Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Two: Into the Dark

The night air at Pier 17 was colder than Emilia expected, the salt heavy wind biting through her coat as if it knew she had no business being here. The waves slapped against the wooden posts, steady and merciless, their rhythm reminding her of a heartbeat, hers, rapid and unsteady.

She moved carefully, her shoes quiet against the damp planks. The place smelled of rust and seawater, fish and oil. Cargo crates lined the pier like silent sentinels, shadows stretching long and jagged under the weak glow of the scattered lamps. It felt abandoned, too quiet, too still, like a stage set and waiting.

Her fingers clenched tightly around the straps of her bag, where Rosa’s money was tucked inside. Now, standing here in the dark, she wondered if she had been a fool.

Every step felt like a trespass. Every shadow looked alive.

She kept glancing behind her, the echo of her own footsteps making her jump. The guards at the mansion had been difficult enough to slip past. Rosa’s diversion, the money sl