The whole room freezes.
“Take your hand off me, Prez,” Shady says.
“You’re bleeding.”
“Then I’ll leave a trail.”
“You’re not calling blind.”
“I’m not blind.” Shady’s voice lowers. “She gave me a road.”
“Then be road captain and let Alpha trace while you talk.”
Shady stares at him.
For one second, I think he will rip away anyway.
Then he looks at Lady’s frozen face.
Strategy wins by a hair.
“Do it,” he tells Alpha.
Alpha moves fast. Cable. Burner routing. Key Rat slides in beside him, eyes fast, fingers moving on another phone.
“Speaker?” Alpha asks.
Shady nods once.
The room quiets until I can hear my own heartbeat.
Alpha dials.
Once.
Twice.
Three rings.
Then a click.
Nobody speaks for one second.
Then Shady’s voice fills Vice Ink, low and calm enough to scare every man in the room.
“You touched her.”
My whole body locks.
A man answers, smooth and smug. “Road captain.”
Toro.
“You got one chance to tell me where she is,” Shady says.
“Only one?”
“After that, I start taking from you.”