The city blurred past the windows in streaks of light and stone. Damian drove in silence, one hand on the wheel, the other resting protectively on Nova’s thigh. She clutched the journal tight in her lap, the USB drive sealed in an inner pocket of her coat. They didn’t speak at first. The weight of what they’d uncovered pressed between them like fog, thick, clinging, impossible to ignore.
Nova finally broke the silence. “He was trying to take them down. And they made an example out of him.”
Damian nodded once, jaw tight. “That’s how the old guard worked. Blood made examples. Silence was safety.”
“But it didn’t work,” Nova said, voice shaking. “Because I’m still here. And now I know.”
Damian’s knuckles flexed on the steering wheel. “Which makes you a target.”
Nova turned to look at him. “We already were targets.”
Damian didn’t argue. The GPS chirped softly as they turned toward the highway. But Nova’s gaze stayed fixed on Damian, on the tension in his shoulders, the way his eyes kep
