Chapter 23

The safe house was a cramped attic above a fish market, the stench of salt and decay seeping through the floorboards. Jesse spread the ledger across a rickety table, its pages warped from seawater. Moonlight bled through a cracked window, casting jagged shadows over names, dates, and sums that made my stomach turn.

"They're moving people through Athens," Jesse said, tapping a circled entry. "Someone codenamed 'The Minotaur' is funneling funds through shell companies here." He pointed to a blurred photo paper-clipped to the page—a man in a tailored suit exiting a yacht, his face obscured by a wide-brimmed hat.

Mara leaned over my shoulder, her breath warm and quick. "The Minotaur… like the labyrinth myth? Maybe it's a meeting place. A trap."

"Or a person," I said, tracing the ruby's edge. It pulsed faintly, a reminder of the danger humming beneath every clue. "We need to find out who this is. If we expose them, we cripple the Circle's operations here."

A floorboard creaked downstairs.

We froze.

Scritch. Scritch.

Rats? Or something else?

Jesse grabbed a rusted fire poker. "Stay here."

He crept down the stairs, his footsteps swallowed by the groan of old wood. Mara and I exchanged a glance, the ledger suddenly feeling like a live grenade.

A muffled thud. A gasp.

"Jesse!" I lunged for the door, but Mara yanked me back.

"Wait—it could be a trap!"

Too late.

Three men burst in, their faces masked, knives glinting. One slammed Mara against the wall, a blade to her throat. The leader—tall, with a scarred hand—snatched the ledger.

"The Circle sends its regards," he hissed, his accent sharp and unfamiliar.

"Let her go!" I snarled, clutching the ruby like a weapon.

The man laughed. "You'll trade. The rubies for your friend. Midnight. The Temple of Poseidon. Come alone, or she dies."

They dragged Mara out, her screams muffled by a gloved hand.

Jesse staggered up minutes later, a bruise blooming on his temple. "They came out of nowhere—I'm sorry, Ellie, I—"

"They took Mara," I said, my voice hollow. "They want the rubies."

He paled. "We can't hand them over. You know what the Circle will do with them."

I gripped the rubies, their edges biting into my palm. "I know. But I can't let Mara die."

"There's another way," Jesse said, grabbing the ledger. "The Minotaur's gala—it's tonight. If we expose him publicly, the Circle loses funding and leverage. They'll have to negotiate."

"And if they kill Mara first?"

Jesse's jaw tightened. "We split up. You go to the temple. I'll crash the gala."

I stared at him. "That's suicide."

"So is doing nothing."

The Temple of Poseidon loomed on Cape Sounion, its marble columns bone-white under the moonlight. Waves crashed below, violent and hungry. I climbed the ancient steps, the rubies heavy in my coat pocket.

Trust the tide, but not the shadows.

A figure waited at the temple's heart—the scarred man, Mara shoved to her knees beside him. Her wrists were bound, her lip split and bleeding.

"Where are they?" the man demanded.

I held up the rubies, their red glow painting the stones. "Let her go first."

He smirked, nodding to a henchman. Mara was hauled to the cliff's edge, the sea roaring beneath her.

"Now," the man said, "or she flies."

I stepped closer, the rubies' hum sharpening. "You really think the Circle will reward you? They'll drown you like the rest."

His smile faltered. "Hand them over."

"Okay," I whispered. "Catch."

I threw the rubies—not to him, but off the cliff.

"No!" He lunged, grabbing at air.

Mara stomped her captor's foot, breaking free as chaos erupted. I tackled the scarred man, our struggle kicking up dust and blood. The rubies plummeted toward the waves—then stopped, suspended midair by a rope net hidden below the cliff.

Evelyn's doing.

A speedboat roared into view, Evelyn at the helm. She snatched the rubies, her voice cutting through the night: "Ellie! Jump!"

Mara and I leapt as gunfire peppered the cliff. The boat accelerated, waves slamming us breathless as we clung to the sides.

"You're late," I coughed, glaring at Evelyn.

She smirked. "You're welcome."

Jesse met us at a cove east of Athens, his tuxedo torn, his cheek bleeding. "The Minotaur's exposed. Police raided the gala—he's in custody."

"How?" I asked.

He tossed a USB drive. "Security footage of him bribing officials. Evelyn's friend slipped it to me."

Evelyn lit a cigarette, her face unreadable. "The Circle's weak here now. But they'll regroup. Always do."

Mara hugged herself, staring at the rubies. "What next?"

I looked at Evelyn. "You knew this would happen. You used us as bait."

She blew smoke into the wind. "I gave you a choice. You chose right."

"What choice?" I snapped. "You set this up!"

"And you saved your friend and burned the Circle." She stood, tossing me a new journal. "Next stop: Istanbul. The rubies' final key is there. But hurry—the tide's turning."

She vanished into the dark, leaving us with the hum of cicadas and the weight of her games.