Book 2 of the 𝕱𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖈𝖑𝖚𝖇 series
{Duology}
𖤓
𝕾𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖒𝖊𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘 𝖓𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖇𝖔𝖓𝖊𝖘.
𝕿𝖍𝖊𝖞 𝖇𝖊𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖕𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚.
𖤓
𝕬𝖈𝖈𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖆 𝕸𝖔𝖗𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖎 got tricked once, but she vowed never to be fooled...
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The jet hummed softly beneath us as we cut through the sky toward New York. I stared out the window, the clouds below a blanket of white, but my thoughts were a storm of their own. Across from me, Silver sat with his head tilted back, eyes closed. He hadn't slept much, and it showed in the tight lines around his mouth and the way his hands fidgeted with the hem of his jacket.
I knew his name was Ronin now, but in my head, he would always be Silver. The man I met years ago in the glow of streetlights and the roar of engines. Ronin felt like a stranger—a man weighed down by too many secrets and too much fear. But Silver? Silver was steady. Reliable. Maybe it was just a trick of memory, but I preferred him that way.
Atticus, seated beside me, caught my gaze and raised an eyebrow. I shook my head slightly, a silent assurance I didn't really feel, and turned back to the window.
This meeting in New York wasn't just about Aoi anymore. The Hollow Syndicate had resurfaced, and that meant their roots ran deeper than we'd thought. Deeper than we'd cut them. And if anyone could help us dig them out, it was the devils.
By the time we landed, the air felt heavier, the tension palpable. Drystan and Cassian were waiting for us in Cassian's office at one of the new warehouses—a nondescript building with high-tech security cameras at every corner, courtesy of my favorite five-year-old, and let's not forget about the barricaded metal door outside Cassian's office that screamed, don't even think about it.
Cassian greeted us first, leaning back in his chair with his usual casual ease. His sharp eyes missed nothing, though, and they flicked over each of us in turn. He got off his chair and came barreling towards me. He lifted me in the air and hugged me. I messed with his curly hair and he pinched my ribs.
"You need a haircut," I said and he scoffed.
"I like my hair the way it is thank you very much" he looked behind me as Silver walked into the room and spoke. "You brought company," he said, nodding at Silver.
"His son is the one who got taken," I said, my tone leaving no room for argument.
Drystan didn't bother with pleasantries, already in his moody persona. He gestured for us to sit and dove straight in. "We've been digging through the Syndicate's recent activity. They've gone underground, but not far enough. The dark web chatter is there if you know where to look."
Cassian pulled up a screen, lines of code flashing before settling on a folder labeled with a cryptic symbol. He clicked it open, revealing a list of names.
"This," he said, pointing to the screen, "is a list of potential targets and assets. People they've taken, people they're planning to take, and people working with them."
I leaned closer, my eyes scanning the names. Some I didn't recognize. Others sent a chill down my spine—names tied to old cases, old rings we thought were dead and buried. And others that we took down permanently.
