Page 140 of Dark Night of the Soul

No hesitation. No questions about the risk.

She knew what Munich meant—destroying the surveillance data, burning down the violation they’d committed against her, against us. Taking back what they’d stolen.

She moved deeper into the room, searching for clothes. I stepped inside, still holding the phone.

“There’s something else,” I said.

She paused, looked up at me, question in her eyes.

“I activated the Quiet Watch.”

Her brows drew together. “What is that?”

“Men loyal to me,” I said. “Not because they’re ordered to be. Because they choose to be.”

She blinked. “So,” she said. “You lead a shadow network of men who show up when you ask?”

“Yes.”

Her eyes flicked down.

“And you’re explaining this to me completely naked.”

“It wasn’t intentional.”

She resumed her quest for clothes. “Well, I’m going to need more information and coffee. But first—pants.” She paused to wave a hand at me. “Because that is wildly distracting.”

Still using that sharp humor even with Munich looming. I reached for my pants. “I’ll answer everything.”

“Good,” she said. “Because Munich doesn’t sound like a place for surprises.”

I made coffee while she dressed. The ritual of it steadying. Water, grounds, the slow drip filling the silence. When we were both settled on the balcony, her with a mug in hand, I knew this was the last time we’d sit here like this.

The last time before everything changed again.

“I’m listening,” she said.

I fixed my gaze on the distant sea, where ships cut through the blue, leaving white trails of foam. Easier to explain this while looking at something besides her face. Easier not to see if the truth of what I’d done changed how she saw me.

“The Quiet Watch isn’t a unit,” I said.

“What is it then?”

“It’s what happens when the Brotherhood decides someone is a liability and I disagree.”

Her expression didn’t change, but she went still. Coffee mug halfway to her lips.

“Over the years,” I continued, “I was sent to clean up failures. Defectors. Assets that couldn’t be controlled anymore.”

“And instead?”

“Instead, I found men who were useful right up until they weren’t convenient.”

She lowered the mug. Listening now with that complete focus she gave to things that mattered.

“Some broke orders. Some refused to cross a line. Some crossed it and couldn’t live with it afterward.”

“So, you saved them.”