“I need to project stability to my associates right now,” Damiano continued. “My rivals think I am distracted by this feud with Marcus.”

He watched me closely, his eyes tracking the nervous movement of my hands.

“If we present a united front, it changes the game,” he said.

“A united front?” I repeated.

“I am going to make you an offer, Arya,” Damiano said, his voice dropping to a low, calm register.

He stepped closer, close enough that I could smell the rain and cedar on his suit.

“An arrangement that solves both of our problems.”

Before he could finish his sentence, my phone buzzed violently in my hand.

I looked down at the screen.

It was a video file from an unknown number.

My finger pressed the play button automatically.

The video showed the lobby of the very building we were standing in.

Through the glass doors, I could see Marcus standing in the rain, talking to two men in police uniforms.

A text message flashed at the top of the screen immediately after.

*I’m coming up, Arya. Let’s see if your new keeper wants to start a war.*