The safe house was two lefts from the last light, jammed between a Thai place and an apartment block that looked condemned. The lock was a joke—a fake smart lock that glowed but didn’t connect to anything. We got inside and threw the deadbolt.
Marco dropped onto the sofa, straight into a coughing fit that left blood on his hand. “If I die here, you have to eat my body,” he wheezed, flopping sideways. “That’s the rule.”
Jade made a face. “Marco, shut up. You’re going to make her puke.”
“He won't be why I puke.” She tossed the keys onto the counter and turned to me. “Well?” Her voice was flat. “What the fuck is the next step?”
She was scared. Not just for herself; for all of us. She hid it well, but I could always tell when she was one second from tearing the world apart. Made me wish I had a perfect plan, just to see her relax for once.
But I didn’t have perfect. I had a burner phone, a card with a name, and a bad feeling that things were about to get worse.
Three rings, then a voice: clipped, amused, like he’d been waiting for us. “Hello?”
I said nothing.
“Is this Jade?” the voice asked.
I set the phone on the kitchen sink so Jade could hear. My hands were sweating. I tried to sound bored. “Who’s this?”
A low laugh. “I’m the guy who solves problems. That’s all you need to know.” Street noise in the background, just a whisper. “Your boyfriend—Dante Moretti, right? That’s you. She’s there? Tell her you’re the problem.”
I felt my nails dig into my palm. “Is this Caruso’s guy? Or the feds?”
“Neither. Just business. I’m not in the dogfight. But Caruso’s going to make a move soon. Don’t know when.”
I looked at Jade. Her mouth was tight, eyes locked on the phone.
“Why tell us?” I asked.
Another laugh. “Because if you die, Moretti, she dies too. And there are other people interested in what she can do.”
If you live, there’s a way out. A clean one. I’ll call tomorrow at three. You’ll be safe until then.” The line went dead. No number, no redial. Just static. Jade stared at the phone, thumb hovering, then tossed it on the counter. “What the fuck does that mean?” she said.
Marco groaned from the sofa. “Was that a ransom call?”
“No,” I said, voice flat. “Not a ransom. A job offer. Or a warning.”
Jade leaned back against the wall, eyes tracing the cracks in the ceiling. She watched the dead bulb above the stove, the way the baseboards sizzled with something alive. “He sounded like he didn’t care if we lived or died, as long as you didn’t take the Carusos with you.”
I watched her. She could feel it, even with her eyes closed.
“That’s probably true.”
Silence, except for Marco, coughing and then mumbling, “Do I get a say in any of this?”
Jade opened her eyes, followed the crack in the paint down to the dirty tile under her feet. “You want to weigh in? You’re the expert.”
Marco looked up, face pale. “You got a third option?” he croaked. “Can we just jump a freight train and see where we land, old-school style?”
Jade snorted, but it caught in her throat. “You’d die by the first water tower.”
“Better than waiting to get shot in the head,” Marco said.
I braced myself on the counter, knuckles white. “We’re not running. We hold here. Wait for the call. See if he’s real.”
“What if he is?” Jade asked. “What if he’s not alone?”
I tried to keep my voice steady. “It’s not the first time we’ve been hunted. Won’t be the last.”
