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“Vesper." The urgency of Talon's tone finally pulls my attention upward. His eyes lock with mine, steady and grounding. Without hesitation, he shrugs out of his jacket.

“Arms," he commands gently.

I comply without thinking, letting him drape the heavy fabric around me, hiding the worst of the evidence. The jacket envelops me in warmth and the subtle scent of his cologne. It's too big, swallowing my frame, but I clutch it close with trembling fingers.

“Come on, sweetheart.” His hand returns to the small of my back. “Let's get you home"

He steers me toward the black SUV parked at the curb, his body angled to shield me from the world around me. My legs move mechanically beneath me, each step feeling disconnected.

When we reach the passenger side, Talon opens the door and gently guides me inside and fastens the seatbelt across my body, the click oddly final in the silence between us. I stare straight ahead, barely registering the movement as he secures me like I'm something fragile.

Maybe I’m more broken than I thought. Maybe, deep down, the Rossi blood in my veins is rotting me from the inside out once and for all.

He closes my door with a soft thud that reverberates through my hollow chest before circling around to the driver's side. I watch him through the windshield, his movements purposeful, controlled—everything I'm not right now.

When he slides into his seat, the engine purrs to life, and I flinch at the sound.

“You're safe now," he says. “Just breathe, Vesper."

I try, but each breath feels like swallowing glass. My brother is still missing. The Collector still has him. And I've just killed our only lead.

“He deserved it,” Talon says, eyes fixed on the road. “Mario deserved to die for what he did. To you. To Luca.”

I stay quiet, my throat closing around words I can’t force out. Of course my uncle deserved to die. He’d arranged mybrother’s kidnapping—mine too. He’d created life using my body, betrayed our family, and sold himself to the Collector.

Deserving death is one thing. But delivering it myself? That was something else entirely. That made me judge, jury, and executioner.

“You may not believe it now, princess, but you did what you needed to do.”

“I didn’t mean to kill him,” I manage. “I just wanted answers.”

“Sometimes your body reacts before your brain can process what’s happening,” he says after a moment. “Your instinct to protect yourself and Luca took over.”

A dry, bitter sound escapes me—something too broken to be called a laugh. “And how did that work out? My brother’s still in the hands of that monster…”

“We’ll find Luca.” His grip tightens on the wheel, the tension creeping up his forearms. His voice stays calm, but every muscle in him says otherwise. “There are still threads to follow. We just haven’t pulled the right one yet.”

I shift toward him, watching the lines carved into his expression, the stubborn set of his mouth.

“What if we’re already too late? What if he’s been sold? Like I was?”

“We got you out, Vesper. We’ll get him out too.” His head turns just enough to check on me before facing forward again, jaw clenched like he’s bracing for war.

“You don't know that."

“I do." His response is immediate, unwavering. “Because I won't stop until we find him. None of us will. It took us two years to find you. We’ll find your brother, too.”

“What if—” I swallow hard. “What if he's already dead?”

Talon's hand leaves the steering wheel, finding mine where it rests on my lap. His fingers intertwine with my blood-stained ones, not hesitating for a second.

“He's not,” he says firmly. “Your brother is the heir to the Rossi family. He’s not going to kill him. He’s worth far more alive."

God, I hope he’s right. For Luca’s sake, and mine.

“Trust me, princess. When Oz, Alex, and Zaire finish at the mansion, they'll bring whatever they find home,” Talon continues, his thumb brushing over my knuckles in gentle circles.

“If there's information to be found, Alex will uncover it. The man can extract data from a brick if he must.”