“For the Order!” Giselle shouts.
“The purification has begun!” Titus echoes.
Charles and Nora join them in applause as Athena’s grinnever fades.
Kane doesn’t move, doesn’t blink. When the room falls silent, he says evenly, “You’ve been busy…”
“Excuse me?” Athena blinks.
“All this new growth, expansion, alliances—with Ulvepack especially. Not exactly known for mercy. Your order must trust you completely.”
Her smile sharpens. “A crew is only as good as its leader, Kane.” She gestures broadly to her side. “You can see the difference yourself.”
He nods. “True. But did your people agree to all the choices you made to get here?”
In his overlay, Athena’s pulse quickens, her mouth twitching.
Charles clears his throat. “Our leader’s actions speak for themselves.”
Nora lifts her chin, adding, “Whatever happened before the Order doesn’t matter now.”
“No, no—let him speak.” Athena leans back. “I’m curious what Kane thinks he actually has on me.”
Unfazed by her comment, Kane angles his seat to the fixer at his side. “Echo, you served with Athena the longest.”
Echo kicks her boots up on the table, drawing a grimace from Nora.
“Didn’t you have something you wanted to share?” Kane prompts.
“Yes, boss man.” She points at him. “First, let me introduce myself. I’m Echo, the fixer, dealer, broker for the crew. Been in this game since—”
“Get to thepoint, Echo.” Athena’s fingers drum once against her chair’s arm.
Echo’s voice flattens. “Fine. Back in the day, Kane’s uncle, our former leader, his wife got sick. Cyber-resistant leukemia. Hit fast and hard.”
A familiar ache stirs in Kane’s chest.
“Duke stepped aside to care for her. Left the lieutenants in charge. That included Athena.” Echo jerks a thumb at her. “Around that time, word came in that the NCPD was planning a major bust. We needed to stock up on synth, quick. I set up a deal with the Reds—reliable, but expensive. Duke wasn’t thrilled about the timing, but he trusted us.”
She raps her knuckles against her chrome prosthetic under her pants. “Right before it went through, I got sidelined. Athena took over.”
“And? Plenty of deals break down.” Nora raises a hand. “I fail to see the issue here.”
Titus scoffs, muttering, “Beyond thisfixerhere making herself moreimpure…”
“The issue is that Athena switched dealers last minute,” Echo asserts. “From the Reds…to Neo Nostra.”
The Natural Order members eye each other with wariness. Kane adds, “Even by our standards, Nostra was a risk.”
Echo nods. “Athena claimed it was the smarter move. Faster payout. More territory access. What she didn’t tell us”—her brows draw together—“was that Neo Nostra wanted Dragan. For revenge. Something personal. And she knew it.”
Athena bristles. “That’s not—”
“The deal went bad.” Echo’s tone sharpens. “Nostra ambushed us. Duke tried to warn us and caught a bullet in the crossfire.” She frowns. “And Athena? She grabbed the credits and ran. Left everyone else behind to die.”
“That’s who you’re following.” Kane meets Athena’s scowl,though his words are for her followers. “Someone who abandons others the moment things go sideways.”
Charles shifts in his seat, sharing a worried look with Nora. Giselle’s features harden, but Titus doesn’t move.