By the time we bring the documents upstairs, the air in the shop feels different. Heavier.
Like the truth has weight now. Magnus arrives within the hour. Of course he does. He doesn’t waste time with greetings. He looks at the map. At the records. At me. Then exhales slowly.
“Well,” he says. “That explains a few things.”
I cross my arms. “That’s your reaction?”
He glances at me.
“It’s a very old town,” he says. “We don’t get surprised often. We get confirmed.”
I stare at him. That is somehow worse. Conrad studies the map longer than anyone else. Delilah is quiet. Brooke is frowning. And Archer—Archer is watching me. Like he’s waiting for me to react. Like he’s still bracing for me to walk away from all of this. But I don’t. Because I can’t. Not anymore.
Instead I say, “So what does this mean for the rogues?”
Magnus looks at the map again. Then at the bookstore. Then at me.
“It means,” he says slowly, “this location is now a strategic priority.”
I blink.
“Oh good,” I say. “So I didn’t just accidentally buy a house. I bought a war asset.”
Brooke lets out a low whistle.
“Basically.”
I exhale.
“Cool. Cool cool cool.”
No one laughs. Because it’s not funny. Not really. Archer steps closer to me slightly, voice lower.
“You didn’t know,” he says.
“I know,” I reply.
But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m standing in the center of something much bigger than I ever imagined. Something that was here before me. And will be here after. Unless we lose.
I look down at the map again. Then back up.
“Okay,” I say.
Everyone turns toward me.
“We use it,” I continue. “If this place is a stabilizing point, then we don’t ignore that—we reinforce it.”
Magnus studies me. Then nods once.
“Agreed.”
Archer’s gaze sharpens slightly. Not disagreement. Concern. But I don’t look away.
Because I’m done being a passive piece in this. If this building matters?—
Then I matter here too. And I’m going to act like it.
26
