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I can feel it pressing closer — the slow, grinding crush of my own making.

This was never a game.

It was always a death march.

And I chose it.

One wrong step and the ground will open beneath me, dragging everything I love into the grave I've been digging with my own two hands.

But I won't flinch.

I won't falter.

There’s already blood soaked into the stone.

Before this ends, there will be more.

The only question is whose.

Cian

The sleek blackcar rolls to a stop in front of the hotel, and Aoife slides into the passenger seat.Her short skirt rides up higher as she crosses her legs and pulls the door shut, the movement casual yet calculated.

"Where are we going?"she asks, her voice holding a guarded edge.

"Somewhere private," I reply.

The city fades in the rearview mirror, and the roads get rougher the farther we go.I take us toward a warehouse by the docks, a place I’ve recently acquired, the kind where no one looks too long or asks the wrong questions.

As the city fades behind us, Aoife shifts in her seat."I have something to tell you."

I glance at her, arching a brow."What is it, lass?"

"Ruairi’s gone because of me.I’m the reason he disappeared."Another beat of silence, heavier now."I’m holding him," she finishes, her voice steady but tight.

My grip flexes and then relaxes as I take a slow breath.Then, I let out a short laugh, one without an ounce of humor.

"You’re fucking what?"I turn my head slightly, catching the way she watches me, calm and composed, like she didn’t just drop a fucking bomb in my lap.

"I have him," she says smoothly.

I shake my head as I focus back on the road."And when, exactly, were you planning to share that little detail with me, lass?"

"I was hoping I could convince Ruairi to see reason first," she says, her voice tight."It would’ve made it easier to carry out the plan if he was on our side.But I haven't had any luck."She lets out a frustrated breath."I wanted to tell you in person.This isn’t the kind of thing you say over the phone."

"Right.Convenient."I let the word hang in the air, watching for a crack in her expression.

"It’s the truth," she says without hesitation.

I scoff, shaking my head again."And here I was, wasting my time thinking O’Sullivan had something to do with his disappearance."

Aoife lifts her chin, a flash of defiance in her voice."Seems like I solved the mystery then."

My fingers drum against the wheel.Being caught off guard isn’t something I tolerate easily.Still, I can’t help but be impressed.

"What’s your endgame?"I ask.

She leans back against the seat, her fingers toying with the hem of her skirt."Payback."