old oil. Her head pounded, the pain

er by zip ties. The room was dimly lit, w

's a

ng a tactical vest, no mask. He looked p

ia croaked. "If i

want the decryption key. The one that

in. "I don't know what

e strength sent her head snapping to the side.

hey're the only ones looking. But

kicked open with th

e shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, stained with someone else's blood. He he

," Luca said. The 'wife

g for a weapon on the table. L

ped over wit

ds, a knife appearing in his han

ng her chin to turn her face towards the light to examine the bruise

reathing coming in harsh ga

e emotionless. He stood up, surveying the room.

ed, rubbing her wrists. "You want

m stretched thin. "I want you in jail for the crimes you committed, Aria. Not dead a

ark," she

decryption key. What's going on, Luca? What have our families done?" Aria stared at her reflection in the dark glass. "My father died trying to find that key. He thought your mother stole it. He thought your mother used it to bankrupt our resear

contains the source code for the Hale-Veridian infrastructure. If

talking about her research, about how she

the car screeched to a halt in

Archi

s.

file. He tossed it into her lap. It was a crime s

desk in blood was