Chapter 18

The streets were quiet, but Lily's mind was anything but. The adrenaline from their escape still pulsed through her veins, her heart hammering as she and Noah ducked into an alleyway, trying to catch their breath. The cool night air did little to calm the fire raging inside her.

"We need to figure out what the hell just happened," Noah said, voice low but firm. His hands were clenched into fists, his knuckles white.

Lily swallowed, pressing her back against the cold brick wall. "Langley set us up."

Noah let out a sharp breath. "Yeah, but why? He looked terrified when we saw him. If he was working with them, why would they need to kill us?"

Lily's mind raced through every possibility, but none of it made sense. Langley had given them the meeting location himself—if he was trying to trap them, why not just let them walk right into an ambush? Why warn them?

"Unless…" Lily's stomach twisted. "Unless they got to him first."

Noah's gaze snapped to hers. "You think they killed him?"

Lily hesitated. If Langley had been caught before their meeting, it would explain why he never showed up. But then why lure them there at all?

Noah let out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "This is getting worse by the second. We need to regroup, figure out what our next move is."

Lily nodded, glancing down the alley to make sure they weren't being followed. "Let's get back to the apartment. We can go through everything again—see if we missed something."

Noah gave a small nod, but there was something unsettled in his expression. Lily didn't blame him. The situation had gone from dangerous to deadly in a matter of hours. And the worst part?

They were still blind.

***

By the time they reached Lily's apartment, exhaustion was beginning to set in, but she forced herself to stay sharp. She locked the door behind them, double-checking the windows before she finally exhaled.

Noah sat heavily on the couch, rubbing a hand over his face. "This is bad, Lily."

She didn't need to be reminded. She sank into the chair opposite him, her mind still spinning.

"We have to assume they know who we are now," Noah continued. "That means more people could be watching us. We can't stay here for long."

Lily exhaled, rubbing her temples. "So what do we do? We can't just run—we need answers."

Noah was silent for a moment. Then, his expression hardened. "We go to Monroe."

Lily stiffened. "Are you serious?"

"She's the only one who might know what's really going on," he said. "She worked with Langley. If she doesn't have answers, she might at least know who does."

Lily hesitated. Hazel Monroe was dangerous. She played by her own rules, and she never did anything without a price. But Noah was right—she was their best shot at getting real information.

"Fine," Lily said. "But we do this carefully. No walking into another trap."

Noah gave her a tired smirk. "No promises."

Lily rolled her eyes but couldn't ignore the tight knot of anxiety in her stomach.

Monroe might have answers.

Or she might just make things worse.