The next morning, the rain had cleared, leaving the island sparkling and treacherous. Anna was allowed her hour of "exercise," a term Dante used to describe her supervised pacing of the perimeter.
She headed straight for the East Gate.
Leo was there, his rifle slung over his shoulder. He looked younger in the morning light, less like a killer and more like a boy who had made a series of bad choices to escape poverty.
"You look like you didn't sleep," Leo said softly as she approached the stone wall.
"I was typing until 2:00 AM," Anna replied, leaning her back against the cool stone, hidden from the manor's direct line of sight by a thicket of hibiscus. "He's a ghost. He doesn't sleep, so he thinks I don't need to either."
Leo looked around cautiously before stepping closer. He pulled a small, crumpled foil wrapper from his pocket and handed it to her. "Here. It's a chocolate bar from the mainland. The rations here are depressing."
Anna took it, her fingers brushing his. The contact was simple, human, and devoid of the electricity that came with Dante. It felt safe. "Thank you, Leo. Why are you being nice to me? You know what he'll do if he thinks we're friends."
"I grew up with three sisters in a house the size of a shipping container," Leo said, a sad smile touching his lips. "I know what it looks like when someone is being hunted. Vane... he's not like other bosses. He doesn't just want your body or your work. He wants to own the way you think. He wants to be the only thing in your head."
"He's succeeding," Anna admitted, her voice trembling. "Sometimes I find myself listening for his footsteps even when I'm alone."
"That's how he wins," Leo whispered. He reached out, hesitantly patting her shoulder. "But he's just a man, Anna. He bleeds. He gets tired. He has weaknesses. His sister, Luciana... she's his biggest one. She knows how to get under his skin."
"What do you mean?"
"The family is fractured," Leo explained, his voice barely audible over the sound of the crashing waves below. "Dante wants to run the Syndicate his way—with logic and silence. Luciana wants the old ways—blood and spectacle. You're the wedge between them. As long as you're here, you're a target for her and a distraction for him."
"I just want to go home," Anna said, the chocolate bar melting in her hand.
"Home isn't there anymore, Anna. The Silencers burned your bar down the night after you left. They're looking for you."
The news hit her like a physical blow. The last tie to her old life was gone. She was truly alone on this rock with a monster.
"Hey," Leo said, his voice firm. "I'm working the night shift on the docks next week. There's a supply boat that leaves at 3:00 AM. If you can get past the library doors... I can get you on that boat."
Anna looked at him, hope flaring in her chest for the first time. "You'd risk that for me?"
"No one deserves to be a ghost in someone else's house," Leo said.
Before Anna could respond, the crackle of a radio interrupted them. "Sector 4, report."
Leo straightened up, his face becoming a mask of military indifference. "Go, Anna. He's watching."
Anna tucked the chocolate into her pocket and walked away, her mind racing. An escape. A real chance. But as she looked up at the manor, she saw the dark silhouette of Dante Vane standing on the balcony of his office, his eyes fixed on her.
He didn't move. He didn't wave. He just stood there like a gargoyle, a shadow that she couldn't outrun.