Downstairs, Havoc’s voice carries faintly.
“Movement flagged.”
Wolf answers something I can’t hear.
I stand.
“That’s my cue.”
She reaches for my hand.
Just for a second.
“Be careful.”
“Always.”
I lean down and press my lips to her forehead. Then I touch Emmy’s tiny hand.
“Nothing will get past us,” I promise.
It’s not bravado.
It’s a vow.
Because someone else always panics when the queen falls.
88
Rourke Hale
The alert comes before the news.
Accounts freeze.
Transfers fail.
Three shell layers go dark at once.
That only happens when someone has a map.
I don’t throw the glass.
I don’t swear.
I just sit very still and watch the screen tell me a story I already understand.
Eleanor Rossi is down.
That was always a risk.
She liked control. I preferred distance.
“Status,” I say.
My assistant doesn’t look up. “Eleanor Rossi has been detained. Financial seizure is in progress. Several properties flagged.”
“Of course they are.”
