn tuxedo trousers. The lingerie under the blankets. The holster Charon didn't hide well enough. He knows we are lying. But maritime law is maritime law.
"We are bound for Genoa," the Captain says. "We dock in six hours. I have to report this to the authorities."
"That won't be necessary," Alaric says. He reaches into the waterproof pouch Charon saved. He pulls out a stack of wet euros. "My wife... she is embarrassed. A scandal would be... problematic."
The Captain looks at the money. "Problematic," he agrees, taking the stack. "Perhaps the radio is broken until we dock."
"Perhaps," Alaric nods.
The Captain leaves. We are alone in the mess hall. The vibration of the massive diesel engines hums through the floor.
Alaric leans back against the metal bulkhead. He looks exhausted, pale, and battered. But he is smiling. He reaches out and takes my hand under the table. "We made it," he whispers. "Phase One complete."
"Phase One?" I ask, leaning my head on his shoulder. "I thought killing my father was the Finale."
"Killing him was theCodaof the old life," Alaric says. "Now... we have to build the new one."
He looks at the USB drive sitting on the table between us. "Two hundred million dollars. A dead Senator. A dead Chairman. We are the most dangerous people in Europe right now."
"So what do we do in Genoa?"
"We disappear," Alaric says. "For real this time. We find a place where the signal can't reach. A place to heal."
"And then?"
"And then," Alaric says, his eyes darkening, "we decide if we want to buy the world... or burn the rest of it down."
I look at the drive. I look at the gun sitting in my pile of wet clothes. I look at the man who turned me into a weapon.
"I don't want to buy the world," I say softly. "I just want a piano."
Alaric laughs. He kisses my salt-crusted forehead. "Then you shall have a piano, my Muse. Even if I have to build it from the bones of our enemies."
The ship carries us into the night. Toward Italy. Toward the dawn. But the darkness... the darkness travels with us. It is part of us now. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
CHAPTER 32
GENOA UNDERGROUND
POV: Elodie Fray
Location:Port of Genoa, Italy -> TheCaruggi(Old Town Alleyways)
Track:Teardrop– Massive Attack
