A Dangerous Truth

Caleb's fingers hovered over the keyboard as his mind raced. The numbers didn't lie. Dante wasn't just running the syndicate—he was playing both sides, siphoning money through the same hidden networks Elias had used. If Elias had known this, if he had been planning to use it, then maybe that was why he had been eliminated. Maybe he had never expected Caleb to be the one left standing.

He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to think. This changed everything. If Dante had been covering his tracks this whole time, then taking this to him wasn't an option. That left Caleb with two choices. Hide it and pretend he had never seen it, or use it.

Neither option was safe.

His pulse steadied as he pulled a portable drive from his jacket, copying the files before ejecting the chip. He couldn't stay here. Every second he spent in this café was another chance for someone to track him down. He wiped the terminal, making sure there was no trace of his search, then pocketed the drive and stood.

As he stepped out onto the street, a flicker of movement caught his eye. A figure, half-shrouded in the neon glow of a distant sign, watching from across the road. Caleb didn't pause, didn't react. Instead, he turned down an alley, forcing his steps to remain measured. He had been followed.

Good. That meant someone was worried.

He picked up his pace, cutting through side streets, doubling back twice until he was sure he had shaken the tail. Then he headed toward the one place he knew he could think without being interrupted.

Lyra's safe house.

If he was going to survive this, he needed to figure out who else knew. And more importantly, what he was going to do about it.