Page 33 of Veil of Secrets
“You don’t have to be.”
"I don’t fall into lines."
“Good.”
"I don’t want saving."
“I didn’t save you.”
I nod. Once.
Because that’s what’s been throwing me off the whole time.
He didn’t step in because I was in danger.
He stepped in because Tommy didn’t deserve to breathe the same air I did.
Because Nico watched me stare down the past and didn’t like the way it made me look.
Because he sees me like a piece of war equipment, not a damsel. Not a prize.
And somehow, that pisses me off less than I expected.
My chain settles against my chest.
My hands are steady.
But inside?
Inside, everything’s shifting.
Tommy’s dead.
But something worse just started.
And somehow, I think I already signed up for it.
Chapter 6 – Nico
The garage is the kind of space that holds heat even when no one’s around to notice it—thick air, stale from too many nights spent working on engines that never roared again.
I lean against the hood of the Barracuda. She’s halfway gutted, wires coiled like veins across the floor. Outside, wind pushes faintly against the cracked garage door. Somewhere, gulls are screaming over the dumpsters near the docks.
I hear her before I see her.
Soft boot steps on the gravel. Measured. Not hesitant. Just careful.
The door creaks. Elara Ricci.
Blood still dried into the seam of her jeans. Chain glinting under her jacket. Hair damp from fog. Her eyes cut through the dark like she's used to finding threats in shadow.
She stops halfway into the space, doesn’t speak.
“Didn’t think you’d come,” I say.
“Didn’t say I would,” she replies.
Her voice is rougher than usual. Low. Edged like she’s been chewing on anger for hours and hasn’t had a reason to spit it out yet.
