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I turned toward the doors.

“Let’s go.”

Tommy followed behind me.

My mind was already moving forward.

One name crossed off the list.

Seven left.

Now, I had to see my mother…

CHAPTER 30

Vivi

THAT SAME NIGHT…

“Prayers for a Killer”

The evening felt heavy long before Ares arrived. But a mother always knows when something has shifted when her son says he’s coming over after midnight.

I had been sitting at my small prayer table near the window for almost an hour. My rosary rested in my hands, beads sliding slowly between my fingers while I whispered quiet prayers.

Protection.

Mercy.

Guidance.

Things mothers pray for when their sons walk paths the world would never understand.

I heard a keycard hit my door.

I stood and opened the door before Ares could reach for it again.

He stepped inside without a word.

Ares looked exactly the way his father always did after business.

Calm.

Controlled.

But I knew him too well.

The energy around him was negative tonight, and I knew it was bothering him.

He took off his blazer and laid it across the chair by the door.

“You’re awake,” he said.

“I was waiting.”

He walked toward the window, hands resting in his pockets.

“It’s done.”