Madrid, Back Alley — 04:47 AM
The humidity weighed heavy as Nox pressed himself into the shadows of a graffiti-streaked alley. The cigarette's ember glowed faintly beneath the brim of his black cap. His violet eyes scanned every movement, alert.
Renzo Alvarez, Ortega's second lieutenant, stumbled out of a closed club, blood smeared on his knuckles. Nox followed silently, the quiet scrape of his blade the only sound.
Before Renzo reached his car, a blade pressed beneath his ribs.
"Name the mole."
Renzo froze, sweat and fear mixing. "I—don't know what you mean—"
A sharper edge whispered the threat. "I can carve it out of your lungs."
"Giovanna. Ortega's driver. She's working for someone else... The Ghost."
Nox said nothing more.
"Go home. Say nothing. Or your tongue's next."
And then he was gone.
---
Coastal Town — Rooftop — Late Morning
The pop of a soda can echoed against the quiet morning.
"You think we're stuck here all summer?" Ash grinned.
Leo stretched out beside him, shirt loose, hair damp. "Not stuck. Just... rewired."
Ash chuckled. "You sound like you swallowed a philosophy book."
Leo smiled. "Better than sounding like a frat boy."
"Two drinks in, I'm practically a poet."
They clinked cans.
No Nox. No cold smoke. No shadow correcting their work or silently watching.
Leo's phone lay broken on the floor. He hadn't answered a single call or message from his father in days. Ash never asked. Obliviousness was their sanctuary.
"What if we got tattoos?" Ash said.
"Matching dolphins?"
"Nah. Something dumb. Summer memories."
Leo smiled faintly. "Pain's not how I want to remember."
Ash thought. "Maybe that's why I do it."
---
Madrid — Ortega Estate, Surveillance Room — 01:15 PM
Nox monitored security feeds, counting steps and timing patrols. Giovanna moved predictably, always escorting Ortega, but something was off.
Badge logs showed Giovanna accessed the vault corridor five times this week; Ortega only twice.
Suspicious.
A crawlspace beneath the west wing revealed a heat signature—human-sized, active.
The Ghost had a secret.
---
Arcade Center — Evening
Leo laughed as Ash flailed at the claw machine.
"You suck."
"They rigged all of them."
"Loser."
Ash jabbed Leo. "Help me win a plush, dinner's on me."
Leo narrowed his eyes, focused.
One attempt.
The claw grabbed a green octopus and dropped it in.
Ash's jaw dropped. "No way."
Leo handed it over. "Name him."
"Sebastian. Definitely Sebastian."
Neon lights smeared their silhouettes as they stepped into the city's pulse.
---
Madrid — Underground Garage — 03:42 AM
Nox slipped on thermal goggles, scanning the crawlspace tunnel.
Empty, but recent heat signatures betrayed movement.
He planted two silent motion mines—one in a vent shaft, another behind a water heater.
No distractions, no messages. Just waiting for the Ghost.
---
Beachside Carnival — Afternoon
Ash dragged Leo toward the Ferris wheel. "You're not leaving until we ride."
"I hate heights."
"You survived Nox's glare for months. This is easier."
Leo sighed but gave in.
As they rose, Ash pointed toward the horizon.
"You think we'll ever leave?"
Leo answered softly, "Not today."
All he wanted was the quiet—no questions, no fears.
---
Madrid — Rooftop — 09:00 PM
Nox exhaled smoke into the night wind.
He'd cracked Ortega's vault system and prepared the infiltration.
Documents, crypto keys, leverage—he'd plant a leak and watch Ortega's world crumble.
His earpiece buzzed.
A woman's voice, Spanish-accented: "Ghost knows you're here."
Nox smirked.
"Then he's late. I've already begun."
---
Dorm Rooftop — Midnight
Ash was asleep, head tilted back, mouth open.
Leo sat cross-legged, beer in hand, staring at stars.
No mafia. No father. No shadows.
Just laughter, arcade lights, cotton candy, vodka's burn.
Leo smiled.
Beneath the rooftop, a man in black bled quietly in the bushes—one of Leo's secret guards. Dead.
Another took his place by the stairwell.
Leo didn't know.
And maybe that was how it was meant to be.
End of Chapter 38