Page 114 of The Cost of Silence

Her eyes soften, something fierce and fragile flickering there. “I know,” she whispers. “Same problem.”

We stay like that for a beat, breathing the same air, the threat outside the door pressing in but not quite cracking this small bubble we’ve carved out.

“Okay,” she says finally, straightening. “Operational plan. I’ll write down everything from today while it’s fresh. Shock does weird things to memory. Then I’ll sit with Adi or Matteo, and go over the timeline again, fires, attacks, money, names. See if the rat and the quote fit into a bigger sentence. No solo field trips. No meeting mysterious sources in parking garages.”

“Good,” I say. “And you eat something. You’re shaking.”

“That’s adrenaline.”

“That’s low blood sugar,” I counter. “You didn’t eat lunch.”

She frowns. “Have you bugged my stomach?”

“Yes.”

She laughs, breathless. It’s a good sound. Cuts through the static.

I cup her face, my thumb brushing along her jaw. “You’re staying,” I say. It’s not a question. “No running, no guilt about putting us in danger. This isourmess now. We clean it together.”

A slow exhale leaves her, like she’s letting go of something heavy. “Okay,” she whispers. “Together.”

I kiss her then. Not to distract. To anchor. To remind both of us what we’re fighting to protect.

She kisses me back like she understands.

Like she’s all in.

There’s a knock at the door, soft but insistent.

“Boss,” Rossi calls. “We’ve got something on the footage. When you’re ready.”

I pull back, resting my forehead on hers for one more heartbeat.

“Duty calls,” she murmurs.

“It’s getting annoying,” I agree.

“I’m getting used to it,” she says. “You go. I’ll make notes. And maybe coffee. And maybe Google rat symbolism so I can overthink this later.”

“Don’t go near the balcony,” I tell her. “Or the door. Or the—”

“Nico.”

I stop.

She smiles, small but real. “I’ll be careful.”

It’s not enough. It has to be.

I kiss her once more, then step back and open the door.

War waits on the other side.

Good.

I’m ready to introduce it to the concept of consequences.

31.Isabella