“He thinks you are already dead,” Killian said.

“He wants to claim the docks before the sun rises,” Aries replied.

The scaffold reached the level of the third-floor ledge.

Aries climbed over the side onto a fire escape platform, then reached back to help me.

His hands were cold now, but his grip remained unbroken.

We descended the iron stairs of the fire escape into the narrow alleyway behind the building.

A black sedan sat idling in the shadows, its headlights turned off.

Killian ran to the driver’s side, while Aries opened the back door for me.

I slid onto the leather seat, water dripping from my coat onto the pristine floor mats.

Aries climbed in beside me, closing the door on the sound of the rain.

The car moved forward immediately, its tires hissing on the wet asphalt.

“The lining,” Aries said, turning his head toward me.

Killian handed the silk fabric back over the seat.

I took the wet silk in my hands, my fingers finding the raised texture of the embroidery.

“Tell me what you found,” Aries said.