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It all seems impossible.

Only slightly more impossible than what the man standing next to me as we exit the safe house a couple of hours later just did to me so many times earlier. And again in the shower.

No one has ever…

Shaking my head in the cold, I head off toward the street. I must stay focused.

Leading the way back to the garage I almost step out from the dark sidewalk to the orange of the streetlamp when I hear a sound.

“Ssst.” Ciro barely makes a noise, but in the dead of night it makes me freeze, glancing around. He points ahead, to the left. Then raises three fingers.

My eyes widen, mostly in irritation.

Here too?

They must be all over town. And they must have some sense of where our safe houses are if they are so close to us.

Ciro shrugs, waiting for me to make a call.

Gesturing with two fingers, I wave us on, heading a different direction. We slink through the darker alleys, passing one or two more pairs of infiltrators. Soon, we reach a smaller neighborhood. Quiet. Mostly cottages.

“No sign of them.”

“I figured. They must have gotten some intel, but no maps.” Otherwise our little tryst might have been interrupted.

“Just our shit luck that they posted up right by our ride.”

“It’s fine. We steal car.”

“Oh. Works for me. A little Faust and the Furious?”

“Faust was German.”

“Ah, shit. You’re not German?”

“You’re not Greek?”

“Ooo, them’s fightin’ words.”

“Shut up and break into this car. Assuming you know how?” I raise one eyebrow.

“Ohoho, please. What kind of lifelong criminal and mobster would I be if I couldn’t? I stole my first car at twelve.”

“Ah, so you got late start. Let me to do it for you. It is easy.”

Ciro doubles over laughing, covering his mouth. I press my lips together to keep from joining in. He really is contagious.

Or I am a stupid fawning girl.

“Light,” I snap.

“Here. Now please, show me your magical ways, princess.”

“Like this, see?” I sniff, pretending to pop the lock and opening the door. “Magic.”

“Ten points to Gryffin?—”

“What?”